Grand jury makes decision in Deshaun Watson criminal case

Watson will not face criminal charges (Trevor Ruszkowski - USA Today Sports) (Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / USATODAY)

by Tony Crumpton - Assoc. Editor - Fri Mar 11 17:29:53 GMT-04:00 2022

Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges after a grand jury in Harris County, Texas declined to indict him over sexual misconduct charges on Friday.

"After a Harris County grand jury was presented with all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson. Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be "disclosed,” said Dan Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County Attorney's Office.

During the civil depositions, Watson plead the fifth amendment several times.

Watson was relieved after hearing he wouldn't face any criminal charges.

"Definitely a very emotional moment for me," Watson said outside the courtroom. "We know we're far from being done handling what we need to handle on the legal side, but today is definitely a big day. I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for letting the truth be heard. I think everyone knows a part of this is seeing and hearing both sides, and that’s what my point and my team want to do is have a fair slate of us telling our side of the story and letting a conclusion come down to what happened today. That’s what the grand jury decided on. Thank you, and I just thank my Lord and savior. I’m going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community. We’re going to continue, on the legal side, I’ll fulfill, handle what we need to handle, but also ready to get back on the field. Been prepping for that and ready to go for that. I thank my family, all my close supporters this past year. I thank my team that’s been behind me, supporting me, and keeping me up this past year. Yeah, I’m going to continue to just keep pushing forward and building my name back to where it was if not better."

Watson still has 22 active civil cases against him, ranging from sexual assault to sexual misconduct.

"Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions," Lawyer Rusty Hardin said in a statement on Friday. "We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have. There were no crimes here but there is a plaintiffs’ attorney churning up negative press and churning up his clients hoping for a payday. These cases have been the product of a lawyer maximizing his own personal publicity at the expense of others, including his own clients. It is time to let Deshaun move on."

Watson could still face a suspension from the NFL for misconduct, but they will likely wait until the civil cases are finished.