A grand jury near Houston declined to indict quarterback Deshaun Watson on sexual misconduct allegations, officials said Thursday, in the second such panel to refuse charges against him this month.
The decision out of Brazoria County follows a similar action out of Harris County, which two weeks ago also elected not to prosecute Watson, the former Houston Texans star now with the Cleveland Browns.
Watson had been sidelined throughout this past season due to the accusations and his demand to be traded.
“After a careful and thorough review of the facts and evidence documented in the reports prepared by the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department, as well as hearing testimony from witnesses, the Grand Jury for Brazoria County has declined to charge Deshaun Watson with any crimes,” according to a statement by Brazoria County DA Tom Selleck. “Accordingly, this matter is closed.”
March 12, 202200:31
Watson has been accused of sexual misconduct by 22 women in civil lawsuits.
They alleged that Watson improperly touched the plaintiffs after hiring them as massage therapists and personal trainers. And several of those plaintiffs were slated to testify before the Harris County grand jury, their lawyer had said.
“We are thrilled that the Brazoria County grand jury cleared Deshaun Watson of the one remaining criminal allegation,” Watson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin said in a statement. “We’ve known all along what people who learn the facts also know — Deshaun committed no crimes. In fact, two separate grand juries have now found that there wasn’t even probable cause to believe he committed a crime.”
The Harris County decision not to indict Watson cleared the way for Houston to traded him to the Cleveland Browns.
Even though Watson hasn’t thrown a football in a competitive game since Jan. 3, 2021, he’s still just 26 and considered to be in the prime of his career. He passed for a league-high 4,823 yards in that 2020 campaign.
Anthony Cusumano contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
