The accusations of sexual misconduct against now-Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson have sparked a lot of discussion about they’ll mean for Watson and the Browns, especially with the amount of NFL discipline against Watson still to be determined. But an interesting angle of that is what this might mean for Watson’s former team, the Houston Texans, as one of the lawsuits filed against Watson (seen above with the team during the 2018-19 season) also named the club as a defendant. On Friday, though, attorney Tony Buzbee announced that 30 women he represents have reached settlements with the Texans. Here’s more on that from Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times:
The Houston Texans have reached settlements with 30 women who have accused the N.F.L. quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct in massage appointments, according to Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the women.
One of Watson’s accusers filed suit last month against the Texans, Watson’s former employer, claiming that the organization “turned a blind eye” to Watson’s behavior toward female massage therapists during the time he played for the team. She is the only plaintiff to file suit against the Texans, but in a statement, Buzbee said the settlements are with “all of the women who have made, or intended to make, claims against the Houston Texans organization.”
Twenty-four women filed lawsuits against Watson, alleging that he assaulted or harassed them in massage appointments between 2020 and 2021, when he was on the Texans’ roster. Watson, who has denied any wrongdoing, settled 20 of those suits last month. The identities of the additional six women reaching settlements with the Texans are unknown, and Buzbee declined to share any additional details about their claims against Watson or the team.
The Texans then put out their own statement on this:
Statements from Texans’ owners Janice McNair, and Hannah and Cal McNair about the team reaching settlements with 30 women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage appointments, along with another statement from attorney Tony Buzbee on the settlements: pic.twitter.com/qDsOCDJwJA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2022
This is notable on several levels. For one, it includes six women who hadn’t previously filed suit against Watson. The 30 women here are not all of the 66 women who Watson booked for massages in a 17-month period, but it’s certainly significant that six women who hadn’t (yet) filed suit against Watson have now reached a settlement with the team. Beyond that, it’s definitely interesting that the Texans wanted to settle with these women rather than argue in court about if they had knowledge of Watson’s actions and bore any responsibility for them or not. This won’t necessarily impact any NFL disciplinary decisions on Watson, but it is interesting to see his former team try to exit this discussion via settlements.
