Deshawn Watson will not face nine criminal charges following a police investigation into 22 civil lawsuits of sexual harassment during massage sessions, a grand jury determined Friday in Harris County, Texas.
Nine women filed criminal lawsuits against Watson, eight of whom were represented by Tony Busby (who is the lead attorney for the 22 women who sued the Texans quarterback). Eight of those women testified before a grand jury on Friday.
A grand jury did not return nine bills in response to complaints filed with Attorney Jonah Stallings, who issued the following statement:
“Today we submitted nine criminal complaints to the grand jury. Starting at 9 a.m., we presented evidence for more than six hours for grand jury review, and also provided witnesses for these individuals to testify before a grand jury,” said Stallings, Chief of the Sex Crime and Human Trafficking Division of the County District Attorney’s Office. Harris. “And the grand jury considered all of this evidence and returned nine scores against Deshawn Watson relating to these nine criminal complaints. We respect the grand jury’s decision and … are ending the criminal investigation in Harris County.”
Watson also released a statement following the grand jury decision (via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network).
“I thank everyone who was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides,” Watson said. “My team wanted us to tell our side of the story and allow us to conclude what happened today and that is what the grand jury decided.
“I’m going to continue to fight to restore my name and reputation in the community. We will continue to deal with the legal side of the matter that we need to deal with, but we are also ready to return to the field, prepared for this and were ready for this.
“I thank my family, all my close supporters who supported me last year, I thank my team for supporting me last year. not better.”
Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, also released a statement (via Jan Rapoport of NFL Network) – saying, “It’s time to let Deshawn move on.”
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“We are pleased that the grand jury has carefully considered this issue and reached the same conclusion as we did. Deshawn Watson has committed no crimes and is not guilty of any wrongdoing.
“Now that the criminal investigation has been completed, we are pleased to proceed to testify in the civil case. We will vigorously defend these causes with every ounce we have. press and stirs up the hopes of their clients for a salary. These cases were the result of a lawyer maximizing his personal prominence at the expense of the owners, including his own clients.”
Watson was investigated by the NFL for nearly a year, as he initially faced 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual harassment during massage sessions. Current affairs prevented the league and the Houston Texans from taking any action regarding a possible suspension or trade. Watson was not placed on the commissioner’s elimination list because the league could not conclude that a major infraction had occurred.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the league is “closely following all developments on this matter, which remains under the radar of the policy of personal conduct.”
Watson received a $10.5 million salary in 2021 after missing the entire season. Watson, who requested the trade prior to the allegations, is expected to interest several teams in him for 2022 and beyond, including the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.