Deshaun Watson has been a quiet mouse for much of the year since he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Twenty-four women have filed lawsuits against Watson, and there are rumors that more lawsuits and accusations are expected to come to light soon.
In a recent report by the New York Times, Watson hired at least 66 women over the course of 17 months for private massage sessions.
On June 14, Watson spoke for the first time in a while at minicamp about the recent allegations against him and said he had no regrets about his actions, but more so about the impact the allegations have had on people around him.
"I never assaulted anyone. I never harassed anyone or I never disrespected anyone. I never forced anyone to do anything."
—Deshaun Watson speaking to the media for the first time since March 25 pic.twitter.com/7MCiR5uvfo
— ESPN (@espn) June 14, 2022
During a press conference, Watson was asked if he considered filing countersuits for defamation because of the harm done to his reputation.
“I haven’t got into any of that,” Watson said. “My biggest thing is just wanting to clear my name so I can get back to being in an environment that I’m most comfortable in and that’s being in the community and helping people and being that role model and leader.”
His quotes raise some questions, because if he felt like he was innocent and they were destroying his reputation, why not take action?
“My biggest thing is just wanting to clear my name,” Watson said. “I never assaulted, disrespected, or harassed anyone. But at the same time, I do understand that I do have regrets as far as the impact it’s had on the community, and people outside of just myself, and that includes my family, that includes this organization, that includes my teammates in this locker room that have to answer to these questions.”
It sounds like Watson is more focused on how he’s being affected than the actual lawsuits.
