NFL opens investigation into Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is under investigation by a special counsel at the NFL over allegations of sexual assault.

A letter sent to attorney Tony Buzbee and obtained by NFL reporter Dov Kleiman indicated that the league had launched an investigation and would seek testimony from the women. Buzbee represents three women who have all filed lawsuits against Watson for sexual assault, as well as six others who have lawsuits planned.

The league is investigating lawsuits against #Texans QB Deshaun Watson.

This is from Tony Buzbee, the attorney who has filed multiple sexual assault lawsuits against Deshaun Watson. pic.twitter.com/UmWVN36BP4

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 18, 2021

“The Buzbee Law Firm has now been hired by nine women to bring cases against Deshaun Watson,” Buzbee said on Instagram.

“The allegations are similar. We have filed three, and, as we complete our due diligence, will file the remaining ones in due course,” Buzbee continued, adding: “We are talking to several others.”

The allegations appear to mostly if not all stem from Watson’s alleged behavior at massage parlors. In two instances, he is accused of appearing nude after hiring massage therapists whom he allegedly forced to touch his genitals.

A spokesperson for the NFL said Wednesday that it was “aware of the suit but will decline further comment at this time.”

Watson himself responded to the lawsuits on Tuesday, writing in a statement released on Twitter that he “never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect.”

pic.twitter.com/ZVb2R2mFlc

— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) March 17, 2021

“I’m real comfortable with the kind of person that Deshaun Watson is, and I don’t like to publicly comment until I get all the facts,” added an attorney representing Watson in a statement to ESPN, who also stated that “the allegations are really inconsistent with the kind of person he is.”