Woman suing Browns' Deshaun Watson to meet NFL; lawyer teases video - ESPN

BEREA, Ohio — The attorney representing the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit accusing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery told ESPN on Thursday that the woman will speak to the NFL within two weeks.

«We will be scheduling a meeting with the NFL and hope that can be accomplished in the next two weeks,» attorney Tony Buzbee wrote in an email. «We have a video and two additional witnesses for the NFL to speak with. I've personally never had confidence in the NFL's disciplinary process but my client has chosen to engage it.»

According to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in Harris County, Texas, the alleged actions occurred in October 2020 before Watson and a woman, identified as Jane Doe in the court filing, were set to have dinner at the woman's apartment. Watson was a member of the Houston Texans at the time.

Watson on Wednesday denied the allegations in a statement issued by his attorney, Rusty Hardin.

The NFL on Tuesday said it is reviewing the complaint under the personal conduct policy, but the league added that Watson will not be placed on the commissioner's exempt list because there have been no formal charges and the league's review just began.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Watson will still start Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars but declined to comment on the lawsuit, deferring to a team statement released Tuesday.

In a statement released Wednesday, Buzbee said he reached out to Watson's attorneys for months to resolve the matter privately.

Watson said that he found out about the lawsuit when it surfaced and that he was surprised to see the allegations. When asked about Buzbee's claim of reaching out to Hardin's office 10 months ago, Watson responded: