4 MORE WOMEN SUE TEXANS’ WATSON FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sued by four more women who accuse him of sexual assault and harassment.
The lawsuits were filed Thursday night, hours after the NFL said it was investigating earlier allegations by three massage therapists who said the quarterback sexually assaulted them during massages.
The claims in the four new suits, which were filed in a Harris County state district court, mirror those in the three earlier cases. Each woman who sued Thursday worked in a spa or giving massages and claims that Watson exposed himself, touched them with his penis or kissed them against their will.
None of the seven women, who have sued separately but are all represented by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, are identified by name in the lawsuits. They are each seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as court costs.
Watson, 25, has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said in a Tuesday statement that he looks forward to clearing his name. In a statement Friday, an attorney for Watson, Rusty Hardin, called the allegations “meritless.”
Tennis No.
1-ranked
Novak
Djokovic pulled out of the upcoming Miami Open, citing coronavirus restrictions as he joined Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the sideline. The tournament begins Tuesday, with only 750 fans allowed on the grounds per session. The pandemic is also affecting attendance by players.
• Lloyd Harris continued his run of upsets at the Dubai Championships by beating third-seeded Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals. Going for his first title, Harris will need to overcome Aslan Karatsev in the final. Karatsev upset top-seeded Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to his first final.
• Margarita Gasparyan upset top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 7-5, when Russian players filled the semifinals of the St. Petersburg (Russia) Ladies Trophy.
Local colleges
Cody Jefferis and Paul Kunst combined for four runs scored and five RBIs to lead the USD baseball team (12-3, 1-0) to a 7-0 win in its West Coast Conference opener at Saint Mary’s (10-8, 0-1).
Soccer
Kylian Mbappe will again meet Robert Lewandowski in the Champions League. Sergio Ramos and Mohamed Salah will also face each other once more.
The quarterfinal draw offered rematches from two of the past three finals, reuniting a pair of soccer’s best scorers and the protagonists of an infamous injury incident.
Defending champion Bayern Munich and Lewandowski, the FIFA player of the year, were drawn to face Paris Saint-Germain, the team it beat 1-0 in the final last August. The first leg is in Munich on April 7.
Real Madrid and Ramos will play Liverpool, the team it beat 3-1 in the 2018 final to win a record-extending 13th European title. Liverpool won the title in 2019.
Manchester City was paired with Borussia Dortmund and Porto will face
Chelsea.
• Young Boys Bern forward Jordan Siebatcheu and Hobro midfielder Christian Cappis have been added to the U.S. roster for exhibitions against Jamaica and Northern Ireland.
Also
Canelo Alvarez will return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for a world super-middleweight unification fight May 8 against undefeated Billy Joe Saunders.
• Minella Indo held off stablemate A Plus Tard to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in a dominant day for the Irish at Britain’s most prestigious jumps race.