Deshawn Watson faces 22 civil lawsuits while NFL investigation continues; The Houston Texans quarterback did not play during the 2021 campaign; Watson: “I’ll just keep fighting to restore my name and reputation in society”
Houston Texans quarterback Deshawn Watson faces no criminal charges after a Texas grand jury on Friday declined to indict him following allegations of 22 women of sexual harassment.
The NFL began investigating the allegations in March 2021 before a complaint against Watson prompted the Houston Police Department to launch an investigation the following month.
“This is definitely a very emotional moment for me,” Watson told reporters on Friday. “I know we’re a long way from figuring out what we need to do on the legal side, but today is definitely a big day.
“I thank everyone who was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides and that is what my goal and my team wanted to do is for us to be honest about our side of the story and let the conclusion boil down to what happened today. and that’s what the grand jury decided.
“I will just continue to fight to restore my name and reputation in the community, and legally handle what we need to do. But also ready to go on the field and prepare for it.”
Watson invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination as he refused to answer questions about the case at Friday’s lawsuit hearing.
A Harris County grand jury dismissed nine criminal complaints it was ordered to hear.
“Today we have submitted nine criminal complaints to the grand jury,” prosecutor Jonah Stallings said. “The grand jury has considered all the evidence and has not returned nine scores against Deshawn Watson relating to these nine criminal complaints. We respect the grand jury’s decision and are ending the criminal investigation in Harris County.”
The NFL subsequently released a statement saying the league was “closely following all developments on this matter, which remains under the radar of the personal conduct policy.”
