Mike Florio ,
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Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson ultimately faced 27 civil lawsuits arising from allegations of misconduct during massage therapy sessions. None has ever gone to trial.
One is scheduled to occur fairly soon.
Via Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today , the trial of a case filed in October 2022 has been set for February 18, 2026 .
The lawsuit — the only one not filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee — alleges that Watson pressured the plaintiff to perform oral sex during a December 2020 massage session. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, has consistently denied liability. At one point, Hardin called it a “sham” lawsuit.
“He really has not done what they alleged he did,” Hardin told Schrotenboer on Wednesday. “I think a jury will agree with us and that’s why we have courthouses. . . . It’s just so sad he has to live with this five years later.”
The rules of civil procedure provide defendants with multiple devices for attempting to prevent a “sham” lawsuit from going to trial. To date, the case has not been thrown out by the presiding judge.
Of the 27 total lawsuits, 24 were settled. One was withdrawn not long after it was filed. The other has been dormant.
The case set for trial in February was filed after the NFL imposed a 10-game suspension on Watson in August 2022. It’s possible, based on the evidence introduced in court, that the league could launch a new Personal Conduct Policy investigation of Watson.
Watson is under contract with the Browns through 2026. He remains on the physically unable to perform list after tearing an Achilles tendon twice in 2024 — once during a game and again during the recovery process. If/when he’s healthy, and if Watson forces the issue, the Browns will have to decide whether to put him on the 53-man roster or release him.
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