Lawsuit accuses Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery

A new civil lawsuit filed in Houston on Monday accuses Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020, when he was a member of the Houston Texans.

According to the lawsuit, the alleged acts occurred before Watson and a woman, identified as “Jane Doe” in the court filing, were preparing to have dinner at the woman’s apartment.

The lawsuit says Watson met the woman, a single mother, at a restaurant and bar in Houston, managed to get her phone number and initially tried to get her to meet him at the Houston Galleria for a date. According to the lawsuit, the woman, who was reluctant to meet Watson in public, instead agreed to a dinner date at her apartment.

On the evening of the date, according to the lawsuit, she said Watson had trouble finding her apartment and began yelling at her aggressively over the phone, saying he “didn’t have time for this.”

The lawsuit alleges that while applying makeup in her bathroom, the woman found Watson “completely naked on her bed, lying face down on his stomach.” Watson then asked the woman to massage his buttocks, and the woman “attempted to calm Watson down by rubbing his back, rather than his buttocks,” according to the lawsuit.

Watson then turned around and continued to “demand that Jane Doe massage him, pointing from his knees to his groin,” according to the lawsuit. The woman told Watson she was not a masseuse, so Watson asked her what she wanted to do instead, according to the lawsuit.

Before the woman could answer, Watson “partially removed Jane Doe’s clothing and penetrated her vagina without consent, implied or expressed,” according to the lawsuit, which also alleges Watson sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes before she ran away and grabbed a heavy piece of decor to defend herself. Watson then “exited Jane Doe’s apartment,” according to the lawsuit.

The NFL declined to comment on the matter. A Browns spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Watson, 28, served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. Two Texas juries declined to prosecute Watson criminally, but he served his suspension after the NFL and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement in his disciplinary case.

Watson was also required to pay a $5 million fine, undergo a mandatory evaluation by behavioral experts and follow a proposed treatment program before being reinstated by the league.

The lawsuit filed Monday is unrelated to the only remaining civil lawsuit from women who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. However, the same attorney, Tony Buzbee, is representing the latest woman to sue Watson.

Watson settled 23 of the 24 civil lawsuits filed against him in the summer of 2022.

In March 2022, the Browns traded six draft picks, including three first-round picks, for Watson and gave him a fully guaranteed deal worth $230 million, an NFL record at the time.

Suspensions and injuries limited Watson to just 13 games for Cleveland, including Sunday’s 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys — his first game since undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in November. Watson completed 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards, scored one touchdown and intercepted two passes in the loss.

ESPN’s John Barr contributed to this report.