Some 22 women have came forward to accuse Deshaun Watson of sexual assault or misconduct, yet he is still able to attend training camp and practice with the Houston Texans, even though he demanded to be traded from them before his legal issues kicked off.
Now, two of them are speaking out about their interactions with the NFL during the investigation into the quarterback and they are not happy about how the league has handled everything.
Ashley Solis (the first woman to file suit) and Lauren Baxley spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas about their sessions with NFL investigators Lisa Friel and Jennifer Gaffney.
Solis:
“This woman asked me what I was wearing, which honestly really pissed me off,” Solis told Sports Illustrated in what was her first interview with a media outlet. “She explained that that’s something that she has to ask—which I don’t believe at all. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be wearing that would suggest that I don’t want you to put your penis on my hand. Do I need to wear a turtleneck?”
Here’s Baxley:
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“My forensic interview [with HPD] was very respectful and trauma-informed,” Baxley says. “They let me speak uninterrupted, whereas with Lisa Friel and the [other NFL investigator], they would cut me off, they would question things, they would circle back.” Baxley believes that they were “trying to trip me up. They didn’t, but they were really looking for the weaknesses that they thought they could exploit.”
Baxley went on to describe the NFL’s investigators as “patronizing” and “victim-blaming” during her interview.
Watson is fourth on the quarterback depth chart in Houston and the team has zero plans of playing him in the preseason.
Just this week, he finally spoke to the local media when he lashed out, asking why he’s always getting filmed at practice. As he walked toward the media, Watson said, “Why are you all always filming me every day? It’s the same shit.”
