Texans GM Addresses Deshaun Watson Ordeal
Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that the team is "respectful of the legal process" and that he doesn't have "any comment" on the situation during a Friday news conference.
In total, 23 lawsuits have been filed alleging sexual assault and inappropriate behavior against quarterback Deshaun Watson, as previously reported by OutKick. One of the lawsuits was dropped earlier in the week by a plaintiff.
"I know Cal [McNair] and ownership put a letter out a few weeks ago just relative to the organization's stance, relative to where we are," Caserio said, per ESPN. "So I don't have anything to add other than it's a legal process. We're respectful of the legal process and where that is. So we're focused on today. We're focused on getting ready for the offseason program and getting ready for the draft, so that's where our focus is."
ESPN reports the McNair family addressed season ticket holders in an April 5 letter regarding the civil lawsuits and complaint filed with the Houston Police Department saying, "We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously."
"While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault," the letter reads, per ESPN. "Our family and the entire Houston Texans organization are deeply troubled by any form of abuse and we condemn this type of behavior."
Caserio said the team is focusing on the things they can control, including the draft, adding to the team and building the roster.
"We're not going to really get into a lot of hypotheticals and a lot of speculation," Caserio said. "I'm not really good at that. Maybe somebody else is better at that than me.
In a statement last week, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy called the allegations against Watson "deeply disturbing," noting, "we take these issues very seriously," ESPN reports.
"McCarthy said that the league launched an investigation under its personal conduct policy last month after the first allegations and that the NFL is 'continuing to closely monitor all developments in the matter,'" the article states.
During a news conference last week, Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin said he hadn't heard from the NFL as it relates to Watson.