Deshaun Watson, the 26-year-old N.F.L. quarterback who has been accused by two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage appointments, will not be criminally charged in Houston, a grand jury decided Friday.
The district attorney’s office in Harris County, Texas, presented evidence to the 12-person grand jury for over six hours on Friday related to nine of the 10 criminal complaints filed against Watson last year, which described a range of actions including his exposing himself, purposely touching therapists’ hands with his penis and sexual assault.
The grand jury rejected all nine cases — prosecutors did not present the tenth — indicating it did not believe the evidence presented by prosecutors showed probable cause to support criminal charges.
“We respect the grand jury’s decision,” Johna Stallings, division chief of the adult sex crimes and human trafficking unit at the Harris County District Attorney’s office, said in brief remarks during which she did not answer any questions. “We will conclude the criminal proceedings in Harris County.”
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It was the most consequential day for the cases against Watson in the year since he was first publicly accused of sexual misconduct. Earlier on Friday, about a mile away from the courthouse at the downtown skyscraper that houses the office of his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, Watson sat for depositions in two of the lawsuits against him. He entered and exited unseen by the half-dozen or so media members camped outside.
Tony Buzbee, a lawyer for the 22 women who have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, said that Watson cited his Fifth Amendment right and declined to answer questions during the two depositions, as Hardin previously said he would. Each of the depositions lasted about 90 minutes, and Buzbee estimated that Watson responded to 150 questions or more by citing his Fifth Amendment right. The women who filed these two civil cases did not submit criminal complaints against Watson.
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But the importance of the depositions paled in comparison to the meeting of, and eventual conclusion from, the grand jury. “Nothing we did today has anything to do with what is going on at the criminal courthouse,” said Buzbee before the grand jury had reached its decisions. Hardin called the depositions a “media created event,” and said that no lawyer would allow their client to respond to questions in a civil suit when criminal charges were still possible.
Hardin said that Watson would respond to questions in the civil suits once possible criminal charges were resolved. Depositions for two more lawsuits were scheduled for Tuesday.
The 10 criminal complaints filed against the Houston Texans quarterback Watson last year described a range of actions including his exposing himself, purposely touching therapists’ hands with his penis and three claims of sexual assault. Multiple women who filed criminal complaints were at the courthouse ready to speak with the grand jury about their interactions with Watson if called upon by prosecutors. The plan by prosecutors also included presenting the videotaped interviews these women did with police, Buzbee said.
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Almost exactly one year ago, Ashley Solis, a 28-year-old licensed massage therapist, filed the first lawsuit against Watson, saying that he purposely touched her hand with his erect and exposed penis during a March 2020 massage appointment at her home. Over the ensuing weeks, similar allegations against one of professional football’s brightest young stars piled up at a stunning pace.
Watson has denied any wrongdoing, and Hardin has said any sexual acts that happened during massage appointments were consensual. Hardin said earlier this week that he was “delighted” the grand jury was set to make a decision about whether Watson would face criminal charges, and confidently asserted that he did not believe his client would be charged.
Understand the N.F.L.’s Recent Controversies
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A wave of scrutiny. The most popular sports league in America is facing criticism and legal issues on several fronts, ranging from discrimination to athletes’ injuries. Here’s a look at some of the recent controversies confronting the N.F.L., its executives and teams:
A demoralizing culture for women. After the 2014 Ray Rice scandal, the N.F.L. stepped up its efforts to hire and promote women. But more than 30 former staff members interviewed by The Times described a stifling corporate culture that has left many women feeling pushed aside.
Racial descrimination lawsuit. The former Miami
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