Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges filed by 22 women who accused him of harassment and sexual assault. A grand jury declined to indict Watson on Friday. The decision came nearly twelve months after the first civil lawsuit was filed.
The district attorney’s office in Harris County, Texas, gave evidence to the 12-person jury that had to do with nine of the ten complaints that were filed against Watson last year. The grand jury rejected all nine lawsuits and ended the criminal portion of Watson’s legal fight. The prosecutors did not present the 10th.
In a statement made in front of the media, Watson said, “I thank everyone who was a part of this, of seeing and hearing both sides. That’s what my point and my team wanted to do, is have a fair slate of us telling our side of the story and letting the conclusion come down to what happened today. That’s what the grand jury decided on. …
“I’m going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community. We’re going to continue to, on the legal side, off the field, handle what we need to handle. But [I’m] also ready to get back on the field. Been prepping for that and also ready to go for that.”
Watson can now turn his attention to the civil matters, which are not dependent on a criminal finding to continue forward.
While the grand jury was meeting, Watson sat for two depositions for the civil lawsuits against him in his attorney’s office, who is Rusty Hardin. Hardin, said the grand jury’s decision underscored Watson’s claim of innocence and said the quarterback will continue to fight the civil suits.
“We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did,” Hardin said. “Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offenses. Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have.”
The NFL released a statement of their own Friday, who are investigating Watson under its personal conduct policy. “We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter.” Hardin stated that he did not expect Watson to speak to the NFL’s investigating team until the criminal proceedings were over.
Watson has not played for the Texans organization since the first lawsuit was filed on March 16, 2020. He remained on the active roster during the 2021 season and was a healthy inactive for all 17 games. Watson was paid his entire salary of $10.54 million.
In January 2021, Watson was unhappy about the direction of the franchise and asked for a trade. While members of the Texans brass have declined to comment specifically on Watson’s legal matters, general manager Nick Caserio stated earlier this month that the team is “day to day in terms of handling” Watson’s situation. Last week, head coach Lovie Smith said that the organization is hoping for “a prompt resolution” to Watson’s future with the team.
