Nike and Beats by Dre reportedly suspended Deshaun Watson’s endorsement deals after nearly two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct.
The Apple-owned Beats by Dre is the second major brand to distance itself from Watson amid the damaging allegations.
“We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and have suspended Deshaun Watson. We will continue to closely monitor the situation,” a Beats by Dre representative said in a statement.
The 25-year-old Houston Texans quarterback faces sex assault allegations from multiple massage therapists who say he solicited them for sex on social media.
The women say the pro athlete made unwanted sexual advances during private massage therapy sessions.
Lawsuits accuse Watson of being a sexual predator who victimized women by pretending to seek massage therapy sessions.
“Watson is in the sex trade. He needs to be stopped,” according to a lawsuit from an alleged Aug. 2 incident.
Ashley Soils, the first woman to file a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Watson, said “I am survivor of assault and harassment, Deshaun Watson is my assaulter and my harasser, he assaulted me at my home doing what I love most, massage therapy.”
22 women in total have filed lawsuits against him, Complex.com reported.
Watson vigorously denied the allegations. He explained that he contacted massage therapists via DMs on Instagram.com because his usual masseuse contacts were on lockdown due to the Covid.
