(CNN)Another woman has filed a lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, bringing the number of civil suits alleging the Cleveland Browns quarterback to wrongdoing, including in some counts sexual assault, to 23.
Nia Smith, a licensed cosmetologist in Texas, claims she has had three encounters with Watson as of 2020, whose behavior she says “got worse with every massage,” according to a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Watson allegedly asked the plaintiff to massage his anus, exposed his erect penis, attempted to grab the plaintiff’s buttocks, touched her between her legs and repeatedly demanded sex in incidents spanning three sessions, the suit alleges.
Smith claims that she was completely traumatized by her interactions with Watson and quit her job at the salon.
Watson “vehemently” denied the allegations in a statement delivered through his attorney Rusty Hardin on Tuesday, repeatedly denying allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him.
“Deshaun Watson vehemently denies the allegations, as he has since she first raised them with members of our firm in March of last year. She repeated the allegations on social media in August and he denied them at the time,” Hardin said in a statement.
“The only thing new about their claims is the embellishment, which makes them more extreme than previous versions. Deshaun’s denial remains the same,” he continued.
Smith, who was 21 at the time of the alleged incidents, initially chose not to file a civil suit but said she changed her mind after watching a segment about the lawsuits on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel last week , according to the lawsuit . Two of his accusers appeared on the show and expressed their shock and disgust that Watson had just signed a record-breaking contract.
According to ESPN, Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract from the Browns would be the highest guaranteed money given to an NFL player.
“The things that just came out off the field surprised me because I’ve never done anything that these people are saying,” he said at a news conference introducing him to the Browns in March.
In March, a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, declined to indict Watson on allegations of molestation and sexual misconduct after finding there was insufficient evidence to charge him with a crime. The incidents were described as “arising from massage therapy sessions,” according to a statement on the NFL website.
Meanwhile, a second grand jury in Brazoria County, Texas, in March dismissed an indictment against Watson after reviewing evidence in a criminal complaint alleging sexual misconduct, also during a massage therapy session.
Watson remains under investigation by the NFL, which could suspend him if it finds he violated the league’s personal conduct guidelines. NFL officials met with Watson for three days in May and have also requested an additional day, Hardin told CNN.
“I can’t give you a timeline,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at a news conference last week. And that will happen shortly. And then we’ll see where that comes out.”
Watson still faces a total of 23 civil charges from his accusers, many alleging sexual assault and misconduct during massage sessions.
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