The attorney for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson claims that a woman who accused the athlete of sexual assault tried to shake him down for $30,000—and that the rest of the 16 misconduct claims against him are also false. The so-called “strong evidence” that lawyer Rusty Hardin promised turns out to be an affidavit from Watson’s marketing manager in which he says the accuser, a massage therapist, asked for the cash to keep a consensual encounter secret. But the woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said Watson and his associate pressured the woman to sign a non-disclosure agreement and she refused. His client claims in a lawsuit that Watson demanded she perform oral sex during an appointment in Houston in December.
