The complainant, whose name was redacted in the criminal complaint, is one of the 22 plaintiffs who are suing Watson in civil court for sexual misconduct during massage appointments.
Watson has denied all wrongdoing, and Hardin has said that any sexual acts that occurred during massage appointments were consensual.
After the grand jury in Harris County declined to bring charges on March 11, Hardin said in a statement that “the criminal investigations have been completed.” N.F.L. teams viewed the decision in Harris County as a green light to pursue Watson via trade, and the Browns gave Watson a guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, a record for a guaranteed deal. They structured the deal to mitigate Watson’s financial penalty if the N.F.L. suspends him for a violation of its personal-conduct policy by setting his 2022 base salary at just over $1 million, minimizing each potential missed game check.
The Browns said in a statement on Sunday that they undertook a “comprehensive evaluation process” before trading for Watson and did “extensive” investigative, legal and reference work. The statement acknowledged that “some legal proceedings” were still ongoing, but it was unclear whether the Browns were aware that a case would be brought before the Brazoria County grand jury this week.
The N.F.L.’s investigation into the allegations against Watson is ongoing. A person who identified himself as a security representative for the N.F.L. requested information from the Houston Police Department on March 15, including witness statements and phone records or social-media messages, and also asked for interviews with the police investigators who worked the case, according to police records.