Two accusers speak out against ‘predator’ Watson
Two of the women who filed sexual assault lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson last month now have attached their names to the allegations.
Ashley Solis, who attorney Tony Buzbee said was the first woman to file suit, as a plaintiff under the “Jane Doe #1” pseudonym, held an emotional news conference Tuesday alongside Buzbee — the attorney for the 22 plaintiffs against Watson.
“I’m not afraid anymore. I’m here to take back the power and take back control. I’m a survivor of assault and harassment,” Solis said. “Some days I feel like a hero, other days I feel like a failure.
“I can no longer practice the profession I love the most without my hands shaking during the session. I got into massage therapy to heal people. To heal their minds and bodies. To bring peace to their souls. Deshaun Watson has robbed me of that.”
While Solis publicly alleged that the quarterback assaulted her while she was providing him massage therapy at her home on March 30, 2020, another woman, identified as Lauren Baxley, wrote a letter that was read at the news conference by another attorney from Buzbee’s firm.
“Every boundary from professional and therapeutic, to sexual and degrading, you crossed,” Baxley wrote regarding Watson in her letter.
Baxley also called Watson a “predator with power” with “a meticulously designed facade to keep his victims second-guessing themselves.”
Solis said that she has suffered depression, anxiety and panic attacks since the alleged encounter with the 25year-old Watson. She also said her father was “once a diehard Texans fan,” but he “can no longer say [Watson’s] name without turning red.”
Buzbee added that Solis has spoken with the Houston Police Department about Watson, as has at least one other person, though no charges have been filed.
“We were all deceived into thinking Deshaun Watson was a good guy, and unfortunately we know that good guys can do terrible things,” Solis said. “People say that I’m doing this just for money. That is false. I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman.”
Watson and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, have denied all of the allegations, and Hardin’s firm released a statement last week from 18 additional female massage therapists claiming the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback never acted inappropriately with them.
Hardin’s firm responded later Tuesday with an emailed statement showing what it claimed was documentation that Buzbee’s firm had demanded $100,000 in February on behalf of Jane Doe #1 (Solis) in “hush money…to quietly settle the allegations the month before [Buzbee] filed the first lawsuit.”