Three more women accused Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct, alleging in separate lawsuits filed Sunday that he assaulted and harassed them during massage sessions last year.
A total of 19 women have accused Watson of behavior that the three suits filed on Sunday call a “disturbing pattern.”
Two of the women were massage therapists in Houston, where the lawsuits were filed. The third was a flight attendant who was also studying massage therapy in Houston.
All are referred to as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuits, and each used Instagram to market themselves.
Two of the women were initially excited to be contacted by a high-profile client like Watson, who led the NFL in passing last season. The third woman knew him through a mutual acquaintance.
In one case, the suit says, Watson allegedly asked the woman to sign a non-disclosure agreement before directing her to massage his groin and telling her “don’t be scared.”
During a different session with the same woman, Watson allegedly exposed himself and moved his penis toward the woman’s hand until ejaculating.
In seperate case, he allegedly instructed another woman to massage between his penis and testicles, the suit says. After repeatedly touching her, the woman told Watson she was firing him as a client.
The suits were all filed by lawyer Anthony Buzbee, who has said his investigators are vetting claims that could lead to as many as two-dozen lawsuits. A lawyer for Watson, Rusty Hardin, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, but has previously accused Buzbee of orchestrating a “circus-like atmosphere” in an effort to “inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation.”
“I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false,” Hardin has said.
In one of the earlier cases, Hardin accused one of the plaintiffs of trying to blackmail Watson of $30,000.
“I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect,” Watson said after the first of the 19 suits was filed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
