WAR OF WORDS

Deshaun Watson’s Lawyer Says Assault Claim Was Shakedown

The quarterback has been accused in 16 lawsuits. His attorney says all the allegations are false.

The attorney for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson claims that a woman who accused the athlete of sexual assault tried to shake him down for $30,000—and that the rest of the 16 misconduct claims against him are also false. The so-called “strong evidence” that lawyer Rusty Hardin promised turns out to be an affidavit from Watson’s marketing manager in which he says the accuser, a massage therapist, asked for the cash to keep a consensual encounter secret. But the woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said Watson and his associate pressured the woman to sign a non-disclosure agreement and she refused. His client claims in a lawsuit that Watson demanded she perform oral sex during an appointment in Houston in December.