HOUSTON — Attorney Tony Buzbee said in an Instagram post Saturday that he will submit affidavits and evidence from several women alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual assault by quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Houston Police Department and the Houston district attorney on Monday morning.
Buzbee also said he will request a grand jury to consider the evidence.
The district attorney would decide whether to grant Buzbee’s request for a grand jury. If granted, the grand jury then would decide, through witness testimony closed to the public, if there is enough evidence to succeed at trial and in turn determine whether charges should be brought against Watson by the state of Texas.
This past week, Buzbee filed seven lawsuits against Watson on behalf of women alleging the inappropriate conduct and sexual assault by the Houston Texans‘ quarterback. In addition, Buzbee said in a news conference Friday that he will file an additional five lawsuits against Watson “in due course.” Buzbee added that his law firm has spoken to “more than 10 additional women” who have come forward with reports about similar conduct from the quarterback.
On Friday, Buzbee said his office has been in contact with police and that he would provide information to them about the women who intend to sue Watson. The Houston Police Department said it was unaware of any contact it had with Buzbee regarding the allegations or the filings of any incident reports, and the lawyer later clarified on social media that the contact he referenced earlier was with a detective who reached out to him. Buzbee also said Friday that he is not aware of any police reports filed before the civil suits.
On Thursday, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said “the matter is under review” of the league personal conduct policy, and the Texans said in a statement that they would stay in close contact with the NFL during its investigation.