A woman who went public Tuesday with sexual misconduct allegations against Deshaun Watson said she has filed a criminal complaint with police, the second known criminal complaint made against the Houston Texans quarterback.
Driving the news: Ashley Solis said at a news conference in Houston that she's a "survivor of assault and harassment" and "Watson is my assaulter and my harasser, he assaulted me at my home doing what I love most, massage therapy." Watson has denied any wrongdoing.
- Solis was the first of 22 women to file a civil lawsuit against Watson, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
The first woman to file a lawsuit against Deshaun Watson (seated to Tony Buzbee’s left) has identified herself.
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) April 6, 2021
“My name is Ashley Solis. Remember that name. ... I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore.” pic.twitter.com/gWqX6spFmv
The allegations: Solis accuses Watson of sexually assaulting her at a massage therapy session in March 2020. "I can no longer practice the profession I love the most without shaking," she said. "I hope he knew how heartbreaking that is to me."
- Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing Solis, said she's provided a statement to police. Houston police have declined to comment on the case, the Washington Post notes.
- Lauren Baxley, a massage therapist, also attended the news conference, where an attorney from Buzbee's practice read aloud a statement on her behalf in which she described Watson as "nothing more than a predator with power."
The other side: Watson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said previously he believes "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."
A letter from another woman who has filed suit against Deshaun Watson is being read. That woman isn’t here. The woman called Watson a “predator with power” in the letter and says he has a “meticulously designed facade to keep his victims second guessing themselves.” pic.twitter.com/Zh2WElSvb4
— Mycah Hatfield (@MycahABC13) April 6, 2021
