Watson accuser felt scared, threatened
CLEVELAND — One of the women accusing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct while she gave him a massage said she felt threatened by a comment he made following a therapy session.
Appearing on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” Ashley Solis, who is among 22 women who have sued Watson over allegations he behaved inappropriately with them, provided graphic details of an encounter with the three-time Pro Bowler.
She also said at the end of a massage, Watson told her: “I know you have a career to protect,” and “I know you don’t want anyone messing with it just like I don’t want anyone messing with mine.”
Solis was asked by reporter Soledad O’Brien why Watson’s message frightened her.
“Because that sounded like a threat to me,” she said.
During the interview airing Tuesday night, Solis and another massage therapist, Kyla Hayes, both provided details of their meetings with Watson, who is facing civil lawsuits by the 22 women alleging various sexual acts during massages he received while playing for the Houston Texans.
Watson has denied any wrongdoing and has maintained any sex with the women was consensual. Two grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal complaints filed by 10 of the women.
Solis and Hayes both said they feel offended by the fiveyear, $230 million contract Watson received in March from the Browns. Watson’s deal is both the richest in NFL history and fully guaranteed.
“It’s just like a big screw you,” Solis said. “That’s what it feels like. That we don’t care. He can run and throw, and that’s what we care about.”
Added Hayes, “It was sick to me. … I felt like he’s being rewarded for bad behavior.”
Both women have previously spoken publicly about their interactions with Watson, and the quarterback’s lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, said the HBO interviews were “more of the same.”
“We have been denying these allegations from the beginning,” Hardin said on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland.
Hardin acknowledged the interviews could further hurt Watson in the public eye, but he maintains his client hasn’t been treated fairly either.
“I believe very strongly that these women’s allegations ought to be listened to, investigated thoroughly, and everybody ought to keep an open mind as to whether they happened,” Hardin said. “Similarly, I believe Deshaun’s objections and denials should have been listened to until they have evidence and that’s what’s really been denied here.
“Everybody has made up their mind based on the allegation made. … The guy they described is not the guy we know. And yet, he hasn’t been given the benefit of the doubt and he should have.”
The Browns, who have spent two decades in a futile search for a franchise QB, pursued Watson along with several other teams. They convinced him to waive his no-trade clause and join Cleveland after he initially rebuffed the team.