The Houston Texans have reached agreements with 30 women who filed or were willing to file lawsuits against the NFL organization for their alleged role in allegations of sexual misconduct against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in sessions. massage, said women’s lawyer Tony Buzbee. in a statement Friday.
One of the 30 women had already filed a civil lawsuit against the Texans in June, accusing the team of “enabling Watson’s behavior.” Buzbee said the case is among those being resolved.
Buzbee said the terms of each of the 30 agreements are confidential.
“We were shocked and deeply saddened when we first heard the allegations against our then franchise field marshal in March 2021,” Texans owners Janice McNair, Hannah and Cal McNair said in a statement Friday. . “Although our organization was unaware of Deshaun Watson’s alleged misconduct, we have intentionally chosen to resolve this matter amicably. This is not an admission of any crime, but a clear stance against any form of aggression and sexual misconduct.
“We hope that today’s resolution will provide some form of closure to the parties involved, to our fans and to the Houston community at large. As an organization, we will now focus our focus on the future and do our best to ensure respect. for everyone. “
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In June, Watson settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct while playing for the Texans. He has been accused by 25 women in civil lawsuits of actions ranging from sexual assault to inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. One of these lawsuits was withdrawn after the judge ruled that the petition should be amended with the plaintiff’s name.
Buzbee did not reveal the identities of the other six women who were willing to file claims against the jeans.
“I will have no further comment on the allegations or the alleged role of the Texans, other than to say that there is a marked contrast in the way the Texans handled these allegations and the way Watson’s team has done so.” Buzbee said in a statement Friday.
Two grand jurors in Texas refused to file criminal charges against Watson earlier this year. Watson has maintained his innocence. The Texans switched Watson to the Browns in March after the first grand jury announced they would not charge him.
NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, is currently weighing whether Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Watson had a three-day hearing before Robinson in late June, and sources told ESPN’s Dan Graziano that the league has been arguing for a suspension of at least a year.
If Robinson issues a suspension, Watson will have the option to appeal the sanction to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, according to the 2020 league collective agreement.
The New York Times reported in June that Watson booked appointments with at least 66 different women for 17 months, from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2021.
The list of 66 includes the 24 women who have filed a lawsuit against Watson; a woman who sued Watson but then withdrew the complaint; two women who filed criminal charges against Watson but did not sue him; at least 15 therapists who issued statements of support for Watson at the request of his lawyers; at least four therapists hired with jeans; five women identified by plaintiffs’ attorneys during the investigation into their claims; and at least 15 more women whose appointments with Watson were confirmed through interviews and records reviewed by the Times.
The Times also reported that the confidentiality agreement Watson gave some of the women to sign came from Texans security director Brent Naccara. The Times reported that the NDA was in Watson’s closet at NRG Stadium days after a woman posted Watson’s phone number on Instagram.