Deshaun Watson Will Not Face Criminal Charges for Sexual Assault Allegations

According to multiple reports, a Harris County grand jury will not indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Sarah Barshop @sarahbarshop

Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges.

Jenny Vrentas @JennyVrentas

Grand jury returned nine no bills on the nine criminal complaints presented. Prosecutor says this concludes criminal proceedings in Harris County.

It was a busy day for him. The Harris County District Attorney's Office was presenting its criminal investigation findings on the same day as his deposition, so his client would plead the Fifth.

Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero

Hardin told me he’s doing what any attorney would and “I’m not going to allow him to testify (in the civil cases) until the grand jury completes its investigation.”

He exercised his Fifth amendment rights in the deposition related to the civil lawsuits filed against him.

Aaron Wilson @AaronWilson_NFL

Rusty Hardin said that Deshaun Watson was deposed by Tony Buzbee for nearly three hours, exercised his Fifth Amendment right throughout. Hardin: 'We had a meaningless exercise. I warned Tony that Deshaun wasn't going to answer any questions on advice of counsel'

The grand jury was impaneled to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against him after a number of women filed complaints with Houston police.

Friday's grand jury decision adds clarity to his future in the NFL. The Pro Football Network reported Thursday that up to 10 teams are keeping an eye on the situation.

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

Deshaun Watson has a no-trade clause and he’ll want to talk to any interested teams willing to do a deal with the #Texans. Interest will come quickly, but Watson’s decision may take a few days. https://t.co/1GjtIqaDYx

Jonathan Jones @jjones9

With no criminal charges coming for Deshaun Watson, it's believed interested teams will begin pursuing a trade for the QB. He still faces civil issues, and the NFL will still want to speak with Watson now that the criminal process has reached its apparent conclusion.

The personal conduct policy of the National Football League could still be in effect even if there are no criminal charges or civil cases against him.

Lindsay Jones @bylindsayhjones

NFL discipline could come at the conclusion of the league's investigation --- and Goodell has suspended multiple players before absent criminal charges -- but for now we should not expect any changes to Watson's status. He is eligible to be traded, practice and, as of now, play.

With criminal charges off the table, it is likely that a number of teams will begin pursuing a trade for the quarterback.

He asked for a trade out of Houston before the lawsuits against him.

Texans head coach Lovie Smith told reporters in early March that he was ready for some resolution to the situation.

He said that Deshaun is an excellent football player. Hopefully that will happen and if it isn't with us it will be somewhere else.