Lawyers: Case settled against Browns Watson

A month after Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson filed a new lawsuit alleging sexual assault and battery, the case has been resolved, according to the plaintiffs' attorney.

“We have now resolved our client's claim with Deshaun Watson,” the woman's attorney, Tony Buzby, told ESPN on Monday night. “The settlement is confidential.”

Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, later confirmed that the case had been resolved.

According to a lawsuit filed Sept. 9 in Harris County, Texas, Watson and a woman named Jane Doe, who filed in court, were accused in October 2020 of having dinner at her apartment. Watson was a member of the Houston Texans at the time.

Watson denied the allegations in a statement from Hardin. The NFL is reviewing the complaint under its personal conduct policy, but the league did not place Watson on the commissioner's exempt list because no formal complaint had been filed and the review had just begun.

A league spokesman declined to comment Monday night.

Buzby previously told ESPN that the woman, as well as two additional witnesses, planned to speak with the NFL. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the woman still wanted to be interviewed by the league as part of the investigation.

Watson, 29, served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. A pair of Texas grand juries declined to bring criminal charges against him, but he served his suspension after the NFL and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement over his disciplinary matter.

He also must pay a $5 million fine and undergo a mandatory evaluation by behavioral experts and follow their recommended treatment program before being reinstated by the league.

Watson settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits filed against him in the summer of 2022.

The lawsuit filed in September is unrelated to the two remaining active lawsuits (one filed in summer 2022 and the other in October) by women who accused Watson of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

Since the latest lawsuit, Watson has continued to start at quarterback for the Browns. Coach Kevin Stefanski previously declined to comment on the lawsuit but said he was not aware of the allegations before they surfaced.

Watson has started 17 games since the Browns traded six draft picks, including three first-round picks, for him and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, an NFL record at the time. In five games this season, Watson posted a QBR of 21.0, the lowest of any qualified passer.