Attorney Tony Buzbee held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, one that included a previously anonymous massage therapist painfully recalling the experience that she says she had with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Ashley Solis - who Buzbee says was the first of 22 women to come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against Watson - delivered emotional testimony Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights from what Solis said:
- "It has taken me a long time to get to this point...I'm here to take back the power, take back control. ... Deshaun Watson assaulted and harassed me...in my own home."
- "I've replayed the incident over and over in my head as if I'm trying to wake up from a nightmare. Only that nightmare is real."
- "I got into massage therapy to help people. To heal their mind and bodies. To bring peace to their souls. He took that away from me."
- "We were all deceived into thinking that Deshaun Watson was a good guy. And now we all know that good guys can do terrible things. ... He needs to be accountable for his actions."
- Solis said that her father was a huge Texans fan that is no longer to even think about Watson or the team without getting extremely angry.
- She also said that she has dealt with panic attacks and has needed to see a therapist because of the accused actions of Watson.
A second previously anonymous plaintiff, Lauren Baxley, wasn't at the press conference, but had a member of the Buzbee team read a letter that her trauma therapist suggested she write to Watson. Notably, her letter said that she had previously worked with more wealthy and powerful people than Watson, none of whom acted in a way that Watson did.
One of the 18 therapists that Watson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, had come forward in defense of the quarterback said something different in private, according to direct messages obtained by Buzbee's team.
The massage therapist said publicly that she had never had any issues in "at least 40 times" working with Watson. However, that same therapist sent a message to an unknown party that read "I told you I stopped working with him ... I was hearing too much stuff about him messing with other people, like other therapists and estheticians - he's been doing it a lot the last three or four months. I even told his ass that he needed to be careful because his name is getting around. I just hope don't nobody call me to question me."
In addition to the 22 women that have come forward to accuse Watson of sexual misconduct, Buzbee said that his law firm had to turn away five women that they didn't think they could help to win a case.
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