Deshaun Watson will not face charges on the nine criminal complaints following a police investigation into 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct in massage sessions, a grand jury in Harris Country, Texas, determined Friday.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter took to Twitter with a highly condemned reaction to the news that Deshaun Watson would not face criminal charges over allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
“This is why Deshaun Watson, from the beginning, welcomed a police investigation: He felt he knew that the truth would come out. And today, a grand jury did not charge him on any of the criminal complaints.”
Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits over those allegations stemming from massage sessions, so Schefter’s tweet is misinformed due to his legal troubles not being over.
Social media let him hear it:
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Nine women made criminal complaints against Watson, and the grand jury returned nine no bills on the complaints presented to it.
“Today we presented nine criminal complaints for consideration by the grand jury. Beginning at 9 o’clock this morning, we presented evidence for over six hours for the grand jury to consider, as well as having witnesses available for those persons to testify in front of the grand jury,” said Stallings, of the division chief of adult sex crimes and trafficking at the Harris County District attorney’s office. “And the grand jury considered all of that evidence and returned nine no bills against Deshaun Watson involving these nine criminal complaints. We respect the grand jury’s decision and … conclude the criminal proceedings in Harris County.”
The NFL was investigating Watson for nearly a year, but have yet to make a decision on any possible suspension, which might surely come if you look at the track record of the league when it comes to stuff like this.
Watson was not placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List because the league couldn’t conclude that a major violation occurred. Things may change once he gets traded to a new team.
