Grand Jury Declines To Indict Deshaun Watson For Sexual Misconduct As Lawsuits Move Forward
Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty
Houston Texan Player Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges for allegedly sexually violating several women. News broke Friday afternoon that a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, did not return an indictment against Watson.
“After a Harris County grand jury was presented all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson. Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be disclosed,” the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
While the grand jury declined to indict Watson on the criminal charges, the civil suit continues. He faces 22 civil suits alleging various accounts of sexual assault and misconduct. According to ESPN, allegations range from forced oral sex to touching women with his genitals. The outlet also mentioned Watson sat for depositions in two of the cases early Friday.
The NFL previously initiated an investigation into the allegations against Watson, which is still underway. NFL had little to say about the grand jury news other than it was “closely monitoring” the case and would review Watson’s alleged conduct under its personal conduct policy.
He sat out of regular league play all last season and previously requested to be transferred to another team. Watson was inactive during the 2021 season.
Last month, the Texans picked up Lovie Smith as the team’s new head coach. Smith previously led the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a previous interview, Smith spoke about Watson’s talent on the field, calling him an “excellent” player.
“I just know Deshaun is an excellent football player,” Smith told a reporter at the NFL Combine according to the Chicago Suntimes. “Excellent football players need to be playing somewhere in the NFL.”
Smith continued to say that even if Watson isn’t with the Texans in the future he needs to play somewhere.
It’s yet to be seen what consequence Watson will receive from the league, if any. Recently, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons received a season-long suspension for betting on games. As a result, Ridley will forfeit his salary for the year.
SEE ALSO:
Calvin Ridley’s Suspension For Gambling Contrasts With How NFL Players Who Beat Women Were Punished
Biracial New NFL Head Coach Mike McDaniel Says Identifying With A Race’ Is Weird’
