The Deshaun Watson situation is set to begin its next phase tomorrow, but there has also been a significant development in another aspect of the ongoing saga. Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing Watson’s accusers, has issued a statement that the first case against the Texans related to Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct has been filed (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jake Trotter). Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today reports that the suit is being filed by one of the women suing Watson who has yet to settle her case against him. 
The statement indicates that this case is “the first of what will likely be many” filed against the team. “Suffice it to say,” it continues, “the overwhelming evidence collected indicating that the Houston Texans enabled Watson’s behavior is incredibly damning. We believe the Texans knew or most certainly should have known of Watson’s conduct.”
It came out earlier this month that Watson’s former employer would be included in the litigation he is facing. The Texans are being brought into focus as a result of their alleged actions to facilitate Watson’s message sessions, including providing him accommodation at the Houstonian Hotel as well as non-disclosure agreements to bring to those sessions. The timing of these alleged actions (which are detailed in the New York Times report that shed further light on the scope of Watson’s behavior) is significant, as the suit argues that the Texans were aware of Watson soliciting massages online as early as June 2020 (Twitter link via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports).
Per USA Today’s Josina Anderson, (on Twitter), the Texans have released a statement in response to today’s development: “We are aware of the lawsuit filed against us today. Since March 2021, we have fully supported and complied with law enforcement and the various investigations. We will continue to take the necessary steps to address the allegations against our organization.”
As Trotter illustrates, the new suit also contradicts the Browns’ claims of conducting due diligence on Watson before agreeing to trade for and extend him (Twitter link). It has already been reported that the Browns are not looking to void the 26-year-old’s deal, leaving them fully committed to him, even if he is suspended for the 2022 campaign.
More will be learned on that front as early as tomorrow, but regardless of the punishment handed down to Watson individually, the Texans are apparently in line for a significant legal battle of their own.
Suspended indefinitely. Term to be dependant upon future legal obligations/allegations.
Regardless of the legitimacy from a legal standpoint, if I’m the Texans I’m just paying to make this go away at this point
That’s exactly why they’re getting sued. Next I think the hotel will get sued. He’ll probably go after Twitter or Instagram where Watson made the appointments.
I’m sure they’d probably prefer that, but the optics of it then make it seem like they’re just as guilty as he is. Their statement from the beginning has been DW got the “rub n tugs” on his own and we knew nothing about it….other than we thought it was just massages….
And they provided him with a stack of NDAs thinking they were covering their tracks. If it was legit then why an NDA? And if the need for the massage was legit they had staffers on payroll at the facility, therefore no need for him to peruse social media for “professionals”.
Death penalty for the Texans
For what exactly? Booking a room for their star QB? Hardly death penalty worthy.
Giving him a general pdf NDA Watson could have googled at home if he wanted to? Hardly death penalty worthy.
More likely than not the Texans booked rooms and sent him an NDA just to keep him happy and never asked why.
You’d have to prove they were aware of what he was going to do prior to booking a room. Very hard to prove they were aware of his intentions.
Publicly stating “…or most certainly should have known of Watson’s conduct” is a huge reach legally. Most courts would laugh at any lawyer saying an employer should have known about their employees private life and activities off the field.
That’d be like saying well the team should have known they’d get drunk at the bar and drive home drunk. How could the team not have known?
They pimped for him! The Texans knew what he was up to and then procured women for him to keep feeding his…whatever this is for him.
I agree. The Texans manipulated Deshaun into the man he was.
No, he manipulated himself and hoped somebody picked up the slack…
Congratulations. You left a comment without including sack licking
no sack licking but slack picking
I was going to mention how you’re constantly licking Deshauns sack around here, but it was so obvious it didn’t need to be said.
There it is, the immature adult spoke out
Sure thing Simple Jack, Deshauns personal ball washer that first mentioned sack licking with his previous mature adult post.
Don’t lie. You’ve mentioned it 3 times before that. I’m an adult. I don’t talk like that
Well that confirms it, you’re just a 5th grader out trolling the comments section.
2 of those have been directed at me and the other one at someone else. I only comment mostly on just articles relating to the Browns. I don’t read many of the other ones. You should be in bed kiddo, you probably have summer school tomorrow
Says the man child spending his days on the couch in his mommies basement….mahhh, the meatloaf….mahhhh
Hardly a couch potato. Right now I’m working harder than when I had a job
Scanning the NFLTR to post an idiotic response excusing discussing behavior within minutes of any mention of your beloved sexual deviant at QB can be taxing.
Proof? You have nothing.
Proof? Just a look into any thread on Deshaun is proof that you have no existence outside of this forum. Every thread is 1/2 filled with people with common sense discussing this scumbags behavior and the other 1/2 is you fighting the one man fight trying to excuse his disgusting behavior. That’s the proof.
Oh OK, since most of the people on here want him out of the league, that’s your proof. You really need to just stop. Proof is evidence. Witnesses? Video? Admission? Nope Nope and nope. Did they indict? Nope. You can suspect all you want, but he’ll get a one year suspension or appealed lower. You’re just gonna have to be happy with that.
Follow the bouncing ball slapnuts, the proof being spoken about was the proof of how much of a raging disillusioned Deshaun fanboy you are by all of your comments here. The Energizer bunny rabbit that feels compelled to comment on every comment. Time for you to step away from the keyboard, there’s a life to be lived outside of mommies basement.
You mad bro? Do you even have 4 friends that will help you screw in a light bulb? I’m retired so after I lift weights, I’m free all day. Shouldn’t you be working slacker? People need their garbage picked up
Seems autocorrect turned your comment into “I’m retired” but we all know what you meant Simple Jack.
K. Prove it. Should be simple to prove.
There’s a difference between what you suspect and what you’re able to prove in court. A big difference.
It looks to me like the Texans were building a blackmail dossier on Deshaun Watson and now it’s turned around and will bite them. Buzzbee is supposed to be billionaire Cal McNair’s neighbour in Houston. I don’t imagine McNair will consider these actions very neighbour-like.
Stock up on popcorn.
Gonna make the neighborhood BBQ a little uncomfortable
isnt it called a cookout lol
Makes you wonder if the Texans had any influence in the DA’s office to not present all the info to the grand jury? The bar is typically pretty low (remember the phrase, “a good attorney could indict a ham sandwich?) and the community had a lot to gain by making the charges “go away” and ship Watson off to Cleveland.
Do you believe in Qanon too? Not sure what the community had to gain plus the Texans never really got much more for Watson once the Grand Juries refused to indict. If reports are correct, Miami offered 3 firsts and their first were higher than Cleveland in 2021 draft
The whole situation reflects poorly on the Texans. You obviously know nothing about politics in big cities…
The Texans were basically running a prostitution ring – thus the FBI should be investigating them, especially if the early reports of Watson getting these “massages” in other states are true.
Watson sounds like a victim too
And you seem like a victim as well, all those times you were fed paints chips and were dropped on your head are starting to show.
This is ridiculous.
Why not add a complaint against Texas for paying Watson; thus giving him the funds to pay for the massages?
Using the media to poison public opinion should be more than enough to put Buzbee in front of a Character & Fitness Committee with his Bar membership in the balance
He’s definitely been trying this in the media. The louder you are, the bigger the payday.
Simple, key question:
What did the Texans think the NDA was for?
Simple answer
Don’t ask don’t tell policy.
99% chance the Texans never bothered to ask what it was for.
Like any business theyre interested in keeping the money makers happy. Not interested in policing and being the moral compass for the employees private life.
My brother worked with a teacher for 10 years before the dude got busted for child prn by the feds. Nobody had any clue especially not his bosses. Employers aren’t all that interested private lives of employees. As awful and sick as they may be.
In many instances people also tend to hide their private lives. It very may well be Watson lied to the Texans about his reasons for an NDA.
Did that teacher ask the school for an NDA? If not…?
The Texans were not disinterested in and unaware of Watson’s private life. They were booking his appointments and handing him legal document to protect himself from something.
They don’t get to plead ignorance here.
Having someone sign an NDA doesn’t mean you’re going to do something criminal
Actually yes oddly enough. The teacher was fired and was asked to sign an NDA from the school district to let his family keep his pension. It was the school’s way to avoid getting sued for frivolous reasons by parents thinking something nefarious happened to their kids. The teacher being under the nda couldn’t discuss his time working for the district. You know like lie about stuff that didn’t happen.
K. Prove they knew. Nobody has actually offered any evidence that would hold up in court except speculation. Which isn’t evidence. Booking appointments, booking rooms, and giving him a pdf doesn’t prove they knew what he was doing. None of which are illegal. That is in fact not proof. At all.
Have you actually seen the nda? Its a general one that has fill in the blank portions. And in no specific terms outlines what Watson was doing in the hotel room. You’d think if they were aware the nda would you know mention the activities involved.
link to click2houston.com
You want me to prove it…?
Do I get subpoena power?
“The suit also claims that the owner of the company contracted to provide massage therapy for the Texans, Genuine Touch, stated concern to the team about Watson seeking massages via Instagram.”
Lots of things. NDA’s are fairly common among rich people and who they employ. I guarantee you that millionaires housekeepers and nannies sign NDA’s. Most companies have them for upper level people who have company secrets or patents. Unless they have someone who will testify that the Texans knew Watson was asking for happy endings, good luck proving it. But you don’t need no stinking proof