Deshaun Watson Issues Public Comment After Grand Jury Decision

Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.

Deshaun Watson made his first comments in months after a grand jury decided he would not be facing criminal charges. 

“This is definitely a very emotional moment for me. I know we’re far from being done of handling what we need to handle on the legal side but today is definitely a big day and I thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for letting the truth be heard,” the Texans quarterback said. “And I thank everyone that was a part of this of seeing and hearing both sides and that’s what my point and my team wanted to do is have a fair slate of us telling our side of the story, and letting the conclusion come down to what happened today and that’s what the grand jury decided on.”

A grand jury returned nine “no” bills on nine criminal complaints against the Texans quarterback, and while the prosecutor said this concludes the criminal proceedings in Harris County, Watson still faces civil legal troubles. The civil deposition began on Friday as well, and as previously reported, Watson did invoke the Fifth Amendment. Rusty Hardin, Watson’s attorney, released a statement afterward, saying “It is time to let Deshaun move on.”

The 22 active civil lawsuits allege sexual harassment and assault, describing graphic accounts that range from Watson refusing to cover his genitals to forcing women to put his penis in their mouths. 

What this means for the quarterback’s status in the league is still up in the air. An NFL spokesperson told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, that the league has been “closely monitoring all developments in the matter” and it is still under review of the personal conduct policy.

“So yeah thank you and I just thank my lord and savior and just going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community and we’re gonna continue on the legal side, off the field, handle what we need to handle but also ready to get back on the field,” Watson continued on Friday. “So, thank my family, all my close supporters that’s been behind me this past year, I thank my team that’s been behind me and supporting me and keeping me up this past year. I’m gonna continue to just keep pushing forward and build my name back to where it was, if not better.”