Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson remains entrenched in legal complications, even after the Harris County grand jury decided to not pursue criminal charges against the former Houston Texans quarterback on nine cases of sexual assault and harassment.
Watson, who joined the Browns in a trade last week, still has one criminal case pending a grand jury decision — one of the many complications that came with giving Watson a massive contract extension upon arriving to Cleveland. Watson also faces 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and harassment.
Per the NY Times on Thursday, Watson still has one pending criminal charge that a grand jury must decide on:
“Days after Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns, a second grand jury in Texas is considering evidence related to another accusation of sexual misconduct against the N.F.L. quarterback, according to Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for the complainant.
“The case, in Brazoria County, south of Houston, is the last criminal case pending against Watson.”
It is unknown of the Browns had knowledge of this pending case prior to trading for Watson. In their announcement of the tradeannouncement of the trade, owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam noted “still some legal proceedings that are ongoing” but most believed that was related to the civil cases.
If the grand jury decides to pursue a criminal charge in this case, Watson’s legal troubles could draw out for even longer. A pending criminal proceeding could also impact Watson’s availability to play for Cleveland with Roger Goodell holding authority to suspend the quarterback or place him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Thursday’s article notes that a grand jury decision is expected before the weekend. We will keep you up to date as more information becomes available.
