Why are the Houston Texans being sued?
One of the women who filed cases of sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson has claimed that the Houston Texans enabled the quarterback’s behavior.
The Houston Texans are now being included in the lawsuit against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions.
The accusations against Watson range from sexual harassment to sexual assault that took place from 2020 to 2021, while he was still playing for the Texans.
Lawsuit: Texans ‘failed to act’ on Watson’s issues
One of his accusers claims that Houston knew of, or should have known of his actions.
“What has become clear is that the Houston Texans organization and their contracting ‘massage therapy company’ facilitated Deshaun Watson’s conduct. In many of these cases, the Texans provided the opportunity for this conduct to occur. We believe the Texans organization was well aware of Watson’s issues, but failed to act,” according to a statement by attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the accuser.
“We intend to make sure all involved in Watson’s conduct are held accountable, in addition to and including Watson himself.”
Lawsuit: Texans provided NDA for Watson to protect himself
The lawsuit states that instead of investigating the behavior of Watson toward massage therapists, the franchise provided him with a non-disclosure agreement to protect himself.
Twenty out of the 24 civil cases filed against the quarterback have been settled. The lawsuit against the Texans was filed by one of the four women who have not settled with Watson.
Watson has claimed he is innocent of all the allegations, and two grand juries in Texas have refused to indict him on criminal charges.
The NFL is set to begin its disciplinary hearing on Watson on Tuesday, with independent arbitrator former U.S District Judge Sue Robinson presiding. The league is reportedly pushing for an indefinite suspension with a minimum of one year.
The Browns acquired Watson from the Texans in March in a blockbuster trade that gave the 26-year-old a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed agreement.