The numbers keep increasing for Deshaun Watson, as his camp remains silent.
Lawyer Tony Buzbee told FOX 26 in Houston on Monday night that the total number of assault lawsuits against the Texans quarterback has reached 14, with 24 total claims now under consideration by Buzbee’s firm.
“Most of the cases allege the same, or similar, conduct,” Buzbee said of the civil complaints alleging misconduct during massages.
Through it all, Watson and his representatives have said very little. Although the time for responding formally to these complaints has not yet arrived, Watson’s silence has become deafening, as far as the court of public opinion is concerned.
Despite Buzbee’s aggressive tactics and at-times disingenuous and/or not credible public statements (e.g., he’s not seeking publicity when he is, the cases aren’t about money when they are, he doesn’t know Texans owner “Cal or Hal [McNair] whatever his name is”), Buzbee’s approach is resonating with the public in large part because Watson’s approach has been to do or say hardly anything.
Meanwhile, it’s somewhat unusual that no other lawyers represent clients who are making similar claims against Watson. In a situation like this, other lawyers who have law firms with significant monthly expenses and who are indeed in the habit of seeking publicity and/or cash will begin coming forward with other plaintiffs of their own. With so many women making so many claims against Watson, it’s a bit odd that none of them have ended up being represented by someone other that Buzbee.
Then again, maybe that’s the next step in all of this. Given the way this matter has mushroomed, there’s no reason to think the list of potential plaintiffs ends at 24. There could be more that are being evaluated by other lawyers in Houston, or elsewhere.
Even if there are no additional plaintiffs, the sheer magnitude of claims makes it more and more difficult to think that there’s an innocent explanation or that they are are embellishing, fabricating, or flat-out lying.