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Diabierna 19 Maart 2021

3 women sue Texans QB Deshaun Watson for alleged sex assault

did not immediately respond during massages in March Each woman is suing for
to requests for comment and August of last year Wat- compensatory and punitive
Thursday. son was sexually suggestive, damages, as well as court
exposed his genitals and costs.
Houston police spokes- moved toward them in ways Texans spokesman Omar
woman Jodi Silva declined that caused his penis to touch Majzoub said that the team
to comment on whether any their hands. The lawsuit from first learned about the allega-
of the alleged sexual assaults the third woman describes tions against Watson through
were reported to police, say- similar behavior and alleges a social media post Tuesday.
ing the department does not that during a massage in De- “We take accusations of this
identify people who have not cember, Watson “coerced” nature that involve anyone
been charged with a crime. her into giving him oral sex. with the Houston Texans
The women, who are not The woman did not consent organization seriously,” Ma-
named in the lawsuits, are and then “blacked out for a jzoub said in a Wednesday
(AP) — Three masseuses year, and the third alleges he represented by Houston law- few minutes from fear,” the statement. He declined to
have sued Houston Tex- forced her to perform oral yer Tony Buzbee. He did not lawsuit states. comment further Thursday.
ans quarterback Deshaun sex. immediately respond to re- The alleged assaults took Watson is one of the league’s
Watson for alleged sexual Watson, 25, has broadly de- quests for comment Thurs- place at one of the women’s top quarterbacks and led the
assault, accusing the star nied that he acted inappro- day, but wrote in one of the homes, a Houston hotel and NFL in yards passing last sea-
player of a “disturbing priately and said he looks for- lawsuits that “Watson’s be- an office building in the city, son. He signed a four-year,
pattern” of behavior to- ward to clearing his name. havior is part of a disturbing according to the suits. They $156 million contract exten-
ward women. “I have never treated any pattern of preying on vulner- state that Watson connected sion with the Texans last off-
woman with anything other able woman.” with the women over social season, but he became un-
In lawsuits filed this week, than the utmost respect,” the According to the suits, the media, where they advertised happy with the direction of
two of the woman claim that quarterback said in a state- women live in Texas, Oregon their businesses, and flew the team as Houston sunk to
Watson touched them with ment posted to Twitter Tues- and Georgia and work giving one of them from Atlanta to 4-12 and he requested a trade
his penis during massages last day. His attorney and agent massages. Two claimed that Houston for a massage. in January.

Alabama House approves bill to ban transgender athletes

(AP) — Alabama could considering restrictions on cratic representative from
become the next conserva- transgender athletes or gen- Birmingham, said the Legis-
tive state to prevent trans- der-confirming health care lature was “trying to practice
gender girls from playing for transgender minors. Mis- medicine without a degree.”
on female sports teams as sissippi Republican Gov. Tate “You are punishing a child
the state House of Rep- Reeves last week signed a bill in this situation because of
resentatives on Thursday to ban transgender athletes something they have nothing
approved the legislation. from competing on girls or to do with,” Rep. John Rog-
women’s sports teams. How- ers, a Birmingham Demo-
Representatives voted 74-19 ever, South Carolina law- crat.
for the bill that will require makers this week rejected a
K-12 athletes to play on similar bill. Supporters of the bills say
teams based on the biological “It is unfair for biological transgender girls are born
sex listed on their birth cer- males to compete against fe- bigger and faster and have an
tificates. The approval came males in high school sports,” unfair advantage in competi-
after Republicans voted to Republican Rep. Scott dence of any transgender saying the decision should tion. Opponents say the bills
end a filibuster. The bill now Stadthagen of Hartselle said athletes competing in state be left to athletic associations are rooted in discrimination
moves to the Alabama Sen- as debate opened on the bill. schools or universities. and lawmakers shouldn’t get and fear and violate the fed-
ate. Alabama legislators who Democratic legislators ques- involved. eral law barring sex discrimi-
More than a dozen states are pushed the bill gave no evi- tioned the need for the bill, Rep. Mary Moore, a Demo- nation in education.

Russians to compete as neutral athletes again in track

bastian Coe said. ing doping.” Sport ruled against Russia in
That paves the way for ath- “The judgment we made December in a separate case
letes like three-time high about ANAs was contingent about falsified data from the
jump world champion Mari- on the quality of that plan,” Moscow anti-doping labora-
ya Lasitskene and former Coe said. “The task force tory.
hurdles world champion Ser- has given confidence to the
gei Shubenkov to return to council that that reinstate- The Russian track federation,
the Diamond League circuit ment plan is substantive and known as RusAF, has been
ahead of the Tokyo Olym- will take us in the right di- suspended since 2015 after
pics. rection. And so the decision investigations revealed dop-
Thursday’s decision comes today to move ahead, to re- ing was rife among elite Rus-
after World Athletics ap- implement the ANA status sian athletes.
proved RusAF’s road map is a good one and we will try For much of that time, in-
(AP) — Russian athletes scheme, which can grant in- for anti-doping reforms. It and do that as quickly and as dividual Russians were al-
in track and field will be dividual exemptions from the includes more drug testing sensibly but as carefully as we lowed to compete interna-
allowed to compete in- suspension after vetting the for athletes and encourages can.” tionally with neutral status,
ternationally again under athlete’s drug-testing record. whistleblowers to share what A different neutral athlete without their country’s flag
a neutral flag as their na- As before, there will be a cap they know about drug use. system will apply for the or anthem. That system was
tional federation edges of 10 for the Olympics. The plan also contains an ad- Olympics, where the Inter- suspended after five senior
closer to having its long- “We will start that process. mission of “an extensive dop- national Olympic Commit- RusAF officials were charged
standing doping suspen- It’s arduous work. The dop- ing and covering-up culture tee sets the rules. All Russian in 2019 with using forged
sion lifted. ing review panel work long involving athletes, coaches athletes at the Tokyo Games documents to give one of
hours to do this, they’ve done and officials” which arose will compete for “ROC,” the world’s top high jump-
The World Athletics coun- it successfully in the past and “from inheriting a post-So- or Russian Olympic Com- ers, Danil Lysenko, an excuse
cil voted to revive the “au- the process is under way,” viet doping culture aimed at mittee. That comes after for being unavailable for drug
thorized neutral athlete” World Athletics president Se- winning by all means includ- the Court of Arbitration for testing.