Deshan Watson did not say much in the first two statements on Friday.
Deshaun Watson's long-awaited statement began on Friday, carrying out the first two out of a total of 22 statements. Rusty Hardin said Watson would invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid blaming himself. The statement lasted for about three hours.
It's not just Watson-related news that happened today. Less than a mile away, a grand jury met to discuss whether Watson would face any criminal charges. Although in a previous update it was reported that all charges were civil charges, they may turn into criminal charges.
But that grand jury ruled that Watson would not face criminal charges—a news that came to light at the time of the writing of this article.
Can Deshan Watson wind up as the Carolina Panther when it's said and done?
The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan M Alexander reported that the Carolina Panthers are in talks with the Texans to trade Deshaun Watson. That trade would include a handful of defensive stars and a handful of picks from Carolina's roster. Carolina is the only team that has been patted for the entire process.
The NFL may still suspend Watson, but business prospects are going to increase dramatically. This would set off one of the more chaotic free agency periods ever, in which trade would still be more realistic.
We'll see what the NFL decides to do, but the NFL off-season just turned upside down.