Deshaun Watson Faces New Lawsuit On Claims of Sexual Assault, Battery

A new lawsuit filed in Houston against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was filed on Monday, alleging sexual assault and battery occurring in 2020.

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, released a statement Wednesday responding to the allegations two days prior.

“Deshaun strongly denies the allegations in the Jane Doe lawsuit filed Monday. 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.”

The NFL and the Cleveland Browns did not release a statement. However, the league stated it would not place the quarterback on the commissioner’s exempt list, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski stated he would start Watson on Sunday against the Jaguars.

Tony Buzbee, who represents the woman in this case, did announce a statement later Wednesday.

“We reached out to attorney Rusty Hardin’s office for ten months in an attempt to resolve this case. We knew this case was the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date and our client, who is rightly traumatized by these events, wanted to attempt a private resolution.”

Watson had previously settled 23 out of 24 civil cases against him in 2022, but he received an 11-game suspension from the league. However, he has never been charged criminally.

The former Clemson quarterback looks like a shell of himself on the field, as he racked up just 165 passing yards on 45 attempts in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Watson received the only fully guaranteed contract in NFL history after the Browns traded an unprecedented six draft picks for him a couple of years ago.