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In March of 2021, one defensive back from the NFC expressed how he felt about the number of massage therapists that Deshaun Watson had used. The defensive back made this statement: "I don't know guys who use 22 different masseuses."
The same NFC defensive back stated that he has only worked with a total of four massage therapists over his six-year NFL career, which has been in two different cities. He also stated that he hasn't worked with more than six massage therapists in his entire career, including college.
The defensive back said that NFL players have to trust in the therapist's abilities.
Another defensive back spoke with Sports Illustrated. This defensive back plays in the AFC. The AFC defensive back has a set group of five bodywork professionals that he works with. He expressed his thoughts on why finding the right massage therapist is key.
"Getting comfortable with the massage therapist over time and developing that relationship and sticking with the same people. You always want to use somebody that has experience working on guys in your profession. You don't want a person that doesn't really know what they're doing."
One thing both the AFC and NFC defensive backs agreed on was that "a feel-good massage doesn't do anything for them." The NFC defensive back told SI that he receives one or two massages a week during the season and receives fewer massages during the off-season.
The AFC defensive back said that his in-season routine includes massages, cupping, dry-needling and stretching to help his body.
With NFL players explaining their treatment, this makes the Deshaun Watson situation look worse. Watson's misconduct allegations show that this could be a bigger problem between NFL players and massage therapists.
Deshaun Watson's high number of massage therapists are troubling
Sports Illustrated posted on their Instagram account that Deshaun Watson has worked with 44 different massage therapists over the past few years. This doubles the number of women who have come forward about Watson's sexual misconduct during their sessions.
The allegations against Deshaun Watson were already in the works before Tony Buzbee and his clients came forward.
Deshaun Watson was a household name in the massage therapy community but not for good reason. Many therapists were warning others in their profession to be careful while working with Watson.
The therapists were warning each other because they'd experienced the inappropriate conduct that Deshaun Watson was conducting during their sessions.
This ultimately led to lawsuits being filed against Deshaun Watson this off-season. Before the news broke about the 44 different massage therapists that Watson has worked with, Sports Illustrated spoke to two NFL defensive backs about the situation.
The only way that the players would speak about the situation is if their names were kept anonymous.
Deshaun Watson isn't the only NFL player to be accused of these actions
Sports Illustrated spoke with 17-year veterans in the massage therapy industry to help them understand what the therapists are going through. The massage therapist also spoke anonymously with SI and wouldn't tell the player's name that she was having issues with.
All she told Sports Illustrated was that the player was a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
During a session with the Dallas Cowboys football player, the massage therapist said that he tried to touch her vagina. Once he attempted to touch her inappropriately, she grabbed her bag and told him that the session was over.
The therapist said that the player was angry and said, "Oh, you're going to leave like that?", then threw a box of tissues at her.
She went on to say that the experience with the Dallas Cowboys players spread like wildfire in the locker room. The player told his teammates that the massage therapist was dramatic or exaggerating.
She didn't come forward about her situation because she was afraid of losing the respect that her business earned through her work.
It's hard for massage therapists to come forward about situations like the Deshaun Watson situation. This is because it will be their word against a professional athlete. The backlash from the media and all the backlash they'll receive on social media could ultimately end their careers.
This is why a number of massage therapists like the one that worked with the Cowboys never came forward about what she went through.
