Five more women came forward to accuse Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage sessions in the past year, according to lawsuits filed on Monday.
The plaintiffs all said Watson exposed himself and either hinted at or specifically asked for sexual services during sessions, according to the women, who are all represented by Houston attorney Anthony Buzbee.
In these latest civil complaints, filed in Harris County District Court, four women said they were victimized by Watson on Jan. 21 and March 5 of this year and around July and on Aug. 2 of last year.
A fifth woman said Watson behaved inappropriately toward her during a session in June of last year and then again on Aug. 17, her lawsuit said.
“Watson is in the sex trade. He needs to be stopped,” according to the lawsuit from the alleged Aug. 2 incident.
Twelve women total have now accused Watson of scheduling massage sessions in which he allegedly exposed himself and sought sexual services.
All five lawsuits include language that “Watson’s behavior is part of a disturbing pattern.”
The quarterback, who led the NFL in passing yards last season, has denied any wrongdoing.
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement last week that he was “extremely proud” to represent the football player and “wholly stand behind him against what we believe are meritless allegations.”
He said he could not comment further until the allegations are reviewed.
“We will respond next week and ask you to keep an open mind until we do so,” Hardin said. After the first lawsuit was filed, Watson said in a statement Tuesday that he was being wrongly targeted by a “publicity-seeking” lawyer.
“I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect,” he said. “The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”
This is a developing story, please refresh here for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
