Houston's Star to Houston's Scoundrel: Why Deshaun Watson will lose the legal battle in his sexual misconduct case

Deshuan Watson, the Texans' MVP-caliber quarterback, may no longer be the face of Houston sports due to sexual misconduct accusations. With evidence both in favor of and against Watson's innocence, is Deshuan Watson truly guilty? Despite controversy surrounding the prosecution, Deshaun Watson's accusers will eventually win the legal battle due to their emotional stories and social media messages.

Watson's sexual misconduct allegations stained his reputation. He was once known as a stand-up black athlete, protesting racial injustices and helping the Houston community end its poverty, health, and education issues. However, his reputation changed when prominent Houston attorney, Tony Buzzbee, sued Watson on behalf of a masseuse named Ashley Solis, accusing him of forcing sexual interactions in March of 2021.

As of May, twenty two women have accused Watson of sexual misconduct and filed lawsuits against him. Massage therapists like Ashley Solis felt so traumatized that their encounters with Watson still hurt them emotionally and physically. Other women felt like vomiting and quitting their jobs. As of early April, two women recalled detailed encounters and ten women appeared in court. The Houston Police Department and the NFL launched separate investigations.

Watson's sexual misconduct allegations affected his trade requests. After the 2020 regular season, Deshuan Watson requested a trade from the Texans because of poor coaching hires, bad trades, and minimal influence within the organization. Eight teams initially expressed interest in trading for the star player, but they all pulled out of trade talks after discovering his allegations.

Controversy on the prosecution's side hurt the survivors' chances to receive a quick, straightforward, and just verdict. The lack of credibility of some of Watson’s accusers has made this trial more complex. According to Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, eight women bragged about their experiences, seven wanted to work with him after the non consensual encounters, three lied about the number of massages they had given Watson, and five told others they “wanted to get money out of” him. Hardin's claims suggest that a sizable share of Watson's encounters contradict Buzzbee's nonconsensual portrayal of each event. Some of Hardin's claims also damage the validity of the prosecution’s statements because a victim of nonconsensual sexual misconduct would likely not see the offender again or brag about their traumatizing experience. Buzzbee claimed multiple times that his client would not be silenced. Solis also told reporters that she was not doing this for money. However, the defense revealed that Buzzbee on Solis's behalf demanded 100,000 dollars to stay quiet about her non-consensual encounter a month before the lawsuit. The defense's discovery directly contradicts Solis' and Buzzbee's initial claims, and gives the prosecution team a dishonest look. However, one could also argue that the 100,000 dollar blackmail was offered because Solis was too frightened at the time to publicly state her traumatizing experience. Additionally, the bribe does not invalidate the fact that Watson potentially engaged in sexual misconduct, even if it proves that Buzzbee was initially looking for financial gain. Although the defense's arguments do not completely rule Watson innocent, they do suggest that proving his innocence will be more difficult.

The prosecution's emotional and descriptive press conferences with the victims and their social media evidence outweigh the defense's accusations targeting their credibility. In an April press conference, a crying Ashley Solis described the effects of being a survivor of sexual misconduct. She said, “My hands shake whenever I place them on a client and I have to cut the session short. If he only knew how heartbreaking that is to me. I got into massage therapy to heal people — to heal their minds and bodies, to make peace in their souls. Deshaun Watson has robbed me of that.” Solis' descriptive recollection of her trauma and emotional message to Watson adds to the prosecution's credibility. Her tears will evoke sympathy from the jury and help her appear genuine. She also wants “to prevent this type of conduct...not just on behalf of myself but for all survivors.” Solis' message refutes and overpowers claims that she is selfish or accusing Watson primarily for financial incentive. Instead, she is coming out for a greater purpose: to help unheard and silenced survivors.

Lauren Baxley, the other survivor who publicly addressed her experiences with Watson, delves more specifically into her experience during her session. She recalls Watson breaking ethical and professional boundaries by forcing her to massage his "gluteal area" and "penis." Her vivid recollection helps her appear genuine and gives the jury insight on how other encounters with Watson may have occurred.

Watson's text messages also favor the prosecution. Text messages like "Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable. Never were the intentions. [Let me know] if you want to work in the future. My apologies" add strong evidence against Watson. His text implies that he overstepped boundaries even if his actions were unintentional. It also suggests that his encounters were unconsentual. This text message, along with other similar messages, directly prove the perversion of Watson's sexual encounters, and will lead to his eventual conviction.

Although the prosecution can successfully refute some of Watson's accusers' claims, they will be unable to overpower other accusers' accusations due to their social media evidence and their emotional stories. With the guilty verdict, all survivors of Watson's sexual misconduct, regardless if they win their respective lawsuits, will receive partial justice, because the quarterback will be held accountable. However, any degree of punishment will not compensate for the permanent trauma that they received from their encounters.

If Watson is convicted and faces potential jail time, should he be allowed to play in the National Football League? Star athletes like Michael Vick may have faced long periods of jail time before playing again in the NFL but their crimes do not match the severity of Watson, who overstepped legal and moral boundaries numerous times. Although the justice system should be reformative to some extent and allow Watson to prove that he has changed, sexual misconduct is too immoral of a crime for Watson to play in the NFL again. The face of Houston sports can not have a heavy offense on his track record. With his allegations, Watson can no longer be Houston's star; he is Houston's scoundrel.