Texans minority owner agrees to Kentucky harassment charge

Houston Texans minority owner Javier Loya has agreed to accept a charge of “harassment with intent to annoy,” and seven charges against him in Kentucky have been dropped, his legal counsel said Monday.

The harassment charge is a Class B misdemeanor in Kentucky and includes a $100 fine.

Loya had been charged with rape and six charges of sexual abuse. The charges stemmed from two parties that Loya had hosted at his Louisville home in May 2022. Loya, according to WDRB News in Louisville, allegedly hired female models from a local agency for both parties — one a poker party at his home, the other again at his home — and the women have accused him of sexual abuse.

“While still expressing his innocence, this process has been very difficult for him and his family,” Andrew J. Sarne, the legal counsel for Loya, said in a statement. “Throughout this ordeal, Mr. Loya had unwavering faith in the legal system despite enduring intense public scrutiny and prejudgment before due process was completely afforded to him. With this resolution, Mr. Loya will focus on family and a return to normality.”

Loya, 55, is one of 10 “limited partners” listed in the Texans’ media guide, and he has been a minority owner since the franchise was founded in 2002. He is chairman and CEO of OTC Global Holdings, a company he co-founded in 2007. Loya served on the NFL diversity committee that proposed a

Rooney Rule adaptation the league approved in 2022 that required all teams to employ at least one minority offensive assistant.

When the charges were filed, the Texans notified the NFL, and Loya removed himself from participating in league or team activity.

Neither the Texans nor the NFL had any immediate comment.

“Mr. Loya agreed to step down from football activities and the diversity committee while this matter was pending for nearly a year.” Sarne said. “He has not had a chance to sit down with the Texans or the NFL since the charges were dismissed, but it is something he looks forward to meeting with them about.”

WDRB reported that Loya entered an Alford plea Monday, meaning he maintained his innocence but acknowledged there was enough evidence for a jury to find him guilty. In dismissing the majority of the charges, prosecutors told the judge there were evidentiary issues.