Deshaun Watson, the beleaguered quarterback for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, has been sued by a woman for allegedly raping her.
The unknown plaintiff claims in court documents obtained by CBS Sports that Watson sexually assaulted her at her apartment in October 2020.
This is the latest of nearly 30 females, mostly masseuses, who filed civil lawsuits against Watson, who was previously the highly-praised quarterback for the Houston Texans. Watson and his legal team settled the other lawsuits out of court in 2022 after he was traded to the Browns, and the NFL punished Watson with an 11-game suspension prior to that season.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” Tony Buzbee, the plaintiff’s attorney, said in a statement to CBS Sports about the latest lawsuit. Buzbee also handled the lawsuits filed by the previous accusers. “We intend to pursue this case with the same aggressiveness with which we pursued the others. We want a jury trial. As far as any specific comments on the facts of the case, we believe the lawsuit speaks for itself.”
The woman, named Jane Doe, and her legal team outlined in the court docs that Watson noticed her at a Houston-area bar and had a representative go over and get her number, which the “flattered” woman provided.
After several months of communicating via texting, the woman invited Watson to her apartment for dinner. While she was in the bathroom finishing her makeup, she said she tried to make small talk but Watson never responded. Thinking that Watson had left the apartment, the woman exited her bathroom hoping to find Watson still sitting on the couch. What she said she saw next “terrified” her.
Watson was allegedly lying on her bed naked, on his stomach, and asked her to massage him and gesturing to his buttocks.
The documents, CBS Sports reports, said the woman was “terrified” but “tried to appease Watson by rubbing his back, rather than his buttocks.” She said when Watson turned over, he was fully erect and then asked her to continue massaging him and pointed to his genitals.
The lawsuit outlines in graphic detail what allegedly happened afterward:
“Before Jane Doe could answer, Watson grabbed Jane Doe’s leg and positioned her so that she was lying down. Watson then partially disrobed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implied or explicit. Jane Doe felt paralyzed, unsure if she should risk her safety by trying to stop Watson or endure his assault. Watson roughly sexually assaulted Jane Doe for several minutes in a ‘missionary position’ before grabbing her and flipping her over. Watson continued to assault Jane Doe from behind. Jane Doe finally gathered the courage and strength to escape Watson. Jane Doe quickly ran to dresser to grab a heavy piece of décor for self-defense, and yelled at Watson [to] get out of her apartment. Enraged, Watson stormed out of Jane Doe’s apartment.”
The woman is reportedly seeking more than $1 million in damages for the mental and physical pain Watson allegedly inflicted on her and for the “loss of enjoyment of life and piece of mind” along with the counseling sessions she has had to undergo.
The NFL and the Browns have yet to respond to media inquiries.
