This is the major key to the entire Deshaun Watson saga.
From the first press conference that his attorney Rusty Hardin gave, they have admitted that Watson had a lot of s*xual contact with his massage therapists.
They admitted there were happy endings. Hardin even explained why happy endings aren’t against the law.
According to Hardin, happy endings are only a crime if you pay money for them.
In essence, Hardin is saying if you get a massage and the woman just decides to give you a hand job because she wants to, or you ask politely, that is entirely legal. It is illegal if you offer her an extra $50 for it.
The accusers’ lawyer Tony Buzbee says to say that publicly is insane.
“He singlehandedly is losing the case before we pick a jury,” Tony Buzbee said of Hardin.
Buzbee told USA TODAY Sports the women “didn’t agree to the massages to give Deshaun Watson a happy ending.”
“That Mr. Hardin would suggest that Watson was OK in expecting that kind of conduct is disgusting,” Buzbee said. “I think Mr. Hardin himself in his moment of clarity may have ended Watson’s career.”
Watson decided to have a press conference where he once again proclaimed his innocence and pointed out he didn’t force anyone to do anything against their will.
Watson was asked whether he stands by his statement from March that he has “no regrets” about what happened.
“I think that question kind of triggered a lot of people,” Watson said, explaining that he was saying he never assaulted, disrespected, or harassed anyone. He acknowledged that he does regret the impact of the existence of the various cases has had on “many” people.
And what of the report from the New York Times that Watson received massages from at least 66 women in a 17-month period? Is that number accurate?
“I don’t think so,” Watson said, before deferring to his lawyers.
It comes down to who you believe, Watson or the 30+ women who have accused him of misconduct. To believe Watson, you have to think that all these women who don’t know each other all wanted some sort of s*xual contact with Watson and consented to it.
Flip the page for Watson’s full presser.