Grand jury reaches decision in Deshaun Watson criminal case

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges in several lawsuits against him, a grand jury concluded Friday. Watson completed the first two sessions of depositions as part of 22 lawsuits filed against him, ESPN confirmed.

“After a Harris County grand jury was presented all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson,” a statement from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office read. “Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be disclosed.”

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, originally revealed on July 10 that 10 women had filed complaints to Houston police about his client. Of those 10 women, eight have filed lawsuits against Watson ranging from sexual assault to harassment during massage sessions. There were 22 lawsuits in total filed against the quarterback.

Watson’s deposition was originally scheduled to begin as early as Feb. 22.

A judge ruled last month that Watson could be deposed in nine of those civil cases after Hardin argued that delaying them would allow Watson the protection of knowing whether he will also face criminal charges. The quarterback did not play a game this past season as the possibility of being charged weighed on him the entire year.

Now that the case has come to a decision, expect teams to inquire about trading for the former Clemson quarterback.

Pittsburgh Steelers have interest in Deshaun Watson

As teams are clearly waiting to see the outcome of the investigation, former NFL quarterback Shaun King — who now works in sports media and coaches college and aspiring NFL passers — has been making the rounds on multiple radio stations and podcasts with a report that Watson has a clear first choice in mind as his next NFL destination.

Andrew Fillipponi, a mainstay on Pittsburgh sports talk radio, tweeted out King’s segment from a video interview he appeared on VSIN, a sports gambling media outlet founded by Brent Musberger. While this is a report from a single source as of now, it’s clear trusted members of the Pittsburgh Steelers media find it significant enough to share it to the rabid fan base who are desperately wondering Mike Tomlin’s plan to replace Ben Roethlisberger.

“The interest is mutual,” King said. “Deshaun Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, but Pittsburgh is his desired destination if he can find clarity with his legal situation. As we know, Pittsburgh is in a situation where they need a quarterback as well — they’re in the market for one. I think from a draft asset standpoint, Pittsburgh will have to get creative. I think the player or players that they can send back are far more impactful and significant than what Denver sent to Seattle.

“This starts with Friday [deposition]. Hopefully things go well and we find some clarity… I was told soon thereafter there could be an announcement that Deshaun Watson will be the next quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

On3’s Sean Labar contributed to this report.