HOUSTON — NFL star Deshaun Watson has spoken to the FBI over allegations stemming from the civil sexual misconduct litigation filed against him, according to the attorney for the Houston Texans quarterback.
The FBI reached out to the quarterback’s legal camp after it made public allegations that Watson was a target of an extortion attempt by one of the 22 women who have filed civil lawsuits against him, Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Wednesday.
Hardin made the revelation in a wide-ranging media conference that was called after Houston attorney Tony Buzbee — who represents the 22 women with civil litigation pending against Watson — claimed Tuesday that the FBI had contacted him in an effort to investigate claims made in the civil cases. Buzbee also said that the FBI has spoken to some of the women who have filed legal action against Watson. Those claims prompted a wide-ranging response from Hardin, who was critical of Buzbee speaking publicly about a pending FBI investigation, which Hardin indicated is probing essentially all the claims made by both legal camps against each other. Hardin also shed details on other aspects of what are now a multitude of bodies investigating the claims and counterclaims made between Watson and his accusers.
Among those details, Hardin confirmed that the Harris County prosecutor’s office is expected to present claims against Watson to a grand jury and that Watson has not yet interviewed with the NFL as part of its probe into the claims.