Deshaun Watson is facing a total of 19 civil lawsuits and counting from women who claim he sexually assaulted them, but those alleged victims are not the only people making troubling allegations against the Houston Texans star.
Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated interviewed a woman — called “Mary” in the story — who says she was subjected to inappropriate behavior while giving Watson a massage in 2019. SI reviewed messages and spoke with a witness to confirm the woman’s story.
Mary said Watson booked a 90-minute massage with her through another massage therapist in the area that gave her referrals. She said she used a towel to cover Watson’s body during the session rather than sheets, per his request. Roughly halfway through the massage, Mary says Watson threw the towel on the floor and said it was too itchy. She says she was “in shock” but continued with the massage because she trusted the other masseuse who gave her the referral and had never had any issues with the clients that were referred previously.
The woman says Watson told her at one point during the session that she “could move [his penis] if [she] needed to.” She ignored the comment but interpreted it is a suggestion to touch his penis.
Mary claims Watson thrusted his penis in the air multiple times during the massage. She initially wondered if it was a response to pain he was experiencing, but she later “recognized it for what it was.” She says she told the quarterback he needed to “calm down” before the session ended and she left the room so he could get dressed.
The SI story contains more explicit allegations that we won’t publish here, but the entire piece is worth a read.
Three new lawsuits were filed against Watson over the past two days, which brings the total to 19. One of the new suits claims Watson has been trying to reach settlements with some of the alleged victims.
Watson’s agent has publicly accused at least some of the alleged victims of lying for financial gain, which is why Mary’s story is noteworthy. She has not filed a lawsuit and said she felt inclined to come forward after Watson denied the allegations. She also said she is concerned about Watson being traded to a new team and treating masseuses in a new area the same way.
Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says the quarterback is a victim of a blackmail attempt in at least one of the cases. You can read more details about that here.
