Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson received’t face legal fees for allegations of sexual misconduct after a grand jury in Harris County, Texas convened on Friday.
Watson—who sat out for the complete 2021 season after the allegations surfaced final 12 months—nonetheless faces 22 civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct and was deposed for a few of these instances on Friday. The shortage of legal fees, nonetheless, may start to make clear his future and will lastly open the potential for buying and selling him.
“We’re delighted that the grand jury has seemed on the matter completely and reached the identical conclusion we did. Deshaun Watson didn’t commit any crimes and isn’t responsible of any offenses,”
Rusty Hardin,
Watson’s legal professional, stated in a press release. “Now that the legal investigations have been accomplished, we’re joyful to maneuver ahead with the civil case depositions. We are going to vigorously defend these instances with each ounce we now have.”
A 12 months in the past, allegations from therapeutic massage therapists emerged proper across the time when Watson had been seeking to half methods with the Texans. Whereas the police investigations and civil instances proceeded, the bizarre circumstances resulted in a weird stand-off: He wasn’t traded, and he merely didn’t play this previous season.
The shortage of legal fees doesn’t rule out the potential for the Nationwide Soccer League to droop him.
“Now we have been intently monitoring all developments within the matter which stays underneath evaluation of the non-public conduct coverage,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated in a press release.
Watson and the Texans have been in a large number and not using a clear precedent. Watson wished to be traded out of Houston. A participant of his talents would sometimes command an unlimited haul in a commerce—however his market was muddied by the troublesome accusations towards him and the potential for legal fees.
Now, groups prepared to climate troublesome questions can purchase Watson realizing that he won’t face such fees. Current weeks have proven simply how sturdy the market is for quarterbacks, with the Denver Broncos buying Russell Wilson and the Washington Commanders buying and selling for Carson Wentz.
By way of pure, on-field worth, Watson is perhaps probably the most tantalizing quarterback accessible. He’s simply 26 years previous and made the Professional Bowl in every of his three full seasons as a beginning quarterback. The Texans drafted him within the first spherical again in 2017 after he emerged as a star at Clemson, the place he received a nationwide championship.
Nonetheless, groups should think about the excellent civil allegations towards him—and the truth that he hasn’t performed since 2020.
Write to Andrew Beaton at andrew.beaton@wsj.com
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