HOUSTON — A grand jury on Friday declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson following a police investigation sparked by lawsuits filed by 22 women who have accused him of harassment and sexual assault.
The district attorney’s office in Harris County, Texas, presented evidence to the 12-person grand jury for over six hours related to nine of the 10 criminal complaints filed against Watson last year. The grand jury, which does not require a unanimous vote, rejected all nine cases; prosecutors did not present the 10th. According to Johna Stallings, division chief of the adult sex crimes and human trafficking unit at the Harris County District Attorney’s office, the criminal proceedings in Harris County against Watson have concluded.
“It’s definitely a very emotional moment for me. I know we’re far from being done of handling what we need to handle on the legal side but today is definitely a big day,” Watson, speaking to reporters for the first time in over a year, said from outside his attorney’s office in Houston. “I thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for letting the truth be heard. And I thank everyone that was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides. That’s what my point and my team wanted to do, is have a fair slate of us telling our side of the story and letting the conclusion come to what happened today, and that’s what the grand jury decided on.
“I’m just going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community. And on the legal side handle what we need to handle. But also ready to get on the field, and prep for that.”
The announcement on Friday came nearly a year after the first civil lawsuit was filed against Watson.
Eight of the women who sued Watson filed criminal complaints against him with Houston police and appeared before the grand jury. Two other women who didn’t sue Watson also filed police complaints. The FBI also had been reviewing the allegations.
“We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did,” Watson’s lead attorney, Rustin Hardin, said in a statement. “Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offenses. Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have.”
Watson sat for depositions in two of the civil lawsuits against him on Friday at Hardin’s office, about a mile away from the courthouse where the grand jury proceedings took place.
A spokesman for the NFL, which is investigating Watson under its personal conduct policy, said in a statement Friday, “We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter.”
Although Watson has not played for the Texans since the first lawsuit was filed on March 16, 2020, he was on the active roster during the 2021 season and was a healthy scratch for all 17 games. He was paid his entire $10.54 million base salary. Last year, Hardin said he didn’t expect Watson to speak with the NFL’s investigative team until the criminal investigation had concluded.
In January 2021, Watson asked the Texans to trade him because he was unhappy about the future direction of the franchise. While members of the Texans’ organization have declined to comment specifically on Watson’s legal situation, general manager Nick Caserio said earlier this month that the team is “day to day in terms of handling” Watson’s situation. Last week head coach Lovie Smith said the Texans are hoping for “a prompt resolution” to Watson’s future with the team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.