WHAT COMES NEXT?
A grand jury declined to indict, and now teams are asking about Deshaun Watson
The yearlong saga of legal maneuverings in the wake of accusations of sexual misconduct committed by Deshaun Watson finally reached a grand jury Friday, and Watson’s team won, as it were.
The District Attorney’s office presented nine criminal complaints, and the grand jury declined to indict Watson on any of them.
“We will conclude the criminal proceedings in Harris County,” said Johna Stallings, division chief of the adult sex crimes unit.
Watson, who had not spoken publicly since the first lawsuit was filed a year ago, said he is eager to return to his place on the field and in the community.
“People are entitled to their own opinion,” Watson said Friday after the decision was announced. “But today, justice was served for us.”
What will become of Watson? While the grand jury no-bill doesn’t signify innocence, it removes a major impediment to Watson being traded by the Texans, which he and the team both desire.
It won’t be long now. The best quarterback in franchise history will be shipped to another team before the NFL Draft on April 28.
Despite the ongoing 22 civil lawsuits against Watson, suitors are lining up coast-to-coast now that he faces no jail time.
“Any quarterback-needy teams that said they weren’t interested were lying,” a former NFL general manager said. “Now that serious charges are off the table, they will come and come hard.
“This is an unprecedented situation that could make a GM’s career. Years from now, everyone could be calling this the trade of the century. I’m not exaggerating.”
That would be if Watson lives up to his potential. He arguably was one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL at the conclusion of the 2020 season, when he was just 25 years old with a pristine reputation.
His on-the-field rep remains strong. Watson is elusive, with a strong arm, fearless in the pocket, has big-play capabilities, shows poise under pressure and always has displayed outstanding leadership.
Philadelphia, Seattle, Carolina, New Orleans Minnesota and Tampa Bay are among the teams reported to have interest in acquiring Watson.
Miami almost acquired him during the season. The team mediator tried to facilitate settlements between Watson and the civil plaintiffs before the NFL trade deadline in early November. The Dolphins now say they are no longer interested.
Watson has stuck the Texans with making the best of a bad situation.
Whatever missteps the Texans have made, and it is their nature to do so, this is all on Watson.
Though he has maintained his innocence, his reckless behavior put him in this situation.
The brilliance with which Watson plays football is in stark contrast to the foolishness with which he played life for the calendar year over which the incidents with nearly two dozen massage therapists occurred.
The pattern displayed in what they described in their complaints and what he has admitted to is disturbing. These weren’t just youthful indiscretions that created a pool of alleged victims.
Watson is fortunate that his perversions didn’t deliver enough evidence to support criminal charges.
The permanent hit to Watson’s reputation and a full year off from football — since he didn’t play last season while serving an unofficial suspension — will not be his only punishment. The 22 lawsuits will cost him money, and there is the potential for an NFL suspension.
Watson is close to a resolution of the lawsuits, close to joining a new NFL team.
One wonders if he is closer to being the person those close to him have always said he was.
“I’m going to continue to just keep pushing forward and build my name back to where it was, if not better,” Watson said.
Win or lose on the football field, he won’t be a winner in life unless he follows through on that.