What Did Deshaun Watson Do and What Happened to Him?

Deshaun Watson was accused of sexually assaulting and harassing several women in 2021. Over two dozen massage therapists claimed that the NFL quarterback had hired them for massaging sessions during which he either attempted to touch their bodies or force them to touch his manhood, etc.

It was a flurry of sleazy allegations which threw Watson into a scandal lasting from 2021 to 2022. During this time, he had to battle 24 civil lawsuits that were brought against him. There was also a cloud of criminal charges hanging above him and suspension from the league.

In the end, Deshaun Watson escaped criminal charges but was forced to pay off the women who brought civil cases against him. He also received an 11-game suspension from the league with a whooping fine of $5 million.

What Is Deshaun Watson Accused Of?

Deshaun Watson is accused of sexually harassing and assaulting over a dozen female massage therapists. The events date back to 2020, but they only came to light in March 2021 after an anonymous massage therapist filed a civil lawsuit. She claimed that Watson asked her for sex during a session at her home.

She also claimed that he later apologized. This first civil lawsuit led to the opening of a floodgate as several other women came forward to file civil lawsuits against Deshaun Watson. These lawsuits established a pattern of alleged sexual conduct against the NFL player, most of which transpired in 2020.

What Did Deshaun Watson Do?

The civil lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson exposed some graphic details of his alleged misconduct. According to some of these lawsuits, Deshaun Watson pressured women to perform oral sex on him during the massage sessions. Some other lawsuits allege Deshaun Watson grabbed a woman’s buttocks and vagina.

Watson is also alleged to have exposed himself indecently to some of his female massage therapists. He is also said to have moved his body in a way as to force his victims to touch his manhood. It must be restated that these were all allegations that were never determined one way or the other.

Ashley Solis: "I am survivor of assault and harassment, Deshaun Watson is my assaulter and my harasser, he assaulted me at my home doing what I love most, massage therapy" [via @gifdsports]pic.twitter.com/8c6qyCRrtC

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 6, 2021

Deshaun Watson’s Charges

The allegations against Deshaun Watson triggered an investigation into his activities by the Houston Police Department. The investigation took weeks to conclude, and two grand juries were later convened to decide if the NFL star would be charged with any crimes. The first grand jury was in Harris County, and Deshaun Watson was charged with nine criminal complaints, including indecent exposure.

The grand injury interviewed the witnesses and made extensive deliberations. However, in March 2022, they decided not to bring any criminal charges against Deshaun Watson. The same thing occurred two weeks later in another grand jury convened in Brazoria County, Texas. Deshaun Watson was charged with sexual misconduct, but the grand jury declined to indict him.

It, therefore, means that Deshaun Watson was not charged with any crime in relation to the sexual misconduct allegations against him. The player was quite happy with this outcome and thanked the lord for “letting the truth be heard.”

List of Deshaun Watson’s Accusations and Charges

The list of Deshaun Watson’s accusations and charges include;

• Multiple accusations of sexual misconduct
• Multiple accusations of sexual harassment
• Multiple accusations of sexual assault
• Multiple charges of indecently exposing himself to women
• Multiple charges of touching women inappropriately etc.

What Happened to Deshaun Watson?

A total of 30 women accused Deshaun Watson of varying degrees of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. A total of 24 civil lawsuits were instituted against him, while criminal charges were also considered. This caused a whole lot of scandal and nearly derailed his career. Watson lost endorsement deals with Nike, Beats by Dre, and Reliant Energy.

He was also involved in a dispute with the NFL over the punishment he would serve. In the end, he was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2021/2022 season. He was also fined $5 million, the largest in NFL history. Deshaun Watson was also mandated to undergo professional evaluation and a treatment plan.

Is Deshaun Watson in Jail? Where Is He Now?

Deshaun Watson is not in jail. This is because he was not charged with any criminal offenses. He only had to settle the civil cases against him. According to news reports, about 24 women initially brought civil lawsuits against Deshaun. He was able to settle with 23 out of these 24 women.

The exact terms of the settlement are unknown, but there is no gainsaying that Watson would have paid a reasonable amount of money to fend off these women. Now that he has done so, he is moving on with his life. Deshaun Watson presently stays in the city of Cleveland, where he plays for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns splashed out $230 million to sign him in March 2022 amidst the whole sexual assault controversy.

Deshaun Watson has Maintained his Innocence through the Whole Scandal

Deshaun Watson has maintained his innocence against all the accusations against him from the onset. Even though he later conceded engaging in sexual acts with some of the therapists he hired, he maintained that it was purely consensual. The quarterback had initially used his Twitter account to accuse the lawyer of the victims of seeking publicity because he refused to pay him off.

Later, during press conferences in March and June, Watson stated that he had never assaulted or disrespected any woman or forced them into sexual activity. The quarterback struck a more conciliatory tone by August 2022 and apologized to women his actions impacted.

However, that same month, he maintained that he would continue to stand by his innocence. Watson stated that he only settled the civil lawsuits against him to be able to move on with his life. He also revealed that he had to keep pride aside to do so. Many people have condemned Watson for not being remorseful. Some sports fans, however, supported him.

Additionally, in March 2021, 18 massage therapists penned a testimonial in which they supported Watson. They revealed that their experiences with him were wholesome and that he had not conducted himself inappropriately during their sessions.

A Look at Some of Deshaun Watson’s Accusers

A total of 30 women accused Deshaun Watson of varying degrees of sexual harassment. Out of these 30, 24 brought civil lawsuits against the NFL star. Most of these lawsuits were brought in anonymous capacities, but the identities of some of these women were later unveiled.

Amongst Deshaun Watson’s accusers is Ashley Solis, the very first massage therapist to bring a lawsuit against him. Another is Lauren Baxley. Baxley is the only woman who has refused to settle her lawsuit against Watson. This is because he has not shown any genuine remorse, acknowledged his wrongdoing, or committed to therapy. She, therefore, believes that unless there is authoritative intervention, The NFL star will continue with his ways.