Deshaun Watson reportedly faces new sexual assault lawsuit dating back to 2020 with the Texans; NFL launches investigation

Content warning: This article contains images of suspected sexual abuse.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is reportedly facing new charges of sexual assault.

Watson was accused of sexual assault and battery and intentional emotional distress in a new civil lawsuit filed Monday in Houston, according to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio. The lawsuit is similar to the nearly two dozen filed against him while he played for the Houston Texans, but the new incident is separate and unrelated to the original claims.

NFL launches investigation into allegation

NFL Spokesperson Brian McCarthy has issued a statement to respond to the lawsuit on Tuesday.

According to the New York Times, NFL special counsel Lisa Friel will oversee the investigation and determine whether Watson violated the league’s rules of personal conduct and whether a violation warrants additional penalties beyond those the league has imposed on Watson for previous violations.

The Browns also released a statement regarding the matter on Tuesday.

Watson has not yet publicly commented on the new lawsuit.

What Watson is accused of

According to the report, Watson’s accuser filed her lawsuit anonymously on Monday, saying the incident occurred when the two were scheduled to go on a date in October 2020. According to the lawsuit, Watson had trouble finding the woman’s apartment before their date, called her and began “aggressively yelling and screaming and saying he couldn’t find her apartment and that he ‘didn’t have time for this.'”

After the two made contact and Watson entered her apartment, the woman invited Watson to sit in her living room while she got ready. She said she continued to talk to Watson from the bathroom while she applied makeup, but he became unresponsive.

The woman then said she came out of the bathroom and found Watson “completely naked on her bed, lying face down on his stomach.”

The woman said Watson then suddenly grabbed her leg, partially undressed her and penetrated her vagina without her consent. Watson allegedly sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes before she eventually escaped from under him and screamed at him to get out of her apartment, which Watson did.

Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022 after facing more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct, mostly involving massage therapists, during his time with the Texans. Watson was not criminally charged in any of the cases and has long denied wrongdoing. He has settled most of the lawsuits filed against him. The NFL has also since expanded its sexual misconduct policies and penalties following Watson’s suspension.

Watson started his competitive career with the Texans, but he wound up with the Browns, signing a record-breaking, fully guaranteed $230 million contract — amid his previous allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. The team has restructured that contract twice since then, and Watson’s play has done little to support his unprecedented deal. He’s appeared in just six games in each of the past two seasons, first because of his suspension and then because of a myriad of injuries last season. Watson went 24 of 45 for 169 yards and threw a touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Browns are also stuck with Watson for the next few years. They would take on $172 million in dead cap hits if they cut him in 2025, and $99 million if they do so in 2026. Both would set a new record for the most dead money accrued in NFL history.