Selleck on Brazoria County no bill for Watson: 'Accordingly, this matter is closed'

A Brazoria County grand jury declined to criminally charge former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Thursday (March 24) in connections with allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed 22 women, Houston-based media outlets reported. The grand jury had received the 10th criminal charge against Watson, who was recently traded to the Cleveland Browns, earlier in the day.

According to the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office, Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported, the grand jury decided to no bill the 26-year-old signal-caller.

"After a careful and thorough review of the facts and evidence documents in the reports prepared by the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office and the Houston Police Department, as well as hearing testimony from witnesses, the grand jury for Brazoria County has declined to charge Deshaun Watson with any crimes," Brazoria County District Attorney Tom Selleck said, the station reported. "Accordingly, this matter is closed."

It was the second time in two weeks in which a Houston-area grand jury elected not to subject Watson to criminal charges.

KTRK reported that a Harris County grand jury decided not to charge Watson for any of the first nine charges against him.

However, the quarterback still faces the bevy of lawsuits from the women.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that one of the plaintiffs claims Watson took her to her mother's house in Pearland for a massage. 

According to KHOU, Brazoria County prosecutors held off on convening the grand jury until deliberations in Harris County were completed.

Rustin Hardin, Watson's attorney, issued a statement praising the grand jury's decision to no bill his client, the station reported.

"We are thrilled that the Brazoria County grand jury cleared Deshaun Watson of the one remaining criminal allegation," Hardin said in the statement. "We’ve known all along what people who learn the facts also know – Deshaun committed no crimes. In fact, two separate grand juries have now found that there wasn’t even probable cause to believe he committed a crime."