Deshaun Watson accused of sexual assault in lawsuit

[FreeTedWilliams]

Deshaun Watson's lawyer says allegations are false, accuses accuser of blackmail

Rusty Hardin, the attorney for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, has released his most detailed statement rebutting claims that Watson has sexually harassed and assaulted some two dozen women who were employed to give him massages.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

And it starts to fall apart

 

[XLIX]

He is. Buzzoff, or whatever the hell his name is, has created a trial by media atmosphere that you've swallowed hook, line and sinker. Whether or not the accusations are true has nothing to do with the tactics being employed. And I know a railroad job when I see one.

This is standard sleezy third-rate lawyer stuff. Make no mistake he's going to the media for a reason rather than letting the case proceed on its own merits. Lot of lawyers use these tactics to try to force a quick settlement because they know their case won't survive trial. The more Buzz Lightyear doesn't want to let the facts speak for themselves the weaker I suspect the facts of being.

He is definitely going for quality, not quantity. Throw everything against the wall and just hope something sticks. We already see it working with some people amongst the general populace taking the "well they can't all be lying" stance.

But IMHO that's strategy can also be a double edged sword. If Watson can discredit a small number of accusers then, unfair as this may be, it goes a long way towards discrediting all the accusers in the eyes of the public. It will be very interesting to see what Watson says in response. I believe we were told to expect something late this week but who knows if that holds true....

EDIT: I swear I made the above post before reading Watson's (lawyer's) official statement, so we finally have our response. And at the risk of patting myself on the back (which I am going to do anyway) he is taking the tact to try and discredit one specific accuser. He went after one specific Jane Doe then followed up with "This calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases as well."

He also has an excellent point in that how do you defend against an accusation made by an anonymous woman?

 

[Kdo5]

He is. Buzzoff, or whatever the hell his name is, has created a trial by media atmosphere that you've swallowed hook, line and sinker. Whether or not the accusations are true has nothing to do with the tactics being employed. And I know a railroad job when I see one.

This is standard sleezy third-rate lawyer stuff. Make no mistake he's going to the media for a reason rather than letting the case proceed on its own merits. Lot of lawyers use these tactics to try to force a quick settlement because they know their case won't survive trial. The more Buzz Lightyear doesn't want to let the facts speak for themselves the weaker I suspect the facts of being.

I have to say Deshaun’s legal team hasn’t exactly done a great job with PR. They’ve basically just watched the narrative gather more and more steam without any kind of resistance to the claims.

Innocent or guilty they have hardly gotten ahead of the story in any way, shape or form.

EDIT: just now I saw a post above about a press release by his lawyer

 

[Simpelton]

He is definitely going for quality, not quantity. Throw everything against the wall and just hope something sticks. We already see it working with some people amongst the general populace taking the "well they can't all be lying" stance.

But IMHO that's strategy can also be a double edged sword. If Watson can discredit a small number of accusers then, unfair as this may be, it goes a long way towards discrediting all the accusers in the eyes of the public. It will be very interesting to see what Watson says in response. I believe we were told to expect something late this week but who knows if that holds true....

If Watson's smart he'll give the best of all possible responses to something of this nature -- none at all, other than possibly "We'll see you in court." That's the counter to tactics like these ones because it means that it's harder for the sleezeball lawyer to keep it as a front page item. Then by the time it gets to court everyone's calmed down a bit and it's easier to get a fair trial. Then if you beat it in court, you get a chance to maybe hit the scumbag lawyer for legal fees and clear your name somewhat in the media.

Buzzcut is using these tactics to stop the case from going to trial, by trying to force the defendant to hoist the white flag before the trial ever happens. By saying "See you in court," you cut off all that nonsense, and if you say absolutely nothing else, eventually the media will be distracted by the next shiny thing. See, THIS is the thing AB didn't do that got him thrown off the team, but I think watson is both smart enough, and can afford good enough counsel, that this is what we'll see happen.

EDIT: Just saw their statement. Bingo.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[Simpelton]

I have to say Deshaun’s legal team hasn’t exactly done a great job with PR. They’ve basically just watched the narrative gather more and more steam without any kind of resistance to the claims.

Innocent or guilty they have hardly gotten ahead of the story in any way, shape or form.

EDIT: just now I saw a post above about a press release by his lawyer

There is nothing Watson can say at this point that won't fan the flames of the witch hunt. you've got to wait for all the little kids to scream themselves to sleep before you get your say. That's how it's always gone in such things, from Salem to the present day.

it really is better to let the lawyers handle it.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

He is. Buzzoff, or whatever the hell his name is, has created a trial by media atmosphere that you've swallowed hook, line and sinker. Whether or not the accusations are true has nothing to do with the tactics being employed. And I know a railroad job when I see one.

This is standard sleezy third-rate lawyer stuff. Make no mistake he's going to the media for a reason rather than letting the case proceed on its own merits. Lot of lawyers use these tactics to try to force a quick settlement because they know their case won't survive trial. The more Buzz Lightyear doesn't want to let the facts speak for themselves the weaker I suspect the facts of being.

It's fine if you believe the attorney is making these allegations up (could very well be true). However, don't say that and then claim "I'm just going to wait for the evidence before making my mind up," which is what Jetefan was doing.

 

[Bill Lee]

3) BTW, while I fully understand a lot of women choose not to report being sexually assaulted, we also know that a lot of women do. And right now we are being asked to believe that 24 women all chose not to report being assaulted. Not a single one. IMHO, the accusations were more believable when the number was smaller. It feels to me like we've reached - and exceeded - a saturation point where Buzbee announcing more and more women (who may or may not even exist) makes the whole thing less believable.

To me it could be the Weinstein situation all over again: a lot of women were abused but didn't have the nerve to report it till the first one did, then the flood gates broke.

ESPN has a running summation of what is being reported:

Summary of lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans quarterback has denied the allegations in the lawsuits, which do not name any of the women.

www.espn.com

You can say that 14 women reporting the same thing is odd, to me it's odd that there have been no allegations of this lawyer recruiting plaintiffs. If it's so easy to coerce plaintiff testimony it should be easy to get a woman to report he recruited her and he coached her into making false acquisitions.

 

[Simpelton]

It's fine if you believe the attorney is making these allegations up (could very well be true). However, don't say that and then claim "I'm just going to wait for the evidence before making my mind up," which is what Jetefan was doing.

Why not? The two statements are NOT mutually exclusive. you CAN have an opinion and STILL keep an open mind. or at least I can, and apparently JetFan can. Dunno about you, you seem to be struggling with the concept.

 

[Simpelton]

To me it could be the Weinstein situation all over again: a lot of women were abused but didn't have the nerve to report it till the first one did, then the flood gates broke.

ESPN has a running summation of what is being reported:

Summary of lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans quarterback has denied the allegations in the lawsuits, which do not name any of the women.

www.espn.com

You can say that 14 women reporting the same thing is odd, to me it's odd that there have been no allegations of this lawyer recruiting plaintiffs. If it's so easy to coerce plaintiff testimony it should be easy to get a woman to report he recruited her and he coached her into making false acquisitions.

That's a possibility, but at the moment a possibility is all it is. This is why it's so imperative to keep an open mind. If you start doing creative writing assignments to figure out various ways your opinion could be true, that's probably the first sign that your mind is not actually as open as it should be.

Point of clarification: My position is based on the actions of the lawyer, not necessarily the words of the women. I have no real reasson to approach their version of events until they back it up with something a bit more concrete than their own testimony. Right now Buzzkill is doing a great job of making the lot of them sound like a pack of cash grabbing liars. Whether they are or not will depend on what they can prove.

 

[NashuaPats]

I love the defense. There are numerous and many... female Instagram massage therapists... that describe him as a gentleman. Smh.

These dots are not difficult to connect.

 

[Simpelton]

I love the defense. There are numerous and many... female Instagram massage therapists... that describe him as a gentleman. Smh.

These dots are not difficult to connect.

Just ignore the other statement that someone already contacted Watson's lawyers to try to shake him down. Go on, ignore it. Good boy.

 

[NashuaPats]

Just ignore the other statement that someone already contacted Watson's lawyers to try to shake him down. Go on, ignore it. Good boy.

Yes and go on and ignore 24 (and counting) different allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Good boy. SMH.

 

[JetFan79]

Yes and go on and ignore 24 (and counting) different allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Good boy. SMH.

“Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation. In addition, the tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult. Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth‑seeking process can even begin.

Seems like a legit tactic by a lawyer only trying to provide justice for: Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe and Jane Doe.

 

[NashuaPats]

“Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation. In addition, the tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult. Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth‑seeking process can even begin.

Seems like a legit tactic by a lawyer only trying to provide justice for: Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, Jane Doe and Jane Doe.

You seem to be more interested in the lawyers than the actual lawsuits.

 

[JetFan79]

You seem to be more interested in the lawyers than the actual lawsuits.

Because the lawsuits are currently anonymous. Why pay attention to something that can't even be Investigated?

Seems the one they've been able to put a name to has been proven ridiculous.

 

[XLIX]

Yes and go on and ignore 24 (and counting) different allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Good boy. SMH.

Do we have 24 allegations of sexual assault? Or do we have one single man who claims there are 24 allegations of sexual assault? The answer is the latter, not the former.

Furthermore, I don't care if there are 1,000 accusations. I need to see evidence of guilt before I condemn a man. That day may certainly be coming but it isn't here yet. I also find it amusing that the first and only piece of evidence we currently have was an affidavit submitted by the defense.

 

[NashuaPats]

Because the lawsuits are currently anonymous. Why pay attention to something that can't even be Investigated?

Seems the one they've been able to put a name to has been proven ridiculous.

The police are investigating. It’s a process.

I was never cool with the mantra “Believe all women”, but I think the concept “Believe no women” is wrong too.

 

[XLIX]

Because the lawsuits are currently anonymous. Why pay attention to something that can't even be Investigated?

Seems the one they've been able to put a name to has been proven ridiculous.

They really have to have an idea of at least who some of these women are. He may not have kept precise records but given some of the details (dates, locations, etc) I am sure they have identified many of the plaintiffs.

EDIT: Let the record show I made the above statement BEFORE Florio essentially posted the same thing.

 

[JetFan79]

They really have to have an idea of at least who some of these women are. He may not have kept precise records but given some of the details (dates, locations, etc) I am sure they have identified many of the plaintiffs.

Good point.