Deshaun Watson: Cleveland Browns quarterback faces sexual assault allegations
NFL and Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faces sexual assault allegations from an incident that is purported to have taken place in October 2020.
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Hide AdThe lawsuit was filed under the commonly-used pseudonym of Jane Doe. It claims that Watson committed both sexual assault and battery against the claimant.
Watson arrived at Doe’s apartment for a dinner date - prior to this, he had shouted at her over the phone after he had difficulty locating her residence. After attempting to sexually assault and ‘penetrate’ Doe, she escaped his grasp and took hold of a ‘heavy piece of decor’ to protect herself with. She then told Watson to leave her apartment, which he subsequently did.
Excerpts from the lawsuit read as follows [via NBC Sports]: “When Watson finally arrived at Doe’s apartment, Doe had not finished putting on makeup, so she invited Watson in to have a seat in her living room while she finished getting ready. Jane Doe came out of her bathroom to investigate Watson’s silence and shockingly found him completely naked on her bed, lying face down on his stomach.
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Hide Ad“While Jane Doe stood there in shock, Watson turned his head and aggressively insisted that she massage him, gesturing to his buttocks. Jane Doe asked if Watson meant he wanted her to massage his back, but Watson indicated that it was his buttocks he wanted massaged.
“Watson roughly sexually assaulted Jane Doe for several minutes in a ‘missionary position’ before grabbing her and flipping her over. Watson continued to assault Doe aggressively from behind.
“Jane Doe finally gathered the courage and strength to escape Watson. Jane Doe quickly ran to her dresser to grab a heavy piece of décor for self-defence, and yelled at Watson [to] get out of her apartment. Enraged, Watson stormed out of Jane Doe’s apartment.”
Watson has played for the Cleveland Brown since 2022 - prior to this, he had featured for the Houston Texans from 2017 to 2021. At college level, Watson represented the Clemson Tigers.