NFL star Deshaun Watson sued for alleged sexual assaults

Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson is being sued for alleged sexual assault by two women.

The lawsuits were filed in Harris County, Texas, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both plaintiffs are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee.

CNN has reached out to Watson’s agent for comment. An NFL spokesman told CNN on Wednesday the league is aware of the reports but will decline further comment at this time.

The first lawsuit alleges that Watson assaulted an unnamed licensed massage therapist “by touching her with his penis” while receiving a massage at the therapist’s home in March 2020.

The suit says Watson “wanted a massage for only one reason — sex.”

Watson denied the allegation in a statement posted on Twitter.

“As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer, I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me,” Watson tweeted on Tuesday. “I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect.

“The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”

CNN has reached out to Buzbee on whether a six-figure settlement was offered to Watson.

The lawsuit alleges that the therapist left Watson alone in the massage room of her home and when she returned, “Watson was lying on the massage table completely naked with only a small towel covering his groin area … Watson then began to aggressively dictate how he wanted the massage to be performed. Watson emphasized to Plaintiff that she not use her knuckles or elbows during the massage. Instead, Watson told Plaintiff she was only to use her hands. And, Watson repeatedly stated that he wanted her focus to be on his groin area.”

The lawsuit says the woman “began to feel extremely uncomfortable” and was trying to find a way to “extricate herself from the situation.”

“At one point, he purposedly exposed the tip of the penis from under the towel,” the lawsuit alleges. “As a result of his moving of his hips, Watson purposedly touched Plaintiff’s hand with the tip of his erect penis.”

The lawsuit says that the therapist “was shocked and mortified” and ended the session.

Watson left the “home without further incident” and later apologized via text for the alleged incident, according to the suit.

“Too many times women have put up with behavior that we all know no one should put up with,” Buzbee wrote on Facebook and Instagram on Tuesday. “All people are equal, and all deserve dignity and respect.”

The woman is “seeking the minimal compensatory damages” as well as court costs and punitive damages, the lawsuit notes.

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, the Texans said, “We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night. This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon.

“We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident.”

Second woman alleges assault in August 2020

The second lawsuit alleges Watson assaulted and harassed an unnamed masseuse in August 2020 at a hotel in Houston by “touching her with his penis and exposing himself.” The lawsuit says the woman, who lives in Atlanta, was flown in for the massage.

“Watson’s behavior is part of a disturbing pattern of preying on vulnerable women,” the court document says.

According to the lawsuit, Watson wanted the massage to focus on his glutes and groin area and also inquired about quads and the Achilles.

The lawsuit says Watson was nude on the massage table and that the plaintiff said he needed to use a towel to cover himself. However, Watson refused, the lawsuit states, saying he “gets hot easily” and wanted to remain nude. The lawsuit says that Watson “kept aggressively” directing the woman to work on his anus, which made her uncomfortable.

“Watson then got more specific and asked Plaintiff to work on the inner part of his anus,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiff ignored this request because it was odd and decided to start working on Watson’s inner thigh area. Watson got more aggressive, now telling Plaintiff to go higher and higher towards his penis.”

The woman said no but Watson “kept insisting, saying ‘come up more’ and ‘go here’ towards his genitals,” the court document says.

The lawsuit also says it was at this point that Watson moved in her direction, causing her to touch his genitals. After Watson flipped over, exposed, the lawsuit says, the woman said for Watson to cover himself with a towel, but Watson refused. The woman stopped the massage and said she needed to leave.

When reached by CNN on Wednesday evening, the Texans said they did not have an updated statement.

Watson has played four seasons in Houston and has been selected for three Pro Bowls. According to the Spotrac website, he signed a four-year, $156 million contract in 2020.