Saturday, March 20, 2021

This is no way to chase a star athlete out of town. Or is it?

 They say misery loves company. If that's true, then NY Governor Andrew Cuomo can make room for someone else dealing with a series of allegations of sexual assault and/or misconduct. The only difference is, those cases are moving forward in litigation.

Not too long ago, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wanted out of town, asking to be traded. Now, he's facing lawsuits from seven different women, and their attorney claims there are five more on the way.

Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee is representing the unidentified victims, and claims that Watson's personal quarterback coach put him in contact with one of the victims. Watson has denied the allegations, and has accused Buzbee of being a publicity-seeking "plaintiff's attorney". In other words, he sees Buzbee, an ex-Marine who failed in a bid for the Mayor's office 2 years ago, as an ambulance chaser looking to leech off Watson's fame and present unhappiness in the city.


Buzbee claims to have been in contact with Houston police. The Houston Police Department issued a statement via Twitter on Friday denying this.

The timing of these lawsuits, he also says, has nothing to do with Watson's desire to leave the Texans. I have my doubts about that. This is a man who also bought billboard space begging the Texans to draft Johnny Manziel out of Texas A & M, and that failed (Manziel went to Cleveland, and is now in Canada). The NFL is investigating, as it should, but they should talk to both sides, and get the real story. Talk not only to Watson and his representatives, but also to Buzbee, who's getting his 15 minutes of fame for the wrong reasons.

Watson has also said that Buzbee tried to get some sort of six-figure settlement out of him. When that didn't happen, that's when the lawsuits started. No lawyer worth his degrees should resort to that. Ever.

Roughly translated, Mr. Buzbee, tell the truth, and show your hand. The alleged victims of Cuomo have come forward and gone public, save for at least one. It is preferred that you do the same with your clients.

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