For the second time in two weeks, a grand jury in Texas is going to hear evidence in a case involving Deshaun Watson to determine if the Browns quarterback should be indicted for any crimes relating to the 22 sexual misconduct lawsuits he's facing.
The first grand jury convened in Harris County on March 11 and didn't return an indictment. According to Fox 8 in Houston, the second grand jury meeting will be taking place in a different Texas county. The New York Times has reported that the exact location is Brazoria County, which is just south of Houston.
Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, has confirmed that his camp is aware of the latest development in the case. Watson is facing 22 different civil lawsuits that all allege sexual misconduct, and according to Hardin, the second grand jury will be hearing evidence based on one of those 22 cases.
"It's not a new complaint," Hardin told Fox 8.
According to Hardin, the prosecution in Brazoria County wanted to let the grand jury deliberations in Harris County finish before they moved forward with their own grand jury. The second grand jury is expected to render a decision either Thursday or Friday, according to Tony Buzbee, who represents the complainant.
The Harris County grand jury returned nine no bills on the nine criminal complaints that had been made against the Browns quarterback, which meant no criminal charges for Watson. After the initial grand jury meeting, Hardin felt that his client had been vindicated.
"There's never been any crime here, no matter if you call it indecent assault or anything else," Hardin said on March 11, via the New York Times. "These are civil matters that belong in the civil courts."
The second grand jury could also return a no bill or it's possible they could choose to indict.
The news of the second grand jury meeting comes on the same day that Watson arrived at the Browns' practice facility for the first time.
Video of @deshaunwatson entering #Browns facility in Berea. @cleveland19news @WOIOSports pic.twitter.com/drqVgJK0im
— Dan Wagner (@dwagsphoto) March 24, 2022
When the Browns made their blockbuster trade for Watson on March 18, the team said it did "extensive" investigative work before pulling the trigger on the deal, which included signing Watson to a fully guaranteed contract with $230 million over the next five years.
"We have done extensive investigative, legal and reference work over the past several months to provide us with the appropriate information needed to make an informed decision about pursuing him and moving forward with him as our quarterback," the team said in a statement.
One thing the Browns didn't do during their "extensive" investigative process was talk to any of Watson's accusers or to Buzbee, who has been serving as their legal representation.
"No one from the Browns organization reached out to me or my clients," Buzbee told Fox 8. "I didn't expect them too. I would have certainly talked to them had they asked to talk to any of my clients and had the clients wanted to do so I would have allowed that to happen."
The Browns told Fox 8 on Thursday that the team was aware of the latest situation. Even if the second grand jury doesn't return an indictment, Watson could still be suspended by the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
