It's official former Clemson star QB Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges. A Grand Jury in Harris County Texas has opted to not indict Watson after an investigation was launched by police there. The criminal proceedings came after civil suits were filed by nearly two dozen women who claim that Watson sexually assaulted and harassed them.
Evidence on 9 criminal complaints was presented to the Grand Jury for a period of just under 7 hours. The Grand Jury declined to indict the Gainesville, Georgia native in all 9 cases. The prosecution then declined to present the evidence in the 10th criminal case.
Friday's conclusion on the criminal side comes nearly a year after Watson's legal turmoil began. The DA's Office in Harris County said after the rejection of indictments that they are dropping the criminal charges and won't pursue criminal prosecution there any further.
8 of the women who have filed civil suits testified before the Grand Jury and two others who have not filed civil suits did as well. Watson's lawyer is Rusty Hardin, attorney to the stars in Texas. Having lived in Houston for nearly 5 years, I can say that almost all high profile people facing legal issues there choose Hardin to represent them. Hardin represented Roger Clemens during the MLB steroid trials. Depositions were made in two civil suits against Watson, at Hardin's Houston office during the indictment proceedings. Watson still faces pending civil litigation and will be navigating that, how that plays out remains to be seen?
Watson asked the Houston Texans to be traded away earlier this year. Teams around the league have been holding off on trade talks awaiting the decision on criminal indictment. While he will still be embroiled in legal matters on the civil side, Friday's decision is a major hurdle cleared for Watson's NFL future. There is not only national interest in his landing spot but also regional interest. Clemson fans will be waiting to see what franchise lands the man who led them to their first National Title since 1981. Also, Carolina Panther fans are clamoring for an answer at QB. The Panthers are already shopping CMC, which would clear cap room for a major acquisition at the QB position. Could Watson end up in Charlotte? Stay tuned.