Texans sued over Deshaun Watson sexual assault scandal

Jun 14, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs a play during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Deshaun Watson has been sued by two dozen women who claim the star quarterback sexually assaulted them, and the Houston Texans are now facing a lawsuit in connection with the allegations.

A lawsuit that was filed against the Texans on Monday claims some of Watson’s concerning behavior was reported to the team, but they did nothing about it. According to the suit, which was obtained by Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle, the owner of a massage therapy company called Genuine Touch, which partnered with the Texans, reported to the team in 2020 that Watson was “seeking out an unusually high number of massages from strangers on Instagram.”

Joni Honn, the owner of Genuine Touch, allegedly told the Texans she was concerned Watson was “putting himself in danger of contracting Covid, or getting himself sued.” The lawsuit also claims Genuine Touch employees described “sketchiness” and “attempts to push boundaries” from Watson.

The suit states that people with Genuine Touch were made aware that Watson was having sexual relations with at least one therapist during sessions. The Texans supposedly knew and helped Watson set up a non-disclosure agreement with therapists to avoid any issues.

“Despite this behavior, and after yet another woman questioned Watson’s behavior and threatened to expose Watson on the internet, the Houston Texans organization — rather than investigate and address Watson’s disturbing behavior — instead provided Watson with a NDA to ‘protect himself’ going forward from the random women he was finding on Instagram,” the lawsuit states.

The Texans issued a statement saying they are aware of the lawsuit and have complied with all investigations dating back to when the allegations first surfaced last year.

Watson recently settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits and has continued to deny all of the allegations. One aspect of his behavior that he cannot seem to explain is why he had so many different massage therapists in a span of a little over a year. Watson was recently asked about that, and many were not satisfied with his response.

The NFL is getting close to wrapping up its Watson investigation, and there has been talk of a significant suspension.