On Monday, a 24th civil lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct was issued against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, this most recent lawsuit came as a surprise to the NFL and the Browns. During an appearance with The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, he said there’s some “uncertainty” about how upfront Watson was regarding the possibility of more litigation.
This most recent lawsuit shares strikingly similar allegations to those featured in the other 23 lawsuits issued over the past year. Each civil case against the 26-year-old quarterback alleges sexual misconduct that took place during massage therapy sessions.
Deshaun Watson’s legal team, led by attorney Rusty Hardin, has yet to respond to the 24th lawsuit.
“We are unable to respond to the new lawsuit at this time,” Hardin said on Monday night, per NBC Sports. “Our legal team has not had time to investigate this new filing and had not heard her name until today. Deshaun continues to deny he did anything inappropriate with any of the plaintiffs.”
After he was cleared of all criminal charges in two grand jury hearings earlier this year, Watson signed a fully-guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns. It’s unclear if the team anticipated any more legal action at the time of this deal.
A potential punishment for Watson is expected to be released by the NFL sometime this summer.