Thirty women who had accused the Houston Texans of turning a blind eye to allegations that their former star quarterback Deshaun Watson was assaulting and sexually harassing women during massage sessions have settled their legal claims against the team, he said Friday. his lawyer.
The terms of the agreements between each of the women and the jeans are confidential, said attorney Tony Buzbee.
While only one of the women had filed a lawsuit against the team, the others intended to file legal claims against the Texans before the agreements were reached, Buzbee said.
In separate trials, 24 women accused Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against his will during massage dates while playing in the Texans. One woman alleged that Watson forced her to have oral sex. Last month, Buzbee announced that 20 of those 24 lawsuits had been resolved.
In a statement, Texans owners Janice McNair, Hannah and Cal McNair said that while the team had no knowledge of Watson’s alleged misconduct, they were “surprised and deeply saddened” when they met the accusations for the first time and decided to resolve the claims against the team “in a friendly way”.
“This is not an admission of any crime, but a clear position against any form of sexual assault and misconduct. We hope that today’s resolution will provide some kind of closure to the parties involved, our supporters and the Houston community. “As an organization, we will now focus our focus on the future and do our best to ensure respect for all,” McNair said in a statement.
In a lawsuit filed last month against jeans, a woman accused the team and some of its employees of being informed or aware of Watson’s worrying behavior and the “known tendency to push boundaries during massage sessions.” “. The lawsuit alleged that the Texans provided Watson with several resources, including rooms at a Houston hotel, massage tables and a confidentiality agreement the women were to sign, which allowed the quarterback to “favor his misconduct.” with women “.
Buzbee said that while he would have no further comment on the allegations against the Texans, in a statement he added that “there is a marked contrast in the way the Texans addressed these allegations and the way the Watson has done it. “
Watson, who agreed to be traded to the Cleveland Browns in March after four seasons with Houston, has claimed his innocence and that any sex with therapists was consensual. The 26-year-old is facing possible NFL discipline over the charges.
Watson, who signed a five-year, $ 230 million contract with the Browns, is waiting to see if he will be eligible to play this season. NFL disciplinary officer Sue L Robinson will decide whether the three-time Pro Bowler violated the league’s personal conduct policy with his off-field behavior.
A former Delaware federal judge, Robinson held a hearing this month during which the league and the NFL Players Association filed arguments. The league has insisted on an indefinite suspension of Watson, while the union says there is no reason for a long ban as it did not commit any crime.
Two separate grand jurors in Texas refused to charge Watson with any criminal charges.
This is the first case of Robinson, who was appointed jointly by the league and union to manage the discipline. He has been reviewing the post-hearing writs of both parties.
The Browns, who traded three first-round picks in Houston and six in total in Watson, are eager to know how long they could be without their starting quarterback. The team opens the training camp on July 25th.
Buzbee said he hopes to sue the remaining four lawsuits against Watson sometime in the spring of next year.