A Houston woman filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson on Monday, accusing the Cleveland Browns quarterback of sexual assault and battery in October 2020.
The woman, identified in the lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” says the alleged incident occurred before a dinner party at her apartment.
According to the lawsuit, Watson, who played for the Houston Texans at the time, met the woman at a local restaurant and suggested the two go on a date at a mall. The woman did not want to be with Watson in public, which prompted her to suggest dinner at her apartment.
Before Watson arrived, the woman claims he called her and yelled at her because he was having trouble finding where she lived. The woman claims that when Watson arrived, she went to the bathroom. She claims that when she returned to her bedroom, Watson was “completely naked on her bed, face down on his stomach.”
The lawsuit alleges that Watson then demanded a massage, pointing to his knees and groin. The woman said she was not a massage therapist, but Watson asked her if there was anything she would rather do. The lawsuit alleges that the woman didn’t have time to respond before Watson “partially undressed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implied or expressed.” After being sexually assaulted for “several minutes,” the woman was able to break away from Watson and grabbed a heavy object to protect herself.
Watson was “enraged” when he “stormed” out of the woman’s apartment to end the alleged interaction, the complaint said.
The NFL declined to comment on the lawsuit, while the Browns have not yet responded.
In 2022, Watson was suspended for 11 games after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during a massage. No criminal charges were ever filed against Watson, but by the summer of 2022, he had reached settlements in 23 of the 24 civil lawsuits he was facing. The woman says she didn’t come forward sooner after seeing the negative reactions other women who had come forward with allegations against Watson received.
The lawsuit also states that the woman has “suffered severe mental anguish as a result of this incident” and “is experiencing nervous breakdowns and sleep problems.”
Watson was traded to the Browns in March 2022 on a contract with $230 million guaranteed. The 28-year-old has struggled since joining the Browns and was booed by home fans when he threw two interceptions in Cleveland’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.