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Deshaun Watsonwill not be charged criminally in connection to allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
A Houston grand jury on Friday chose not to indict the 26-year-old NFL quarterback onnine criminal complaints filed in 2021accusing Watson of various indecent acts during appointments with massage therapists,The New York Timesreports.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the news in a statement toABC13in Houston on Friday.
“It’s definitely a very emotional moment for me,” Watson said in a press conference on Friday, noting that he knows “we’re far from being done of handling what we need to handle” legally, according to ABC13 andKHOU11.
“I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for letting the truth be heard,” he added. “I thank everyone that was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides.”
The Harris County DA’s Office presented nine of the 10 criminal cases filed against Watson last year to a 12-person grand jury for over six hours on Friday, according to theTimes.
“The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected,” Watson added. “Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”
Watson did not speak publicly about the accusations against him again until Friday’s press conference.
Although he has avoided criminal charges, Watson still faces civil lawsuits from the 22 women accusing him of sexual misconduct.
In an email toCNN, Buzbee claimed, “The civil cases will continue to gather steam” ahead of another deposition on Tuesday. “We have to respect the process,” he added.
With the criminal investigations now behind them, Watson’s lead attorney Rusty Hardin said in a statement to ABC13 that he and his team “are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions.”
Watson delivered depositions for two of the lawsuits filed against him, during which he invoked the Fifth Amendment, on the same day the Houston grand jury opted not to indict him on charges filed against him, according to theTimesandESPN.
“We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have,” Hardin said in his statement to ABC13. “There were no crimes here but there is a plaintiffs' attorney churning up negative press and churning up his clients hoping for a pay day. These cases have been the product of a lawyer maximizing his own personal publicity at the expense of others, including his own clients. It is time to let Deshaun move on.”
In addition to rebuilding his “appearance in the community,” per ABC13, Watson is looking forward to getting “back on the field.” Watson has not played since the 2020 season when the Houston Texans earned a measly 4-12 record.
Watson requested a trade a short time before the first allegation came out in March 2021. An NFL spokesperson said Friday that the situation “remains under review of the personal conduct policy,” per theTimesand ESPN.
Several teams are expected to have interest in picking Watson up, who is still looking for a new home in the NFL, ESPN reports.
Regarding his potential return to the NFL, Watson said during Friday’s press conference, “We’ve been prepping for that and ready to go,” adding, “I’m going to continue to just keep pushing forward and build my name back to what it was, if not better.”
source: people.com
