INDIANAPOLIS – At least until April, the NFL teams will remain outside in trade talks with Deshon Watson. But then two key pieces of information are expected to either create a grip on Texas in Houston or make it virtually impossible to deal with Watson.
This is the consensus among a handful of general managers and head coaches who have increased interest in Watson but also continued to monitor his legal status, heading to the scout factory in Indianapolis this week. In particular, the teams are monitoring the slow progress of his 22 civil cases – as well as the grand jury, which finds that Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, believes he is on the way to a resolution from April 1. This date is crucial for the teams because it is expected to unlock two significant pieces of information without which the franchisee refuses to move forward: First, whether Watson will be forced to plead guilty to a grand jury crime; and second, if the grand jury refuses to press charges against Watson, what will the NFL determine according to its policy of personal conduct, since there is no threat of interference in an ongoing criminal investigation?
As one NFC source puts it, “There are too many unknowns about ours [team] owner to sign anything. There’s just no way to even have a conversation again without something changing. It’s too risky. We just have to move on. If something happens and the picture around it becomes clearer, then I think it’s worth considering. “
This is a common refrain among franchisees – the idea that Watson is free of crime opens the way to trade. The smallest decision of the grand jury would move Watson in a certain direction, which he lacks at the moment. If he is charged with a crime and faces criminal charges, the possibility of trafficking is essentially eliminated. If he is not charged, both Texans and inquiry teams may request clarity from the league office under the rules of personal conduct. Watson may still face significant political halt, but that can’t happen until he meets with NFL investigators for an interview after the criminal part of his legal background is resolved.
Once the teams know the status of the criminal investigation and then get clarity on where the league stands, then a conversation opens about the direction of its civil cases. As it is now, a judge ordered Watson to begin testifying in the coming weeks in each of the non-criminal civil cases. If a prosecutor has not filed a criminal complaint against Watson, his testimony in the lawsuits filed by these women should not be in danger of influencing a criminal charge.
Hardin disagreed with that decision during a court hearing last week, insisting to a judge that none of Watson’s testimony should continue until the criminal aspect of the charges against him has been determined.
“Deshon is more than ready to testify and testify,” Hardin said. “As his lawyer, I think it would be foolish to allow him until we know what will happen to crime.
Hardin’s request was unsuccessful during the hearing, and Watson will now be forced to testify in civil cases that do not have an external criminal complaint against them. Eight of Watson’s 22 prosecutors have filed criminal charges against him at the Houston Police Department, and the findings have been handed over to the Harris County District Attorney for consideration by the grand jury.
All this is the background that the Texans are currently struggling with, leaving the team in custody until the decision of the grand jury. Even then, the Texans will have to hope that Watson’s legal camp will speed up his cooperation with the NFL investigation and schedule an interview if it is determined that he will not be prosecuted. And even if Watson avoids charges and the League’s removal, all inquiries will have long-standing questions about his civil cases – likely to pressure Watson to settle the lawsuits, as Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross had asked before the trade deadline last year. season.
It takes a lot of moving parts out of Texas hands before we even get to the main fundamental problem with any trade, which is this: Even if Watson is acquitted by the grand jury … and even if the NFL refuses to do so aside … and even if he either wins or settles all his civil cases … the fact remains that Watson controls his trading destination. Whether the Texans like it or not, his trade ban clause and wage spike in 2022 continue to give Watson monumental levers of influence in any negotiation. And that advantage will be stronger if there is no grand jury indictment, no suspension of the NFL and no resolution of civil cases of sexual misconduct.
That’s why Texans general manager Nick Caserio can do little more than shrug when it comes to Watson’s future.
As Caserio said on Tuesday, “I would say that we are in a situation every day to deal with this. Once [legal] the information becomes more relevant or disseminated, then we will process it accordingly. My philosophy from the beginning has always been to do the right thing with the Houston Texans, and we will continue to do that here as we move forward. ”
Unfortunately for Caserio, he is not the only one who is adamant in doing the right thing for his organization. Franchisees interested in Watson will continue to do so at least until April, and that will leave this whole affair where it was for the previous 11 months: to be tried in court until some real legal momentum prevails with new information. .