As Deshaun Watson’s legal battles continue largely behind the scenes, his lead attorney Rusty Hardin had an interesting take on one of the things Watson is being accused of.
Appearing alongside fellow attorney Leah Graham on Sports Radio 610 in Houston, Hardin asserted that receiving a “happy ending” (i.e. sex during the massage) is not a crime on its own. He stated that only by paying someone extra for that feature makes it a crime.
Hardin added that doing or saying something to make someone uncomfortable is not a crime.
“I don’t know how many men are out there now that have had a massage that perhaps occasionally there was a happy ending,” Hardin said. “Maybe there’s nobody in your listening audience that that ever happened to. I do want to point out, if it has happened, it’s not a crime. OK? Unless you are paying somebody extra or so to give you some type of sexual activity, it’s not a crime… Doing something or saying something or being a way that makes you uncomfortable is not a crime.”
Rusty Hardin may technically be right from a legal standpoint. But Deshaun Watson is not in criminal court against 23 separate plaintiffs.
More importantly, Hardin may have tipped his hand here by implying that there was sexual contact between Watson and a plaintiff in the case. He didn’t say that directly, but it would certainly be a good way to set up Hardin moving the goalposts if things reach a jury trial.
As for Watson’s NFL career, those statements could wind up being pretty damaging as the league continues its investigation.
The league has yet to make any sort of determination regarding Watson’s playing status.
Leave a Reply