Sexual assault lawsuit filed against QB DeShaun Watson

soxhop411

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HOUSTON - Houston Texans Quarterback DeShaun Watson is facing allegations of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a female masseuse.

The suit was filed Tuesday by the Buzbee Law Firm.




Attorney Tony Buzbee tells FOX 26’s Isiah Carey that Watson was getting a massage from the woman when "Watson went too far."



We’ve reached out to Watson’s agent for comment but have not yet heard back.
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-houston-texans-qb-deshawn-watson

I absolutely hate my self that the first thing I think when I saw this, was that this was a smear campaign by the Texans given how that organization has behaved the last few years
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Here is the lawyers statement
View: https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/1372020935193157632
 

E5 Yaz

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Tony Busby has a ... ummm ... "colorful" background
 

Ferm Sheller

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Doesn't seem like the Texans would smear Watson unless and until they trade him, soxhop. Why depreciate an asset or piss off a guy you're trying to keep?
 

DJnVa

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soxhop411

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Doesn't seem like the Texans would smear Watson unless and until they trade him, soxhop. Why depreciate an asset or piss off a guy you're trying to keep?
That makes zero sense. Why would they devalue him before trading him or piss him off if they want to keep him?

You don’t have to have a hot take on this.
They devaule him to the point where no team trades for him and he is forced to report to camp. I mean like I said, I hate myself for thinking that, but this timing just seems odd, and given what we know of the McNairs and those in the HOU FO...

nonetheless here is Watsons statement
View: https://twitter.com/deshaunwatson/status/1372029170486771712
And it seems like this lawyer was neighbors with the mcnairs at one point
View: https://twitter.com/A_G_Haubner/status/1372033087194865669
 

Marciano490

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Are the allegations published anywhere, or just the lawyer’s weird autobiography?
 

E5 Yaz

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Check out the videos if you google-search the lawyer

I'm presuming innocent until proven here
 

DJnVa

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They devaule him to the point where no team trades for him and he is forced to report to camp. I mean like I said, I hate myself for thinking that, but this timing just seems odd, and given what we know of the McNairs and those in the HOU FO...

nonetheless here is Watsons statement
View: https://twitter.com/deshaunwatson/status/1372029170486771712
And it seems like this lawyer was neighbors with the mcnairs at one point
View: https://twitter.com/A_G_Haubner/status/1372033087194865669
That would be a weird af way to keep your players. Sexual assault is the new market inefficiency.
 

JM3

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Enjoyed this from his Wiki page in combination with his sanctimoniousness...

In March 2016, Buzbee was arrested in Harris County on suspicion for driving while intoxicated.[18] In December of the same year, the Harris County District Attorney, Devon Anderson, personally dismissed the case.[19] Controversy ensued when it was revealed that Buzbee completed the year-long probation program in only eight months and had contributed to Anderson's election campaign in 2014.[18][19][20]
 

djbayko

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They devaule him to the point where no team trades for him and he is forced to report to camp. I mean like I said, I hate myself for thinking that, but this timing just seems odd, and given what we know of the McNairs and those in the HOU FO...

nonetheless here is Watsons statement
View: https://twitter.com/deshaunwatson/status/1372029170486771712
And it seems like this lawyer was neighbors with the mcnairs at one point
View: https://twitter.com/A_G_Haubner/status/1372033087194865669
That would make for a really happy clubhouse And they get to keep an accused sexual predator too!

Come on, man.
 

soxhop411

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Are the allegations published anywhere, or just the lawyer’s weird autobiography?
Nothing yet it seems like according to a lawyer in texas

View: https://twitter.com/AdamJFloodEsq/status/1372031741704220676



That would be a weird af way to keep your players. Sexual assault is the new market inefficiency.
That would make for a really happy clubhouse And they get to keep an accused sexual predator too!

Come on, man.
This seems highly out of character for someone like Watson. Wasn’t one of his key traits in his draft year his excellent/high character?

again if I am wrong, and this accusation is legitimate, then fuck Watson, but given how Watson has handled himself in the NFL, I need to see more than just this lawyer rambling about himself incoherently on a social media post.

Hopefully if/when the lawsuit is filed we can see if this is actually legitimate case or not. Though the lawyer putting out that rambling statement announcing this lawsuit doesn’t seem like it’s putting his clients best interests in mind and makes him look like he is not taking his clients accusation seriously. You would think the lawyer would want to put out a more professional statement than what he posted that focused on the client he is representing and not make it about himself
 
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nattysez

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If you are going to accuse someone of sexual assault and say "it's not about the money," you might want to mention what the status of the criminal investigation is or why you couldn't let the criminal investigation play out before suing. Because otherwise you look a little suspect.

Edited to add: I realize now that the way I wrote this sounds like blaming the victim of a sexual assault, which was not my intent. My intent was to say that the grandstanding lawyer's Instagram post was lacking in a way that was likely to cause issues for his client in the public discourse.
 
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Marciano490

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If you are going to accuse someone of sexual assault and say "it's not about the money," you might want to mention what the status of the criminal investigation is or why you couldn't let the criminal investigation play out before suing. Because otherwise you look a little suspect.
Maybe, but the civil system offers more chances for anonymity.
 

nattysez

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Many jurisdictions will also decline to prosecute if they don’t think the case is a slam dunk (or at least close to it). Things like delayed reporting and counterintuitive victim behavior is enough to scare away a lot of prosecutors.
Maybe, but the civil system offers more chances for anonymity.
Both fair points. However, if you're going to grandstand about how this isn't about the money and how you're filing this suit to stand up for women, an explanation of how the police have let you down and/or why proceeding in civil court is otherwise necessary would be a compelling part of that narrative and help deflect the very obvious concern that this is being done for publicity/a quick settlement payout. We'll see what happens in the days to come.

Edited to add: I realize now that the way I wrote this sounds like blaming the victim of a sexual assault, which was not my intent. My intent was to say that the grandstanding lawyer's Instagram post was lacking in a way that was likely to cause issues for his client in the public discourse.
 
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SeoulSoxFan

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If all we got are a billboard-slinging lawyer and incarcerated_bob, we got a long way to go in this topic becoming something significant.

The nature of the charges are serious, absolutely. Other than that, we have little room other than for gamethreading in-between Pats signings. So let's keep that in mind before this thread self-immolates.
 

Preacher

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Both fair points. However, if you're going to grandstand about how this isn't about the money and how you're filing this suit to stand up for women, an explanation of how the police have let you down and/or why proceeding in civil court is otherwise necessary would be a compelling part of that narrative and help deflect the very obvious concern that this is being done for publicity/a quick settlement payout. We'll see what happens in the days to come.
Without making judgements on the legitimacy of the claim, I tend to not demand additional explanations from potential victims of sexual assault on the decisions they make when attempting to seek justice or closure or whatever it is they need. It’s similar to demanding that women who feel they are raped report immediately to law enforcement. And if they don’t, they better explain themselves.
 

BigJimEd

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They devaule him to the point where no team trades for him and he is forced to report to camp. I mean like I said, I hate myself for thinking that, but this timing just seems odd, and given what we know of the McNairs and those in the HOU FO...
You hate yourself for it yet you double down.

This is a very serious topic that can be complicated and these accusations may or may not turn out to be true.

We shouldn't be adding wild, unsubstantiated hot takes to the conversation. What does it accomplish?
This type of reaction and diversion only tends to further minimize sexual assault allegations.
 

joe dokes

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Not news, but what I hope is a useful legal aside. One reason that it might not be filed in state courts where that twitterer upthread (Flood) is looking is if the putative plaintiff is not from Texas, in which case it could be filed in federal court pursuant to diversity jurisdiction. (Suits between citizens of different states; originally implemented to give out-of-state plaintiffs a forum less likely to be influenced by home-court advantage.) If the plaintiiff's lawyer really is a clown, he'd definitely want to seize the opportunity to generate headlines that scream "Federal Lawsuit," as though that gives it more gravitas.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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That is indeed helpful. Thank you for posting that slice of insight.
The one thing that stands out in that suit is that the masseuse alleges Watson texted her and apologized about the incident. If that's the case, it could be a smoking gun.

Or not, depending on the content of the text ("sorry about earlier" could mean he no showed to the appointment, broke a glass on his way out, or whipped his dick out).

Either way, it certainly implies a close contact between the two, so this isnt just complete smoke.
 

E5 Yaz

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Pro athlete: "I'm going for a massage."
Agent/friend/mother: "Where"
Pro athlete: "She works out of her home since the pandemic"
Agent/friend/mother: "Is anyone going with you?"
Pro athlete: "No."
Agent/friend/mother: "I'm going with you"
Pro athlete: "Why?"

Lather, rinse, repeat
 

E5 Yaz

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Watson has hired Rusty Hardin / Houston Chronicle (subscription needed)

from wiki:

Hardin has represented and won favorable verdicts for athletes such as Rudy Tomjanovich,[4] Warren Moon,[5] Wade Boggs,[6] Rafer Alston,[7] Scottie Pippen,[8] Steve Francis,[9] and Calvin Murphy.[10]

Another former client is Roger Clemens,[1] who had been embroiled in accusations of having perjured himself before Congress over alleged steroid use. Clemens was acquitted on June 18, 2012, on all charges that he obstructed justice and lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs as a Major League Baseball pitcher.[11]

Other clients include Michael Bennett[12] of the New England Patriots; Adrian Peterson, accused of child abuse[13] and NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who was accused of domestic abuse against his former girlfriend.[14][15]
 

OurF'ingCity

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With the caveat that almost every case sounds bad when you're only hearing one side of the story, that sounds...bad. I wish the content of his apology text was in the document. The phrasing might have provided some form of acknowledgment of his actions.
The fact that it isn’t suggests that it’s not as much of a smoking gun as the plaintiff might want a reader to think it is. If it was really damning it absolutely would have been quoted verbatim.
 

nattysez

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This situation is trending in a lousy direction. And this is a much more victim-supportive stance for the lawyer to take -- the complaints will speak for themselves and we won't try the case in the press. I wish he'd thought of that before posting about the first suit on effing Instagram.

“My associate, Cornelia, and I will file the second of what is now four cases on behalf of women against Deshaun Watson today,” Buzbee said on his verified Instagram account. “The cases allege assault. We won’t share the alleged details here, and we won’t try the case in the press, but the cases are publicly filed for all to see. I appreciate the calls of support that we have received from those who support these brave women. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to the powerful, when you are perceived powerless.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/17/lawyer-says-hes-filing-the-second-of-four-cases-against-deshaun-watson/
 
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DGreenwood

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If Watson met a masseuse (who was not a licensed massage therapist) on Instagram, and flew her from Atlanta to Houston for a massage, he 100% thought he was hiring a prostitute.

To be clear, I"m not saying that makes anything he may have done in that hotel room ok.
 
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Marciano490

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If Watson met a masseuse (who was not a licensed massage therapist) on Instagram, and flew her from Atlanta to Houston for a massage, he 100% thought he was hiring a prostitute.

To be clear, I"m not saying that makes anything he may have done in that hotel room ok.
Why? Is that $300 ticket a big stretch for him?
 

DGreenwood

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Why? Is that $300 ticket a big stretch for him?
Because women on instagram who are offering to fly around the country and give massages are a lot more likely to be sex workers than masseuses. But you know that. And if a pro athlete is flying someone in for therapy they are bringing in someone with credentials. She's not a licensed massage therapist but the credentials he was interested in were likely on display on IG.
 
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BroodsSexton

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Because women on instagram who are offering to fly around the country and give massages are a lot more likely to be sex workers than masseuses. But you know that. And if a pro athlete is flying someone in for therapy they are bringing in someone with credentials. She's not a licensed massage therapist but the credentials he was interested in were likely on display on IG.
I think @Marciano490 has actually made this point before.