Deshaun Watson - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Texans’ Deshaun Watson

April 9th, 2021 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, Deshaun Watson‘s lawyer requested that one of his anonymous plaintiffs be identified. On Friday, the attorney representing Watson’s accusers said that nine of his 12 clients are willing to put their names on their lawsuits (Twitter link via Aaron Reiss of The Athletic).

To date, only two women has been willing to go public with her identity. Now, the majority of Tony Buzbee’s clients are willing to go on the record. That could prove to be a huge barrier for the quarterback’s defense.

In total, 22 women have accused the Texans quarterback of sexual assault or misconduct. Ashley Solis — the first woman to publicly identify herself — recently spoke with Houston police, potentially taking Watson from civil suits to criminal charges. Solis says Watson touched her with his genitals during a massage session — other accusers have made similar claims in recent weeks.

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, says Solis sought a $100K settlement before she filed suit. Hardin also disclosed emails discussing the settlement, though such pre-litigation communications are fairly standard in civil matters.

Meanwhile, the Texans are closely monitoring the situation, along with the league office.

In a letter to season-ticket holders Monday, the Texans addressed the Watson developments.

“We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously,” the McNair family said in a statement. “While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault. Our family and the entire Houston Texans organization are deeply troubled by any form of abuse and we condemn this type of behavior.”

Latest On Deshaun Watson

April 6th, 2021 at 7:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of Deshaun Watson‘s accusers revealed their identities Tuesday. Both said Watson sexually assaulted them.

Ashley Solis, the first of the 22 women to accuse the Texans quarterback of sexual assault or misconduct, has provided information to the police, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com notes. Another of Tony Buzbee’s clients has as well. The Houston Police Department began an investigation into Watson on Friday. Solis alleges Watson touched her with his genitals during their massage session, which occurred at Solis’ residence.

Another of the massage therapists to accuse Watson, Lauren Baxley, revealed her identity Tuesday as well through a letter. Baxley accuses Watson of contacting her with his genitals multiple times, according to NFL.com. The NFL has been in contact with Buzbee, according to ESPN.com’s Ed Werder. The league has been investigating the Watson accusers’ claims for weeks.

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, responded to Solis’ account by indicating her claim of not coming forward for monetary purposes was disingenuous. Buzbee sought a $100K settlement on Solis’ behalf before she filed the civil lawsuit, Hardin’s statement read. Hardin-provided emails involving the settlement proposal between Watson’s camp and Buzbee’s reveal standard pre-litigation communications, however, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

In a letter to season-ticket holders Monday, the Texans addressed the Watson developments.

“We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously,” the McNair family said in a statement. “While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault. Our family and the entire Houston Texans organization are deeply troubled by any form of abuse and we condemn this type of behavior.”

Houston Police Department Opens Deshaun Watson Investigation

April 2nd, 2021 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Houston Police Department received a report of an allegation against Deshaun Watson and is now conducting an investigation into the Texans quarterback (Twitter link).

Prior to Friday, none of Watson’s 20-plus accusers had gone to the police. The attorney representing Watson’s accusers, Tony Buzbee, indicated he would not take these accusations to the police, Aaron Reiss of The Athletic tweets. One accuser has done so, however, though it is not known if the complainant is among the 21 accusers who previously filed civil suits against Watson.

“Today, a complainant filed a report with the Houston Police Department concerning Deshaun Watson,” Houston PD’s statement read. “As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is now conducting an investigation and will not comment further during the investigative process.”

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, subsequently indicated his legal team will cooperate fully with the Houston PD’s investigation, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Twenty-one women have accused Watson of sexual assault or sexual misconduct; 18 different massage therapists have voiced support for Watson, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The NFL began its investigation into Watson more than two weeks ago.

Texans To Consider Alex Smith As Deshaun Watson Replacement?

April 2nd, 2021 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have yet to engage in trade talks for Deshaun Watson, but the calls are still coming in — even in the midst of Watson’s off-the-field situation. If the Texans move on from Watson or lose him to league discipline, former Washington quarterback Alex Smith could be considered for the role, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link).

Smith suffered his horrific leg injury against the Texans in 2018, but managed to return to the field in 2020. According to the QB, Washington didn’t necessarily want him back. Smith went on to go 5-1 in his starts and help WFT capture the NFC East title. Smith was, understandably, not at his best. Last yar, he threw for six touchdowns against eight interceptions with a 78.5 QB rating.

“When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team’s plan,” Smith said earlier this year. “They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be a part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance.”

Ron Rivera & Co. went on to cut Smith, saving $14.7MM against the cap. Although they didn’t want to give Smith a chance – or a 2021 return — the Texans could be willing to give him an opportunity.

Watson is facing upwards of 20 lawsuits alleging a variety of sexual misconduct. The league office could move to place Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list, which would keep him off the field while the legal situation plays out.

49ers Monitored Deshaun Watson

April 1st, 2021 at 7:17pm CST by Rory Parks

Prior to swinging a deal for the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft — which they have admitted they will use on a quarterback — the 49ers monitored Deshaun Watson‘s availability, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes. That’s not terribly surprising, as the Niners were reportedly high on Watson’s list of preferred destinations, and San Francisco has been connected in some way or another to many of the quarterbacks that were on the trade and free agent markets this offseason.

Ultimately, after the club managed to retain key players like left tackle Trent Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and after Watson’s off-field situation made a trade for him infeasible, GM John Lynch approached ownership with the proposal to acquire the No. 3 pick from Miami. Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan believe the roster is championship-ready, and while they feel they can win with Jimmy Garoppolo under center — after all, the Garoppolo-led 49ers were in the Super Bowl about 14 months ago — they knew they needed a backup plan given Jimmy G’s injury history. And, with the 2022 class of collegiate QBs looking like an uninspiring group at the moment, San Francisco decided the time was right to make a bold move to secure a top prospect who would represent a Garoppolo fallback plan this year and who has a real chance of becoming a top-flight passer down the line.

The fact that the club was looking at players like Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton even after they had initiated talks to make a move up the draft board underscores the fact that the team is not comfortable with Garoppolo on a long-term basis and was considering trading him and replacing him with a different veteran that could have served as a bridge to a younger passer. Of course, a trade for Watson would have obviated the need for a rookie signal-caller, but even if Watson weren’t facing legal issues, there would have been stiff competition for his services, if the Texans had chosen to move him at all. While a player like Trey Lance, Justin Fields, or Mac Jones are hardly the sure thing that Watson is, we know that Shanahan prides himself on his ability to get the most out of his quarterbacks.

Garoppolo, meanwhile, was understandably unhappy when he learned that the team was drafting his replacement, and it sounds as if Shanahan made no bones about the fact that 2021 is looking like Garoppolo’s last year in San Francisco. As Wagoner writes, Shanahan said Garoppolo ultimately understood the plan to bring him back for “one more go” and “rehabilitate his value” (presumably for a trade in 2022).

“I’m sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it, just like I would be, too,” Shanahan said. “The more mad Jimmy gets, usually the better he gets. (If) Jimmy just gets madder and stays healthy, this is going to be a good thing for Jimmy, too, which could be a great problem for the 49ers.”

As for who the 49ers might take at No. 3? Jones is a highly accurate passer, especially on intermediate throws, and boasts a terrific deep ball. In other words, he checks a lot of Shanahan’s boxes. He is also said to have high-level football IQ and excellent leadership abilities, and while many pundits have suggested his ceiling is lower than that of Lance or Fields, ESPN’s Adam Schefter cites one NFC GM who says teams have Jones graded much higher than the media does (via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area). As such, Schefter says he would not be surprised if the 49ers pull the trigger on Jones.

Latest On Texans, Deshaun Watson

March 30th, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

More lawsuits have been filed against Deshaun Watson this week, as ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop details. This latest round of suits includes one alleging that Watson is deleting Instagram messages and contacting plaintiffs in an effort to settle.

“Like a lot of people, Deshaun regularly deletes past Instagram messages,” Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin said. “That said, he has not deleted any messages since March 15th, the day before the first lawsuit was filed. We categorically deny that he has reached out directly to his accusers in an attempt to settle these cases.”

Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing Watson’s accusers, now says that he has filed 20 lawsuits in total.

“Plaintiffs have not brought these cases for money or attention; instead Plaintiffs seek a change in behavior with regard to Watson, and a change of culture in the NFL,” Buzbee wrote in one lawsuit.

Before the lawsuits, the biggest questions surrounding Watson had to do with his future in Houston. The trade rumors have obviously taken a backseat, but NFL execs seem to think that a deal could still be in play.

“If you’re a team that had been interested in him, you have to do your own research into this, with whatever resources you have,” one anonymous NFL exec told Lindsay Jones of The Athletic. “You have to do your own due diligence, in the event that [someone from the Texans] one day picks up the phone and says they are ready to move him.”

Watson Lawyer: Allegations Against QB False

March 23rd, 2021 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deshaun Watson‘s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Tuesday he believes all the allegations against his client are false. The Texans quarterback has been accused of sexual misconduct or assault by 16 women, with two more accusers emerging Tuesday.

“Any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false,” Hardin said, via ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop.

Hardin also accused Tony Buzbee, the attorney for the massage therapists who have accused Watson, of denying his requests to provide the plaintiffs’ names in order for their claims to be investigated. Additionally, Watson marketing manager Bryan Burney said one of the accusers attempted to blackmail his client for $30K in January, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

In an affidavit, Burney said one of Watson’s accusers — who has alleged he forced her to perform oral sex on him at a Houston office building — confirmed everything that occurred during her encounter with Watson was consensual. The woman then sought a payment for her silence on the events of that encounter, Burney said, adding that Watson would not pay her $30K.

However, after the Hardin and Burney statements emerged, 15th and 16th accusers joined the other massage therapists, Aaron Reiss of The Athletic tweets. Buzbee has alleged he has made contact with 22 alleged victims. No criminal charges have been filed against Watson.

Texans’ Deshaun Watson Facing Ten Lawsuits

March 22nd, 2021 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

Three more civil lawsuits have been filed against Deshaun Watson, as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com tweets. The Texans quarterback is now facing ten suits in total with allegations of inappropriate conduct and sexual assault.

“I’m extremely proud to represent Deshaun Watson and wholly stand behind him against what we believe are meritless allegations,” his attorney, Rusty Hardin, said recently. “However, we will wait to comment in detail until we’ve completed our review of the numerous, evolving allegations from Mr. Buzbee. We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do so.”

Last week, three massage therapists filed against Watson with one accuser alleging that Watson forced her to perform oral sex. Through the first seven cases, Watson denied any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the Texans say they are cooperating with the investigations.

Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, was previously in the news for his long-standing trade request. Obviously, his off-the-field matters could put those discussions on pause.

Latest On Allegations Against Deshaun Watson

March 21st, 2021 at 9:12am CST by Rory Parks

As of March 18, Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee had filed three lawsuits against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on behalf of three massage therapists alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual assault. Now, Buzbee has filed a total of seven suits, and as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com writes, at least five more will be on the way.

No criminal charges or complaints have been filed against Watson, but according to Barshop, Buzbee is pushing to change that. The attorney plans to submit affidavits and evidence concerning the alleged misconduct to the Houston Police Department and the Houston DA on Monday morning, and he will also request that a grand jury consider the evidence.

Obviously, that is part of Buzbee’s effort to increase his leverage in his civil suits, and the fact that he is submitting affidavits and evidence to the DA’s office does not mean that the DA will believe those materials represent probable cause to initiate criminal proceedings. Still, it’s clear that this matter is not going away, and Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, says a response is forthcoming.

“I’m extremely proud to represent Deshaun Watson and wholly stand behind him against what we believe are meritless allegations,” Hardin said. “However, we will wait to comment in detail until we’ve completed our review of the numerous, evolving allegations from Mr. Buzbee. We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do so.” (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX 26).

Up until the suits were filed, Watson had been all over the headlines for football-related reasons. He and the Texans were playing a game of chicken over the three-time Pro Bowler’s trade demand, and on March 19 — even after the seventh lawsuit — Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported that several clubs remained interested in swinging a trade for Watson. That includes the Eagles, whose interest had not been reported previously.

“We need to know more facts before making a firm decision on a trade, but, yes, we’re still interested,” said one NFL executive. “How could you not be interested in Deshaun Watson possibly being your quarterback? The guy is an incredible talent.”

Said another exec, “[w]hat Deshaun Watson has been accused of obviously doesn’t match up at all with what we’ve heard and know about him as a really great person, but you can’t ignore these serious allegations. What that means is making sure you’re doing your homework and making sure you have all the facts before you get heavily involved in trade negotiations. There’s the NFL investigation, the court stuff and you have to let it all play out and make an informed decision. Yes, we’re still very interested in Deshaun Watson. What he has done on the field checks every box for quarterback play.”

If these allegations are not resolved in Watson’s favor in short order, you can expect that interested teams will stop their pursuit of the Texans’ signal-caller.

NFL Investigating Allegations Against Deshaun Watson

March 18th, 2021 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Three women are accusing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault, and the NFL is investigating the claims. NFL special counsel for investigations Lisa Friel confirmed to Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the women who have accused Watson, that the league is investigating this matter.

“I became aware of the lawsuits you filed yesterday, as well as the one you filed this morning, which contain various allegations of misconduct by Houston Texans player Deshaun Watson,” Friel wrote in a letter deemed confidential, which Buzbee shared in a since-deleted Instagram post (via the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Young).

“I am writing to let you know that the League has opened an investigation into these allegations and to request the cooperation of your clients in our investigation. Such cooperation would begin with engaging in Zoom interviews with myself and another League investigator at which, of course, you would be present.”

Three massage therapists have filed suit against the 25-year-old quarterback alleging sexual assault. The third accuser alleges Watson forced her to perform oral sex. Watson denies any wrongdoing and has hired attorney Rusty Hardin to represent him, Young reports. The Texans released a statement indicating they are cooperating with the investigation.

Watson is a three-time Pro Bowler who is already a central component of the NFL offseason. The star quarterback has requested a trade from the Texans, who signed him to a $39MM-per-year extension last summer. The Texans have insisted they will not trade Watson. This investigation may pause the trade rumors attached to Watson.