NFL star Deshaun Watson sued for alleged sexual assault

Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson is being sued for an alleged sexual assault.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Harris County, Texas, alleges that Watson assaulted an unnamed licensed massage therapist “by touching her with his penis” while receiving a massage at the therapist’s home in March 2020.

The suit says Watson “wanted a massage for only one reason — sex.”

Watson denies any wrongdoing.

“As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer, I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me,” Watson said in a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday. “I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect.

“The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”

CNN has reached out to the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, on whether a six-figure settlement was offered to Watson.

The lawsuit alleges that the therapist left Watson alone in the massage room of her home and when she returned, “Watson was lying on the massage table completely naked with only a small towel covering his groin area … Watson then began to aggressively dictate how he wanted the massage to be performed. Watson emphasized to Plaintiff that she not use her knuckles or elbows during the massage. Instead, Watson told Plaintiff she was only to use her hands. And, Watson repeatedly stated that he wanted her focus to be on his groin area.”

The lawsuit says the woman “began to feel extremely uncomfortable” and was trying to find a way to “extricate herself from the situation.”

“At one point, he purposedly exposed the tip of the penis from under the towel,” the lawsuit alleges. “As a result of his moving of his hips, Watson purposedly touched Plaintiff’s hand with the tip of his erect penis.”

The lawsuit says that the therapist “was shocked and mortified” and ended the session.

Watson left the “home without further incident” and later apologized via text for the alleged incident, according to the suit.

“Too many times women have put up with behavior that we all know no one should put up with,” Buzbee wrote on Facebook and Instagram on Tuesday. “All people are equal, and all deserve dignity and respect.”

The woman is “seeking the minimal compensatory damages” as well as court costs and punitive damages, the lawsuit notes.

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, the Texans said, “We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night. This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon.

“We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident.”

CNN has reached out to the NFL and Watson’s agent for comment.

Watson has played four seasons in Houston and has been selected for three Pro Bowls. According to the Spotrac website, he signed a four-year, $156 million contract in 2020.