Deshaun Watson’s Lawyer Rusty Hardin Responds to Allegations that His Client Directly Contacted Women to Settle Lawsuits

Watson’s lawyer is fighting back. The civil suits that came forward last last night accuse Watson of sexual misconduct, including exposing himself to women he hired for massages. At least two of the women allege he also sexually assaulted them. One of three new cases accuses Watson of reaching out to some of the plaintiffs in an attempt to settle.

It also alleges Watson has deleted Instagram posts.

“As a result of the repeated lawsuits against him, Deshaun Watson is deleting Instagram posts and contacting those who formally provided him massages in an attempt to settle,” the suit states. “Plaintiffs have not brought these cases for money or attention; instead plaintiffs seek a change in behavior with regard to Watson and a change of culture in the NFL.”

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In the complaint for one of today's lawsuits against Deshaun Watson: “As a result of the repeated lawsuits against him, Watson is deleting Instagram messages, and contacting those who formally provided him massages, in an attempt to settle.”

— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) March 29, 2021

Watson’s lawyer has responded to those claims:

“Like a lot of people, Deshaun regularly deletes past Instagram messages. That said, he has not deleted any messages since March 15th, the day before the first lawsuit was filed. We categorically deny that he has reached out directly to his accusers in an attempt to settle these cases,” Hardin said.

“Opposing counsel’s continued statements that these cases aren’t about money do not square with the facts in at least two of these cases. It is incredibly irresponsible to continue to make these types of false allegations in this avalanche of anonymous lawsuits, particularly while we are still trying to find out who the accusers are. We will address these issues, and others raised in these cases, in our formal response to the court in the coming weeks,” Hardin’s statement said.

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Deshaun Watson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement that Watson, "like a lot of people" regularly deletes past Instagram messages.

"He has not deleted any [Instagram] messages since March 15th, the day before the first lawsuit was filed."

— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) March 29, 2021