CHRIS CWIK
July 15, 2022,
ENABLED WATSON'S BEHAVIOR BY PROVIDING A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
The Houston Texans have reached settlements with 30 women who accused former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of various levels of sexual misconduct, according to attorney Tony Buzbee.
The Texans were sued in June for allegedly providing suites for Watson to meet with massage therapists and providing Watson with a non-disclosure agreement to be used in those sessions. Watson's accusers argued that the Texans enabled Watson's alleged misconduct.
Though one woman filed the lawsuit against the Texans, the team settled with 30 women. In a statement Friday, Buzbee said all 30 women either made claims against the Texans or "intended" to make claims against the Texans.
The woman who filed the lawsuit against the Texans will have her case dismissed with prejudice once the settlement is completed. A case that gets dismissed with prejudice cannot be filed again in the same court.
A total of 24 women have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, who settled 20 of those cases in June. The Texans settled with 30 women. Information about the additional six women in the Texans' settlement is not known. The terms of the Texans' settlement is confidential and will not be revealed, per Buzbee.
The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns in March.
ENABLED WATSON'S BEHAVIOR BY PROVIDING A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
The Houston Texans have reached settlements with 30 women who accused former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of various levels of sexual misconduct, according to attorney Tony Buzbee.
The Texans were sued in June for allegedly providing suites for Watson to meet with massage therapists and providing Watson with a non-disclosure agreement to be used in those sessions. Watson's accusers argued that the Texans enabled Watson's alleged misconduct.
Though one woman filed the lawsuit against the Texans, the team settled with 30 women. In a statement Friday, Buzbee said all 30 women either made claims against the Texans or "intended" to make claims against the Texans.
The woman who filed the lawsuit against the Texans will have her case dismissed with prejudice once the settlement is completed. A case that gets dismissed with prejudice cannot be filed again in the same court.
A total of 24 women have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, who settled 20 of those cases in June. The Texans settled with 30 women. Information about the additional six women in the Texans' settlement is not known. The terms of the Texans' settlement is confidential and will not be revealed, per Buzbee.
The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns in March.
(Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Buzbee said there was a difference in the way the Texans handled the allegations compared to Watson's legal team.
"I will have no further comment on the allegations or the Texans' alleged role, other than to say that there is a marked contrast in the way in which the Texans addressed these allegations, and the way in which Watson's team has done so," he said.
The Texans issued a statement Friday saying they were unaware of the allegations against Watson when they first emerged. The team said the settlements were "not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stand against any form of sexual assault and misconduct."
Buzbee said there was a difference in the way the Texans handled the allegations compared to Watson's legal team.
"I will have no further comment on the allegations or the Texans' alleged role, other than to say that there is a marked contrast in the way in which the Texans addressed these allegations, and the way in which Watson's team has done so," he said.
The Texans issued a statement Friday saying they were unaware of the allegations against Watson when they first emerged. The team said the settlements were "not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stand against any form of sexual assault and misconduct."
Deshaun Watson still faces lawsuits from four women
Watson, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March, still faces civil lawsuits from four women who alleged Watson engaged in sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Those four civil suits will proceed. Buzbee anticipates they will go to trial next spring.
The NFL has yet to announce a suspension for Watson. The league held a three-day hearing in late June, though it concluded without a decision on a possible punishment for Watson.
Two Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. Watson was traded to the Browns after the first grand jury declined to indict him. The Browns then signed Watson to a contract that will pay him the most guaranteed money in NFL history.
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