Deshaun Watson hit with new, 26th lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct

Deshaun Watson faces new allegations of sexual misconduct from another massage therapist who filed a lawsuit against the Browns quarterback.

A 26th woman has come forward to file a civil lawsuit against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The massage therapist filed her suit in Harris County, Texas, alleging that Watson attempted to initiate sex with her during a session in December of 2020. When she refused, she claims he pressured her into performing oral sex.

Unlike the 25 other women who have filed lawsuits against Watson, this one is represented by Anissah M. Nguyen, not Tony Buzbee. Buzbee handled the initial wave of cases that were brought against Watson, 24 of which were settled earlier this year. One lawsuit is still outstanding, meaning Watson now has two open civil lawsuits against him.

Deshaun Watson faces 26th lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct

The details of this alleged interaction are worrisome. The woman claims she met Watson at a Houston hotel where he proceeded to pressure the woman into massaging his “private area,” which is a detail many of the other accusers echo.

He allegedly invited her to engage in sex with him and then “was able to pressure her into oral sex.”

She also claims that he paid her $300 for the session instead of her normal $115 rate. It’s important to note this was a massage therapist Watson contacted through Instagram and hired for massage services, not sex work.

The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games after finding a number of the allegations against him to be credible. That suspension is almost complete at this point. He will be eligible to play for the Browns in December. When he does return to the field, it’ll be under the specter of more than two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct.