Deshaun Watson has seen seven sexual assault allegations filed against him in just one week. The Texans’ star quarterback is alleged to have sexually assaulted seven massage therapists in the Houston area, and two more victims are yet to file their lawsuits.
Watson is alleged to have booked his massages via a licensed spa business but didn’t have a problem communicating with the victims on Instagram to book his “treatments” there too.
According to the lawsuits, six of the women were assaulted once, but one massage therapist accused Watson of assaulting her on multiple occasions.
Threatened his Victims
All women that have accused Watson of inappropriate behavior and sexual assaults have done so anonymously. They said that the quarterback used his stature to threaten them and to say that if they didn’t do what he was asking them to do, their careers could suffer.
The seven lawsuits that Deshaun Watson has to contend with have been filed by one attorney, Tony Buzbee. The Houston-based lawyer said on Instagram that there were nine cases against Watson and that all nine women have contacted the police and were intending to take Watson to court.
Mr. Buzbee promised to give more information to the media on Friday and said that he will also provide the press with copies of texts and messages between the victims and Watson.
Victims Looking for a “Six-Figure Settlement”
Deshaun Watson was quick to deny any wrongdoing. He wrote on Twitter that he “rejected” the baseless claims and added that the victims were after a “six-figure settlement” with him.
He went on to say that he would clear his name and was looking forward to doing that. In his statement, Watson said that he had never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect.
Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta, was also quick to defend his client. He posted on Twitter that sexual assault was real, the victims should be heard, and that the perpetrators should see justice.
However, he then went on to say that individuals often “fabricate stories in pursuit of financial gain.” Mr. Mulugheta said that the victims of these fabricators of stories should also be heard and that the offenders of these crimes should be prosecuted too.
The NFL said that they would conduct an investigation and the Houston Texans said they would do an internal investigation of their own. Deshaun Watson’s team said that they were taking the matters that Watson was accused of very seriously, but that they would make additional statements once the NFL concludes its investigation.
