Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders will not be prosecuted for felony sexual assault after a grand jury in Texas ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to continue with the case, as first reported by TMZ Sports.
It isn’t reported exactly when the alleged sexual assault took place, but on Jan. 9, the grand jury “failed to find a bill of indictment.”
Dan Jacobs — a lawyer in the state of Colorado and co-host of The Final Verdict on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 — says this indicates there was very little case against Sanders in the investigation.
“There’s no judge in this scenario, only the prosecution presenting evidence of guilt to a grand jury. It’s a very low bar,” Jacobs said of what is necessary to proceed with a bill of indictment in cases like Sanders’.
Additionally, Jacobs says it’s likely that the Broncos and the NFL were not even aware of the investigation.
“Grand jury proceedings are highly secretive,” Jacobs said, “meaning the Broncos and the NFL likely were not aware this was even going on.”
Sanders was accused of sexual assault in Harris County, Texas, where he still owns a home. Sanders grew up nearby in Bellville, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University.
The Harris County Sheriff’s office issued the following statement to 9News in Denver regarding the case:
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint regarding Emmanuel Sanders on June 15, 2017. The complaint was thoroughly investigated and all involved parties, including Emmanuel Sanders, were interviewed by investigators. Upon completion of the investigation, evidence and witness statements were presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether a criminal charge should be filed. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which determined on January 9, 2018 that there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal charge.”
Sanders caught 47 passes for 555 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 and is going into the third year of a four-year contract with the Broncos, originally signed in 2016.
