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A recent report of one of the allegations against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson cast significant doubt on that specific allegation and sparked speculation that this was the first clear evidence that the many lawsuits filed against Watson are part of a conspiracy and/or shake off . Attorney Tony Buzbee, representing the 24 women who have sued Watson, has responded to the report.
Here’s the key text from a stream of Thursday tweets by CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson: “I’m told there is a tape of an interview with the adult son of 1 of 12 women the NFL interviewed in the Deshaun Watson case – initially with his mother, was courteous to Watson in their post-massage conversations, but later changed her account and tone after negative allegations about Watson surfaced. The son hinted to his mother that he intended to reward his silence, per a league source. There’s a feeling the NFL was initially reluctant to share details they learned from the woman’s son — after only mentioning that they’d interviewed him in their report. The son’s record was later reviewed by Watson, revealing the above details – presumably clarifying why this particular accuser was not among the 5 women the NFL ultimately focused on at the hearing.”
Buzbee says this accuser is not among his clients.
“Twelve alleged victims have been reported to have spoken to the NFL,” Buzbee said in an email to PFT. “I have confirmed that ten of these women were my clients. None of my clients had a son who was interviewed by the NFL. As I said, there were several women who called my office and wanted to sue Watson, whom I didn’t want to represent because of my litigation experience. I know that at least one of those women that I didn’t want to represent spoke to the NFL and also gave a statement to the police. I can only assume it was this woman that Ms. Anderson tweeted about.”
It’s still unclear why the NFL hasn’t spoken to all of Buzbee’s clients, or how the NFL decided to narrow the 12 cases it was investigating down to five presented at last week’s hearing. For now, the big takeaway is this: To the extent that some viewed Thursday’s report as the first tangible evidence that Buzbee’s customers’ claims were falling apart, the claim that was the subject of Thursday’s report was not owned by anyone made, which he agreed to represent. In fact, after verifying her claims, Buzbee appears to have decided not to act on her behalf.