Tony Buzbee's excuse not to send evidence to HPD is his 'lamest,' Deshaun Watson's lawyer says

Thursday, April 1, 2021
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The lawyer for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is accused of unwanted sexual acts, is responding to attorney Tony Buzbee over the latter's decision not to file evidence with HPD.

Buzbee is representing multiple women and has filed 21 civil lawsuits against Watson on their behalf.
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Buzbee announced on Sunday, March 21 that he would be "submitting affidavits and evidence from several women" the next day.

But as of this week, nothing has been filed.

Buzbee also said he will request that a grand jury consider the evidence and determine whether charges should be brought against Watson by the state of Texas. A spokesperson for the district attorney's office said last week that it would be "inappropriate" for the DA's office to comment on the lawsuits against Watson.

On March 30, Buzbee provided more insight on why he hadn't taken any evidence to HPD.



"Our team has been roundly criticized because these numerous brave women haven't filed formal criminal complaints with HPD (although we have provided info to other organizations.)," Buzbee wrote in an Instagram post.

He continued:

Here is my worry: When I ran for Houston mayor against the CURRENT mayor, I called for the resignation of the former police chief. I was thus reluctant initially in these important cases to provide info to HPD, at least while Art Acevedo was the Police Chief-even though my brother in law is a long-term HPD officer. Mr. Acevedo has now left Houston for Miami. Yet, I've since learned that my legal opponent, Mr. Hardin, has a son who is on of the exclusive Command Staff of HPD. I am not saying in any way that Deshaun Watson's lawyer, Mr. Hardin, has a son who has a position that would compromise HPD and its investigation. I support his service, along with all Houston police officers-I think the rank and file know that. But, I am saying that me and my clients will go elsewhere to provide our evidence to investigative authorities.
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Rusty Hardin, who is representing Watson, responded to Buzbee's claims on Thursday morning with the following statement.

Since March 19, Mr. Tony Buzbee has repeatedly promised to submit evidence to the Houston Police Department in support of his anonymous clients' complaints against Deshaun Watson. So far, he has not done so. Now, in response to media inquiries, Mr. Buzbee has abandoned his promise altogether and, in his words, will go "elsewhere to provide his evidence to investigative authorities."

His latest excuse for failing to go to law enforcement is also his lamest. Anyone who has dealt with HPD, as I have for many years, would know that Mr. Buzbee's suggestion that the Department would overlook legitimate complaints based upon a family connection of one of its officers is ludicrous. It is also insulting to the dedicated professionals at HPD and to common sense. Mr. Buzbee's claimed fear of HPD's partiality is inconsistent with his prior praise for the Department's response to the burglary of his home during his recent mayoral campaign. See Exhibit 1 below.



I would respectfully suggest that Mr. Buzbee's failure to go to law enforcement does not result from some baseless fear that HPD will not fairly investigate. Instead, it is from the knowledge that his parade of anonymous allegations could not survive the rigorous inquiry of trained investigators or the need to attest to the truth of the allegations under oath.
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For our part, we will continue to learn about the cases in any way that we can. We and Deshaun will always remain available to any law enforcement or regulatory agency who desires our cooperation. Apparently, Mr. Buzbee is unwilling to do the same.




Watson is accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. Three of the lawsuits filed Sunday night accuse Watson of "purposely" touching the women with his penis and state that his "behavior is part of a disturbing pattern."

MORE: Timeline of every lawsuit filed against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

Eighteen professional massage therapists have come out in support of the Texans quarterback, saying the allegations were not consistent with the experiences they've had with the star athlete.

Watson has publicly denied any wrongdoing, and Hardin said last week that he believes "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

ESPN contributed to this report.

The video above is from a previous report.
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