With the Cleveland Browns trading multiple draft picks to the Houston Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson, and then promptly signing Watson to a record-breaking contract worth $230 million guaranteed, questions remain about the legal risks for Watson and their impact on the Browns.
On March 11, a grand jury in Texas declined to indict Watson for crimes stemming from accusations by more than 20 women who assert Watson assaulted and terrorized them during massage services. Watson currently faces 22 lawsuits over those allegations.
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Sportico’s legal expert answers 20 key questions on what to expect going forward.
1) Does the lack of a criminal indictment mean Watson will win the civil cases?
No. These are two different areas of law, and they rely on different kinds of proceedings with their own accompanying rules.
By declining to indict Watson, the grand jury did not find probable cause. The jurors considered criminal law and concluded there were insufficient facts…