As Deshaun Watson litigation reaches 21 civil suits, his attorney counters with 18 masseuses claiming routine interactions
Charles Robinson
·NFL columnist
Wed, March 31, 2021, 2:47 PM
HOUSTON — As the 20th and 21st civil suits against
Deshaun Watson became public on Wednesday, the attorney representing the
Houston Texans quarterback countered with a lengthy release of on-the-record statements from 18 female masseuses who claim they only had positive business interactions with Watson.
In terms of strategy, it’s the most significant public response to date from
Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, countering the layered, sexually driven narrative that has been put forth in legal filings by opposing counsel Tony Buzbee. Buzbee represents the 21 women behind the pending lawsuits, while another woman, who is represented by Houston civil rights attorney UA Lewis, also provided
Sports Illustrated with a firsthand account of a massage encounter with Watson which she felt he attempted to sexualize.
But Hardin’s release on Wednesday appears aimed at offering a counter narrative to Buzbee’s 21 pieces of litigation, which allege a sliding scale of sexualized incidents between the different cases, ranging from inappropriate pressure to sexual harassment to, in a handful of cases, allegations of sexual assault.
From a public relations standpoint, it’s the latest and most sweeping strike back at Buzbee’s claims, using what is essentially a form of character witness testimony. This follows
Watson previously framing litigation as a money grab and stating that he has “never treated any woman with anything but the utmost respect.” Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta, followed that up with a tweet that appeared to suggest the quarterback is a victim of false claims, stating that, “Individuals fabricate stories in pursuit of financial gain often. Their victims should be heard, and those offenders also prosecuted.”
This is all part of what is becoming a more extensive public back-and-forth affair, with Buzbee previously stating that he would be providing evidence to the Houston Police Department, only to
back away from that statement this week and claim it would be taken to other “investigative authorities.” The public spat has also included tactical shots in suits that appeared to be tailored for media consumption, including one filing claiming that
Watson was deleting Instagram messages and making attempts to settle suits.
Hardin has responded to the claims at various points, mainly with the broad message that Watson is innocent of the charges and that at least two of the women involved attempted to extract a settlement previously. But he has also occasionally addressed specific claims, such as the message deletion allegation — which Hardin said was something Watson did prior to the filing of the first lawsuit — and an outright denial of any direct attempts by Watson to settle.
With Wednesday's statements from 18 female masseuses in support of Watson's character, Hardin has moved to a more aggressive defense position. Essentially, if Buzbee’s 21 suits are a form of group testimony alleging a similar template of behavior, Hardin is now responding with his own group testimony from a similar number of women who each paint an opposite picture of the lawsuits — that nothing improper occurred during their interactions.
None of the accounts provide testimony to rebut specific incidents claimed in the lawsuits. They do, however, claim firsthand accounts (with names attached) describing experiences that generally overlap with the massage descriptions of the alleged victims, but state that no sexualized behavior ever occurred in their particular encounters with Watson.
In layman’s terms, it amounts to Buzbee’s clients saying that Watson sought out masseuses and then sexualized the interactions, while Hardin’s rebutting group says Watson sought out masseuses and did
not sexualize the interactions.
The move is the most sweeping response yet from Watson's legal team as the public back-and-forth only continues to grow.
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Until I see hard evidence, i'm calling ducktales
