A Second Texas Grand Jury Declines to Charge Deshaun Watson

The complainant, whose name was redacted in the criminal complaint, is one of the 22 plaintiffs who are suing Watson in civil court for sexual misconduct during massage appointments.

Watson has denied all wrongdoing, and his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, has said that any sexual acts that occurred during massage appointments were consensual. After the grand jury in Harris County declined to bring charges on March 11, Hardin said in a statement that “the criminal investigations have been completed,” though he said in an interview Thursday that he had known all along that a case could be brought against Watson in Brazoria County.

“We are thrilled that the Brazoria County grand jury cleared Deshaun Watson of the one remaining criminal allegation,” Hardin said in a statement Thursday. “We’ve known all along what people who learn the facts also know — Deshaun committed no crimes.”

Hardin said that Watson was deposed in this complainant’s civil suit on Tuesday, the day before the Brazoria County grand jury heard the criminal case. Watson had invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid answering questions in the civil suits while criminal cases against him in Harris County were still pending. But Watson waived that right and has answered questions under oath for six of the civil cases, including the deposition on Tuesday, Hardin said.

Hardin said that once the criminal cases had been rejected by the Harris County grand jury, he was comfortable letting Watson answer questions for this complainant’s civil suit.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/sports/football/deshaun-watson-texas-grand-jury.html