Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is being sued again in Texas over an alleged sexual misconduct incident back in 2020, TMZ reports.
According to a lawsuit filed Thursday (October 13) in Harris County, a licensed therapist identified as "Jane Doe" accused Watson of pressuring her into oral sex during a therapy session at a Houston-area hotel.
Doe claims the now 27-year-old man requested a massage from her over Instagram, and she reportedly met him at the Houstonian. During the session, "Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘get on top.’ Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however, he was able to pressure her into oral sex with the Defendant," the filing reads.
Jane Doe has been suffering from depression and anxiety since the alleged interaction, according to the lawsuit.
"My client's experience with Deshaun Watson follows a series of disturbingly similar encounters reported by more than 20 women who have filed suit against the NFL superstar," Anissah Nguyen, Jane Doe's attorney, told ESPN. "Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with the shame and trauma from all that he has stolen from her and the daily pain that has become her reality."
Watson settled with nearly two dozen accusers, most of them alleging sexual misconduct. The wave of litigation has been going on since March 2021, leading to disciplinary action from the NFL Players Association and lost financial opportunities. He's currently serving an 11-game suspension and was fined $5 million over the lawsuits.
The quarterback hasn't responded to the latest lawsuit, which comes after he was permitted to practice with the Browns again, reporters said. He's maintained his innocence throughout the controversy:
"Just because settlement and things like that happen doesn’t mean that a person is guilty for anything," Watson said following the NFLPA's decision to extend his suspension, per FOX News. "I feel like a person has the opportunity to stand on his innocence and prove that and we proved that on the legal side and we just gotta continue to push forward as an individual and as a person."