San Francisco Chronicle

More sexualassa­ult accusation­s against Texans QB Watson

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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 similar allegation­s by three massage therapists.

The claims mirror those in the 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.

At a Friday news conference, their attorney, Tony Buzbee, said he expects to file more lawsuits and his firm is vetting additional claims, including an incident this month. None of his clients had filed police reports, he said, “but that is our next step.”

Watson has denied that he acted inappropri­ately and said in a Tuesday statement that he looks forward to clearing his name.

Buzbee said some of the women who came forward work at spas, some work from their homes, some at deluxe hotels. All but one, who was flown in from Atlanta, were from the Houston area.

The women are suing for $500 in damages, the least that can be sought in a Texas civil district court, “and they bring these cases for one reason only — stopping further misconduct from this defendant or any others like him,” Buzbee said.

Signings: The Seahawks and running back Chris Carson agreed to a threeyear deal worth up to $24.6 million but voids to two years at $14.6 million . ... Justin Simmons, who had received the Broncos’ franchise tag, signed a fouryear, $61 million deal that makes him the NFL’s highestpai­d safety . ... The Titans signed former

Pittsburgh linebacker Bud Dupree to a fiveyear, $82 million deal, the Boston Globe reported . ... Former Seattle tight end Jacob Hollister agreed to a oneyear deal with the Bills, NFL.com reported . ... Former Raiders linebacker Raekwon McMillan agreed to a oneyear deal with the Patriots . ... Former Houston linebacker Brennan Scarlett, a Cal and Stanford alum, agreed to a oneyear deal with the Dolphins . ... Wide receiver JuJu SmithSchus­ter agreed to a oneyear, $8 million to remain with the Steelers . ... Center David Andrews announced he will return to the Patriots, on what NFL Network reported was a fouryear deal. The Patriots also signed former Stanford defensive linemen Henry Anderson, who started 21 games for the Jets the past two seasons . ... Former Atlanta and Detroit cornerback Marcus Trufant agreed to a oneyear deal with the Bears, ESPN reported . ... The Falcons announced the signings of former Raiders safety Erik Harris and former New England linebacker Brandon Copeland to oneyear deals . ... Former Indianapol­is linebacker Anthony Walker agreed to a oneyear, $3.5 million contract with the Browns.

Briefly: The Bengals dealt QB Ryan Finley to the Texans for undisclose­d draft picks, NFL.com reported, and released defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who was due to earn $12.2 million next season. ... The Vikings will forfeit a seventhrou­nd pick for a salarycap violation related to a practicesq­uad player’s contract in 2019, the NFL announced.

 ??  ?? Deshaun Watson’s list of accusers has grown, and could grow again.
Deshaun Watson’s list of accusers has grown, and could grow again.

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