New lawsuit filed against Browns QB Watson alleging indecent assault and harassment

A new lawsuit was filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on Thursday by the 26th woman to accuse him of sexual abuse or assault during a massage session.

The anonymous masseuse claims that Watson pressured her to perform oral sex on him during an appointment in December 2020.

Watson allegedly asked the woman for a massage over Instagram while he was a part of the Houston Texans and began harassing her when she came to his hotel room for the session.

He coerced her into “massaging his private area,” exposed himself to her and solicited sex from her, according to the lawsuit.

“He was able to pressure her into oral sex,” the suit reads, adding that Watson paid the plaintiff $300 after the massage instead of the regular charge of $115.

“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, the lawyer for the anonymous woman, wrote to 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.”

She added, speaking of the plaintiff: “She seeks justice not only for herself and her own healing, but for the more than 20 women who refused to be shamed into silence, and the victims who have yet to come forward.”

The Hill has reached out to Nguyen for further comment on the case.

Watson was first accused of sexual assault in March of last year, further allegations quickly following behind.

However, two grand juries declined to indict the football star in March over what they said was a lack of evidence for the claims, then made by almost two dozen women.

The NFL opened its own investigation of Watson the same month, ultimately recommending that he be suspended from the league for at least a year.

Most recently, an attorney for the women accusing the quarterback said that the FBI had looked into the sexual assault claims. The FBI did not confirm or deny that investigation.