Deshaun Watson tells reporters at minicamp: 'I have been honest and I have been truthful'

By Steve Almasy, CNN

Updated 2040 GMT (0440 HKT) June 14, 2022

Deshaun Watson speaks with reporters after Tuesday's practice.

(CNN)Embattled Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson told reporters at the team's training facility in Berea, Ohio, that he stands behind his denials of misconduct allegations made against him in 24 lawsuits.

«I have been honest and I have been truthful about my stance,» he said during the team's media availability. «I never forced anyone and I never assaulted anyone.»Watson's signing of a five-year contract — which ESPN reports is the richest deal in terms of guaranteed money in league history — has been controversial in light of the accusations, which are the subject of civil litigation and an NFL investigation. He was not charged criminally in Texas, where he played before he was traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns. The civil cases accuse Watson of misconduct, and in some cases of sexual assault. Just eight days ago, Katy Williams, a former massage therapist in Houston,filed the latest lawsuit. She alleges she had two encounters with Watson in her apartment in August 2020. The first session was professional, her lawsuit says, but during the second he exposed himself and engaged in unwanted sexual conduct by masturbating in front of her and ejaculating on her.Read MoreWatson «vehemently denied» the allegations through his attorney, Ed Hardin.When asked Tuesday whether he stood by his statement from his first Browns' news conference in March in which he said he had no regrets, Watson acknowledged his answer to the question «triggered a lot of people.»He said he regrets the impact the allegations have had on others including his family, the Browns' organization, his teammates, the