Shortly after a first grand jury declined to indict current Cleveland Browns star quarterback Deshaun Watson on criminal charges related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions this past March, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter addressed the news via what became a controversial tweet:
This is why Deshaun Watson, from the beginning, welcomed a police investigation: He felt he knew that the truth would come out. And today, a grand jury did not charge him on any of the criminal complaints.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2022
Eventually, Schefter seemed to regret the tone of that initial post:
This was a poorly worded tweet that deserves a proper response. It was intended to provide insight into the strategy of Watson’s legal team from its POV. I should have been clearer. As legal experts have explained, a lack of an indictment alone does not mean someone is innocent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2022
Attorney Tony Buzbee, who has represented 24 plaintiffs suing Watson, hit out at the well-known ESPN personality during a Thursday press conference.
"We all know about the tweet that was sent out, from a so-called insider, not somebody that’s ever spoken to me — if there’s more of an insider, I don’t know who it is, other than me — but this is the kind of reaction we received," Buzbee said while referencing Schefter, per Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post. "These kinds of tweets, this kind of foolishness, is exactly why people do not pursue justice."
Buzbee added during his comments that "the elected DA failed these women" in not charging Watson.
"It was frustrating but it was expected," Buzbee said. "There are more than 463,000 incidents of sexual assault in the United States each year. 70 percent of those are never reported to the police. Less than one percent of those ever lead to a conviction."
A total of two grand juries declined to move forward with charges against Watson, and his legal team has settled 23 of the previously mentioned civil lawsuits. He's denied any wrongdoing on multiple occasions.
Meanwhile, the NFL confirmed on Thursday that commissioner Roger Goodell has selected former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the league's appeal of the six-game suspension for Watson recommended by disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson earlier this week.
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