HOUSTON, Texas — The first of 22 women to sue Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct is no longer “Jane Doe No. 1.” Ashley Solis went public with her story for the first time at a news conference Tuesday.
“It has taken me a long time to get to this point to come out publicly and speak my truth. I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore,” Solis said. “I am here to take back the power and take back control.”
The massage therapist said Watson sexually assaulted and harassed her in her home on March 30, 2020 after contacting her through Instagram. The Houston Texans quarterback called the allegations “baseless.”
According to the lawsuit, Watson repeatedly asked Solis to focus on his groin area. She said he “purposely” exposed himself and “purposely” touched her with his penis.
Solis abruptly ended the massage and Watson later apologized, according to the civil assault lawsuit.
“I replay the incident over and over in my head as if I’m trying to wake up from some horrible nightmare, only this nightmare is real,” Solis said Tuesday. “I feel a range of emotions: guilt, embarrassment, shame, courage, anger, sadness and numbness. Some days I feel like a hero. Other days I feel like a failure.”
She said she’s saddened by the victim-blaming in the media and in online comments.
“I blame myself at times, which is insane. Society has groomed women to believe that it’s their fault … as if, somehow, we asked for it or we could have prevented it.”
Solis hopes others who hear her story will gain the courage to speak out.
Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents Solis and 21 other Watson accusers, said he discouraged her from coming forward.
“Ashley Solis is a very brave person,” Buzbee said. “She is a pioneer. She will not be bullied.”
A massage therapist named Lauren Baxley is also going public with a letter she wrote to Watson. An attorney working on the case with Buzbee read the letter on Baxley’s behalf during the news conference.
“I am heartbroken for your family, for your loved ones, for those coming to terms with the fact that your charitable work and good-guy persona are nothing more than a meticulously designed façade to keep your victims silent,” Baxley said in the letter.
The accusations against Watson range from sexual misconduct to sexual assault. Most of the women are massage therapists who advertised online.
One of the cases is being investigated by the Houston Police Department after that alleged victim came forward. No criminal charges have been filed.
Watson attorney Rusty Hardin called the allegations “completely false.” Hardin said he has statements from 18 licensed massage therapists who say the quarterback was always polite and professional. One called the accusations against him “ludicrous.”
Hardin said that in one case, Watson was actually a victim of blackmail when the accuser demanded $30,000 in exchange for her “indefinite silence” about what she stated was a consensual encounter.