Report: Texans QB Deshaun Watson to use the 5th Amendment for deposition

Deshaun Watson may be known as DW5 after his first deposition.

The Houston Texans quarterback is scheduled to have his first deposition on March 11 in the lawsuit wherein 22 women allege he committed sexual assault. After almost a full year since the first civil suit was filed in Harris County district court, the former 2017 first-round pick will be eligible to answer questions under oath regarding the combined suit.

According to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network, Watson’s plan to take the Fifth Amendment is from his lawyer, Rusty Hardin. The grand jury will also hear presentation from the district attorney on Friday. A request to delay was denied.

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1 that the situation with Watson is something the organization takes “day to day.”

“I would say that situation, we’ve talked about this with our group, we’re day to day in terms of handling that,” Caserio said. “Once the information becomes more relevant or prevalent, then we’ll handle it accordingly. My philosophy from the beginning has always been to do the right thing by the Houston Texans organization, and we’re going to continue to do that here moving forward.”

Watson requested a trade from the Texans in late January 2021. Shortly before the start of free agency in March 2021, the first lawsuit was filed. The Houston Police Department has also fielded criminal complaints against Watson, some of which are already included in the combined suit. The FBI has conducted its own investigation, and the NFL is also conducting its own investigation, possibly to determine if Watson violated the league’s personal conduct policy.

The new league year kicks off on March 16 at 3:00 p.m. The quarterback market is already starting to take shape as the Denver Broncos traded for Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson on Tuesday.