Attorney says FBI investigating claims tied to DeShaun Watson

Attorney Tony Buzbee said that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) had looked into the sexual assault and harassment claims toward Houston Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

Buzbee, who is representing 22 women who filled lawsuits toward the star quarterback, told the League of Justice’s Amy Dash in an interview that the FBI’s Houston office contacted and met with him multiple times on the case.

“Let’s be clear, when somebody comes into your office on the 73rd floor of the Chase Tower, whether they’re the FDA or the FBI, it’s a big deal. Well, it was the FBI,” Buzbee told Dash. 

Buzbee also said the FBI spoke with several of Watson’s accusers during the time period as well, according to the League of Justice. 

Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin held a press conference Wednesday and suggested that contacted him in April over allegations that one of Watson’s accusers sought to extort $30,000 from the quarterback, according to the Associated Press. 

Hardin also criticized Buzbee for sharing the agency’s involvement with his client’s case, adding that such investigations are mostly kept secret, the AP reported. 

“{Buzbee} knows those lawsuits have no future in the long run,” Hardin said in the press conference. “What he wants is to be out there and promote himself and the lawsuits and try to get Deshaun to settle them and pay them money so he can ride into the sunset.”

The women who sued Watson have accused the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback of sexually harassing and assaulting them during massage appointments from 2020 and 2021. 

In a statement to the Hill, FBI’s Houston office spokesperson Christina Garza said that the agency cannot  “confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.” 

The National Football League (NFL) said in March that they are investigating the claims against Watson. 

The Hill has reached out to the NFL and the Houston Texans for comment.