Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and attorney Rusty Hardin issued another formal statement Monday again denying all allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault.
All 22 plaintiffs agreed to disclose their names in lawsuits against Watson. The Texans star signal-caller's legal team gave a bulleted list allegedly outlining various plaintiffs' apparent eagerness and positive attitude in working with Watson. The statement also alleges some plaintiffs wanted to get money out of Watson, with one of the final points arguing various social media accounts were scrubbed.
The final point came with Watson requesting a jury trial after a final denial of all civil allegations and proceedings:
#Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s legal team has filed its response to allegations of sexual misconduct and Watson again denied them and requested a jury trial. Here are some highlights of the detailed responses to the claims: pic.twitter.com/PZ4o6KKbZN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2021
A part of Deshaun Watson’s attorney’s answer to the civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct filed against him: pic.twitter.com/BuV4jO1zmw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 19, 2021
This is the first official response from the Texans quarterback after Hardin spent weeks demanding the plaintiffs be named. Judges previously ordered most of the plaintiffs to reveal their names before attorney Tony Buzbee said all names would be disclosed in accordance with the separate lawsuits.
Much of the statement revolves around the idea of the allegations being a money grab, despite plaintiffs' insistence that is far from the case.
Watson and his team cite his alleged encounter with Ashley Solis, who filed the first lawsuit, saying he outwardly asked about massaging certain areas:
“That same question, however, posed to a therapist not seeking to exploit Mr. Watson, was perceived as it was intended: a legitimate therapeutic inquiry,” Watson’s answer states, via USA TODAY. “Ms. Solis’s skewed perception of Mr. Watson’s legitimate and innocent query became a prototype for the assembly line of similar allegations in subsequent lawsuits.”
The NFL is also investigating allegations into Watson. Texans general manager Nick Caserio mostly declined to comment on his quarterback's status Friday, saying the team would let the legal process play out.
It could still be a while before this whole situation comes to a conclusion. Stay tuned for more updates.
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