Deshaun Watson Attorney Rusty Hardin Releases Statement on Latest Allegations
Deshaun Watson may be in Cleveland now, but the sexual misconduct allegations against him in Houston are still very much alive.
On Monday, after the latest victim elected to come forward, Watson's attorney, Rustin Hardin came to the defense of his client, sternly denying the latest claims from the new plaintiff, who originally came forward in March of last year.
The latest allegation made 23 against Watson. A number that has soon to increase to 24.
“Deshaun Watson vehemently denies the allegations, just as he has since she first discussed them with members of our firm in March of last year,” Hardin said in his statement. “She repeated the allegations on social media in August and he denied them then. The only thing new about her contentions is the embellishment making them more extreme than prior versions. Deshaun’s denial remains the same.”
The 23rd plaintiff came forward following the airing of an episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumble centered around Watson's legal issues.
And according to reports, the latest plaintiff has alleged that Watson's attorneys attempted to dissuade her from coming forward with claims.
“The two highly respected lawyers from our firm, Letitia Quinones and Rachel Lewis, also vehemently deny there was any coercion or intimidation involved in the very cordial meeting at Vic and Anthony’s,” Hardin said. “They met her to see if she was one of Mr. Buzbee’s then still anonymous plaintiffs. At that time Mr. Buzbee refused to identify his clients. The suggestion that either of these two accomplished lawyers would have said ‘us black women must stick together’ is absurd. The interview was so congenial, she joined the lawyers for dinner afterwards.”
The 23rd plaintiff is also represented by Tony Buzbee, who represents each of the other 23 clients with claims against Watson.
“We are aware that more than a year ago she had other lawyers representing her and they ultimately terminated the representation,” Hardin said. “This plaintiff has long had a vendetta against Deshaun since she jealously and angrily published Deshaun’s personal data on social media in November 2020. In filing her lawsuit now she was obviously not influenced by recent developments. We are not surprised Mr. Buzbee was willing to say just about anything to get more publicity. He knows the NFL continues to investigate these cases, and this is a transparent attempt to further punish the man he sees as a potential payday.”
The NFL league office is still weighing its options in terms of Watson and is yet to hand down a suspension or indicate what type of punishment, if any, he will receive.
