On Wednesday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson denied claims in a new lawsuit that he sexually assaulted a woman while on a date in 2020.
“Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday,” Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement. “We have asked him not to comment further while this matter works its way through the courts, but are comfortable he will ultimately be vindicated. We will be ready to defend this case in court at the appropriate time, but don’t intend to conduct our defense in the media. “We would ask that people be patient while the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, Deshaun is going to focus his energy and concentration on football.”
The new civil lawsuit, submitted on Monday in Houston, alleges that Watson exposed himself, asked for a massage, and sexually assaulted the victim before she managed to resist and get him to leave her apartment. At the time of these new allegations, Watson was with the Houston Texans. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that the league is looking into the complaint but will not put Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List since no criminal charges have been filed.
On Wednesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Watson would start in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He directed reporters to the team’s statement from Tuesday, which emphasized their commitment to respecting the legal system’s due process. Stefanski also mentioned that there was no discussion about benching Watson and that he was not aware of the new allegations prior to this.
“We are 100 percent focused on Jacksonville, 100 percent focused on going on the road against a good football team, trying to find a way to get a W,” Stefanski said.
In August 2022, the NFL suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million for violating its personal conduct policy, following allegations from over 20 women who claimed he engaged in sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Watson reached confidential settlements with 23 of the 24 women in 2022 and has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that any sexual encounters were consensual. Two grand juries in Texas chose not to indict Watson in 2022 regarding criminal complaints from 10 women. As part of his reinstatement, the NFL required Watson to undergo mandatory evaluation and treatment.