Watson lawyer: one accuser attempted to blackmail QB

Deshaun Watson’s attorney says that one of the female massage therapists accusing his client of sexual assault attempted to “blackmail” the Texans quarterback before filing a civil lawsuit.

On Tuesday, additional women filed suits against the 25-year-old, bringing the total to 16, including one who called Watson a “serial predator.”

But Rusty Hardin, who is representing Watson, said in a statement that there is reason to doubt the slew of allegations.

“In January of this year, a woman attempted to blackmail Deshaun by demanding $30,000 in exchange for her ‘indefinite silence’ about what she stated was a consensual encounter,” Hardin said. “It is our belief this woman is the plaintiff in Cause No. 2021-15613. This calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases as well.”

Other women have accused Watson of “exposing himself ” and touching them with his penis in an aggressive manner during massages.

Though none of the plaintiff ’s identities have been disclosed, Hardin said his team was able to identify this accuser based off a conversation she apparently had with the Texans’ marketing manager, Bryan Burney, in January.

The woman told Bruney she wanted $30,000 for her “indefinite silence.” When asked why she would need to be silent, despite saying the encounter was consensual, the woman responded that it was a matter the two wanted to keep secret.

Bruney then said the woman’s “business manager” followed up with Bruney, telling him if the encounter was made public it would be embarrassing for both of them.

The business manager told Bruney, “It’s not extortion, it’s blackmail,” according to the statement.

Watson last week said, “I have never treated any woman with anything than the utmost respect,” and said the attorney representing all of the women, Tony Buzbee, “made a sixfigure settlement demand” regarding one of the cases.

Hardin on Tuesday also criticized Buzbee, the Houston-based lawyer.

“Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuits [two more women came forward since this statement] during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation,” Hardin said in a statement. “In addition, the tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult. Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth-seeking process can even begin.”