*A female massage therapist in Houston has filed a civil lawsuit against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, accusing him of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
In the lawsuit, per USA Today, the unnamed woman claims Watson, 25, touched her hand with his penis on March 30 during a session at at her home, where she operates her massage business. She is seeking “minimal compensatory damages.”
The woman’s lawyer, former Houston mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. He told FOX 26 that Watson “went too far” during a massage.
“I am extremely proud to represent those who have no perceived power against those who have PERCEIVED power,” Buzbee wrote in a Facebook post. “Too many times women have put up with behavior that we all know no one should put up with. Should we make excuses for the famous? Or those who hold special positions, or quarterbacks on a local professional football team? I don’t think so! All people are equal, and all deserve dignity and respect.”
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— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) March 17, 2021
Watson responded with a statement on Twitter, denying all allegations of wrongdoing.
“As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer, I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me,” Watson wrote. “I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I Have never treated any woman with anything than the utmost respect. The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected.”
Watson added: “Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”
The NFL and the Texans issued a brief statement in response to the lawsuit.
“We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night,” the team’s statement said. “This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon. We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident.”
