Deshaun Watson Was Hit With Dozens of Lawsuits by Women — Here’s What They Say He Did
Deshaun has faced little discipline from the NFL despite being sued over two dozen times.
Published March 17 2025, 10:43 a.m. ET
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson may be in high spirits in March 2025 after proposing to his longtime girlfriend, Jilly Anais, but his recent years have been riddled with controversy. Multiple women have filed lawsuits against him, and if you guessed they involved sexual assault allegations, you’d be right.
Deshaun and Jilly have been dating since 2019, so their engagement isn’t exactly shocking. What is surprising, however, is that throughout their relationship, various women have accused him of misconduct, and Jilly has stuck by his side through it all.
While Deshaun and Jilly are likely busy planning their wedding — discussing everything from colors to the location — you’re probably less interested in that and more curious about what exactly these women are alleging he did. Here’s the scoop.
What is the controversy surrounding Deshaun Watson?
More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Deshaun Watson, most of which he has already settled, per the NFL. In September 2024, another lawsuit was filed, and quickly settled, stemming from an alleged incident in October 2020. A Jane Doe, whose name was redacted for privacy, accused Watson of sexually assaulting her in her apartment during a dinner date. Her lawsuit cited sexual assault and battery, seeking over $1 million in damages.
By October 2024, both sides had reached a settlement after the plaintiff’s lawyer warned she would speak out. Despite this, Watson didn’t appear to face any disciplinary action.
In December 2024, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy announced that "the matter is closed" regarding the lawsuit, per AP News. McCarthy cited "insufficient evidence to support a finding of a violation of the personal conduct policy," clearing Watson to continue playing.
However, years earlier, he settled nearly all of the two dozen lawsuits filed against him in 2022, which did land him on the sidelines.
Deshaun Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season after more than a dozen lawsuits were filed against him. The first lawsuit, filed in 2021 by Ashley Solis, accused him of sexual assault and misconduct during massage therapy sessions. As of 2024, Watson had settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits, with 20 of those settled by June 2022, per The New York Times.
In two of the cases, women alleged Watson pressured them into performing oral sex during massage sessions. One woman also claimed Watson grabbed her buttocks and private areas, according to the NYT. Among the other accusations, he was said to have shifted his body in a way that required the women to touch his genitals or "coerce them to touch him in a sexual manner."
Deshaun has continued to strongly deny these allegations.
Deshaun Watson was accused of requesting sexual acts by other women who didn't sue.
A NYT investigation revealed that Deshaun had scheduled massage appointments with at least 66 women between the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2021. While many women came forward accusing him of misconduct, others have not pursued legal action but say Deshaun requested sexual acts. Deshaun allegedly had the therapists sign nondisclosure agreements, which he received from the Texans, the team he was playing for at the time.
The NYT investigation also uncovered that in 2020, Deshaun paid a Houston spa owner $5,000. While she claimed the payment was for spa equipment, the owner, identified as Dionne Louis, "had connected Watson with multiple women for massages."