Browns’ Watson scheduled to give deposition in civil lawsuit

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

As Deshaun Watson prepares for his second season with Cleveland, his legal troubles in Houston linger.

The Browns quarterback is scheduled to give a deposition on Monday in one of the two remaining civil lawsuits filed against him for sexual misconduct.

According to court documents filed in Harris County, Texas, Watson was asked to provide records of any communication between him and the plaintiff — identified as “Jane Doe” — from December 2020 to January 2021.

Watson previously settled lawsuits with two dozen women who accused him of being sexually inappropriate during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two separate grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal charges last year.

In the lawsuit in which Watson is being deposed, the woman alleges the quarterback pressured her into oral sex.

The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The Browns traded for the three-time Pro Bowler in March 2022 despite his legal entanglement, getting him to change his mind and agree to join Cleveland after they offered him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Watson went 3-3 and showed signs of rust in his six starts last season after the suspension ended. He’s been working out near his home in Houston during this offseason.

The Browns begin their offseason program on April 17.

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