The quarterback faces 22 active lawsuits and reportedly 10 criminal complaints alleging sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Editor’s note: This story contains alleged 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
As teams look ahead to the 2022 season with free agency approaching, there is one question the Texans are facing, again.
What is the status of quarterback Deshaun Watson?
General manager Nick Caserio did not say much about the situation during Tuesday’s press conference, but he did confirm the franchise is taking it on a “day-to-day” basis.
“We’re day-to-day in terms of handling that,” Caserio said. “Once the information becomes more relevant and prevalent, then we’ll handle it accordingly. My philosophy from the beginning has always been to do the right thing by the Houston Texans organization and we’re going to continue to do that here moving forward.”
When asked whether there has been a strain on the general manager and franchise given Watson’s situation, Caserio said, in part, “I think the only strain is the discussion that you all had. You guys have probably spent more time on it than we have, I think.”
The quarterback sat out the entire 2021–22 season as he faced extensive legal trouble—22 active civil lawsuits and reportedly 10 criminal complaints. From March 16 until April 14, 23 lawsuits were filed against Watson describing sexual harassment and sexual assault, spanning from March 2020 until March ’21.
One lawsuit was dropped by a plaintiff “for now,” according to court documents, “in light of privacy and security concerns.”
These civil lawsuits currently on the Harris County District Clerk’s website include allegations that range from Watson refusing to cover his genitals to forcing women to put his penis in their mouth. The news of the first filing broke on the evening of March 16 after Houston attorney Tony Buzbee disclosed the news on social media, and details of the first lawsuit came out the following morning.
On Dec. 17, a judge reportedly signed a search warrant for many of Watson’s social media accounts, such as Facebook, Instagram and Cash App.
A court recently ruled Watson can be deposed in the coming weeks for nine of the active lawsuits he faces, per ESPN’s John Barr. The quarterback’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, argued that the deposition should be delayed given that it is not known yet whether Watson will face criminal charges. The judge denied the motion for the civil cases.
A decision from the Harris County District Attorney concerning the status of the charges could be given by Apr. 1, Hardin said.
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