The NFL says it is reviewing a civil lawsuit filed Monday accusing Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020 when he was a member of the Houston Texans, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN reports.

"We are reviewing the complaint, and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy. Not looking at commissioner's exempt list as there's been no formal charges and the league's review has just begun," league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Harris County, Texas, the alleged actions occurred before Watson and a woman, who goes by the pseudonym "Jane Doe" in the court filing, were set to have dinner at the woman's apartment.

The lawsuit states that Watson met the woman, a single mother, at a Houston restaurant and bar, managed to get her phone number and initially attempted to have her meet him at the Houston Galleria for a date. Reluctant to meet Watson in public, the woman instead agreed to a dinner date at her apartment, according to the lawsuit.

On the evening of the date, according to the lawsuit, she said Watson had trouble finding her apartment and began aggressively yelling and screaming at her on the phone, saying he didn't "have time for this."

The lawsuit alleges that, while applying makeup in her bathroom, the woman then found Watson "completely naked on her bed, lying face down on his stomach." Watson then requested that the woman massage his buttocks and the woman "tried to appease Watson by rubbing his back, rather than his buttocks," according to the lawsuit.

Watson then turned over and "continued to demand that Jane Doe massage him, gesturing from his knees to his groin," according to the lawsuit. The woman told Watson that she was not a masseuse, to which Watson asked her what she wanted to do instead, the suit alleges.

Before the woman could answer, Watson "partially disrobed Jane Doe and penetrated her vagina without consent, implicit or explicit," according to the lawsuit, which also alleges that Watson sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes before she escaped and grabbed a heavy piece of decor for self-defense. Watson then "stormed out of Jane Doe's apartment," according to the lawsuit.

In a statement to ESPN, a Browns spokesperson said, "We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL's guidelines on this matter."

Watson, 28, served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. A pair of Texas grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson, but he served his suspension after the NFL and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement in his disciplinary matter.

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