A grand jury in Houston declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was accused by 22 women of sexual assault and harassment during massage sessions.
The announcement came nearly a year after the first civil lawsuit was filed.
Nine criminal complaints were presented to the grand jury in Harris County. The criminal proceedings in Harris County have ended.
Nine criminal complaints were presented to the grand jury. We presented evidence for over six hours for the grand jury to consider, as well as having witnesses available for those persons to testify in front of the grand jury. We respect the decision of the grand jury.
Eight of the women who sued him appeared before the grand jury after filing criminal complaints against him. Two other women filed police complaints. The FBI was looking into the allegations.
The grand jury looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion as we did. The criminal investigations have been completed and we are happy to proceed with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases.
A unanimous vote is not required in the grand jury process.
On Friday, he sat for his first deposition. The Fifth Amendment allows a person to not incriminate himself during a criminal investigation.
Last month, a judge ruled that the depositions could be delayed so that the legal team could get depositions from all the women who are suing him.
Although he has not played for the Texans since the first lawsuit was filed, he was on the active roster for the 2021 season and was a healthy scratch for all 17 games. He was paid his entire base salary. Last year, he said he didn't expect to speak with the investigative team until the criminal investigation was over.
The Texans were asked to trade him because he was unhappy with the direction of the franchise. Nick Caserio, the general manager of the Texans, said earlier this month that the team is "day to day in terms of handling" the situation of the player. Last week head coach Lovie Smith said the Texans were hoping for a prompt resolution to the situation with Watson.
The report was contributed to by the Associated Press.
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