Attorney for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Rusty Hardin, said 10 women have filed criminal complaints against his client. This brings the total to 24 women alleging sexual misconduct against the NFL star.
“We’re fully cooperating with the police,” Hardin told ESPN.com in a piece published on Monday. “We’re fully cooperating with the District Attorney’s office and, when the criminal investigation is over we’ll fully cooperate with the NFL.” (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“We’ve made it clear to the NFL that we’ll totally cooperate with them when they’re ready to visit with us,” he reportedly added. “But they, out of deference to the criminal investigation, always try to wait until that’s completed before they try to talk to the accused person.”
Attorney Rusty Hardin says that 10 criminal complaints are now pending against Deshaun Watson (including two from women who haven’t sued him), in an apparent effort to get the Texans to be more reasonable in their trade expectations. https://t.co/Rd7MX8beJu
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 26, 2021
Watson is now facing 22 lawsuits for alleged sexual assault and misconduct brought forward by women, most of whom work as licensed massage therapists, according to multiple reports. Of the 10 women who have filed criminal complaints with the Houston police, two of them have yet to file a civil lawsuit against him, ESPN reported. DeShaun has not yet been charged with any crime. (RELATED: Nike Suspends Its Endorsement Relationship With Deshaun Watson)
The attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Tony Buzbee, told ESPN the investigation continues.
“As of today, almost half of these women have given sworn statements to the police, and almost half have spoken to the NFL’s investigative team,” Buzbee shared. “Both processes are very lengthy. We expect to provide further information to the NFL from all victims.”
Hardin restated his client’s stance on any kind of settlement with confidentiality and said any settlement must be made public.
“I do not want anybody to be saying that this guy paid off women to stay quiet and so, if there ever was a settlement of any kind, it would have to be public and therefore both sides, [Watson] and the women, would be able to say to the world at large whatever they wanted,” DeShaun’s attorney explained.