Report: Houston police have spoken with at least 10 Deshaun Watson alleged victims

It's been known for some time that disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct and 10 criminal complaints, and the allegations against him have prevented him from receiving the trade he's wanted throughout 2021. 

Kevin Draper of the New York Times reported Friday that the Houston Police Department spoke with at least 10 of Watson's alleged victims between April 2 and May 20 of this year. Complaints against the 25-year-old star signal-caller were made between September 2019 and December 2020. 

Rusty Hardin, Watson’s attorney, offered an update on his feelings regarding the allegations during a Wednesday interview. "Every single week we are finding out more that makes us increasingly more comfortable that none of these cases will lead to valid criminal charges," Hardin said at that time. 

As of then, Watson’s deposition for the civil cases against him remained scheduled to occur at some point by or around February. Watson has denied any wrongdoing. 

The NFL has not yet spoken with Watson, but it's been reported throughout the process the league will first wait until the criminal investigation is completed before it interviews the quarterback. The case reportedly went before a grand jury last month. 

Watson is neither suspended nor on the commissioner's exempt list heading into the weekend, and it's believed he'll be a paid healthy scratch each time the Texans play until there's more clarity about his long-term eligibility. Multiple analysts have suggested he won't play for any club before the 2022 season at the earliest. 

Houston opens the upcoming campaign against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 12 and currently has veteran Tyrod Taylor as QB1.