Deshaun Watson did not say much in the first two depositions on Friday.
The long-awaited deposition of Deshaun Watson began Friday, with the first two of 22 total depositions being carried out. Rusty Hardin said that Watson would invoke the fifth amendment to avoid incriminating himself. The deposition lasted close to three hours.
That’s not the only Watson-related news that happened today. Less than a mile away, a grand jury met to discuss if Watson would face any criminal charges. While it was reported in the last update that all of the accusations were civil lawsuits, they could still turn into criminal charges.
But that grand jury ruled that Watson will not face criminal charges- news that broke during the writing of this article.
Rusty Hardin said that Deshaun Watson was deposed by Tony Buzbee for nearly three hours, exercised his Fifth Amendment right throughout. Hardin: 'We had a meaningless exercise. I warned Tony that Deshaun wasn't going to answer any questions on advice of counsel'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2022
Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2022
Could Deshaun Watson wind up as a Carolina Panther when it’s said and done?
Jonathan M. Alexander of the Charlotte Observer reported that the Carolina Panthers have been in talks with the Texans for a trade for Deshaun Watson. That trade would involve a handful of defensive stars from Carolina’s roster and a handful of picks. Carolina is the one team that has sat pat for the entire process.
The NFL could still suspend Watson, but the trade probabilities are going to increase dramatically. This will set up one of the more chaotic free agency periods of all time, with a trade more realistic right now.
We’ll see what the NFL decides to do, but the NFL offseason just got flipped upside-down.