I would say that the tale; the perception of Deshaun Watson in the public eye has been a roller-coaster ride over the course of his career.
The issue with that statement would be this: a roller-coaster ride typically has a lot of twists & turns, ups & downs, peaks & valleys. In the case of Deshaun Watson throughout the past 4 years? It’s been all downs, no ups — most notably due to the 20+ sexual assault allegations against Watson that he settled in civil court. That personal negative trend continued in a major way this past Sunday afternoon in Cleveland.
Deshaun Watson is met by head coach Kevin Stefanski and the team's medical staff after the QB suffered an Achilles tear on Sunday, October 20th. PHOTO CREDIT: JASON MILLER | GETTY IMAGES
The Cleveland Browns entered Sunday’s game vs same-state rival Cincinnati with a bitterly disappointing 1-win, 5-loss record. The Browns exited Sunday’s game at 1-6, suffering their 5th consecutive defeat. Beyond that, they also lost Watson to a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture just before halftime, which led to a very interesting negative reaction from the Cleveland home fans.
Deshaun Watson carries a ton of the blame for the Browns' lackluster record because of his poor showing at quarterback this season, as he’s been a bottom-third starting QB in the league all year. Watson’s brutal on-field struggles have been one of the NFL’s most prominent storylines over the past two seasons, mainly because it is not simply just an on-field matter when it comes to him.
Despite the stench of more than 20 sexual assault allegations related to indecent behavior during massages on his ledger at the time, the Browns were undeterred and unabashed in their offseason pursuit of Watson in 2022, when Watson was still under the Houston Texans’ control. The Browns weren’t even Watson’s first OR second preferred trade destination that offseason, but that didn’t stop Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam from eventually offering the Texans three first-round picks (six picks in total) to acquire Watson, and THEN offering Watson a historic 5 year, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract on top of that — an offer that NO ONE, ESPECIALLY an alleged serial sexual assailant — could ever turn down regardless of preferred destination.
Browns executive VP Andrew Berry and Deshaun Watson at Watson's introductory press conference in Cleveland in 2022.
If you can bring yourself to take Watson’s off-field trouble out of your mind for a quick second, you can then start to understand why the Browns made such a overreaching gamble for Watson’s services. Drafted 12th overall by the Texans in 2017, Watson quickly emerged into a star at QB in Houston. His unique mix of raw athletic ability, arm talent, and winning pedigree (he led Clemson to a national championship in 2016) made him a generational-level talent right out of the gate. In addition -- and I promise this is true even though it seems crazy in hindsight -- Watson was widely regarded as a model citizen for his off-field philanthropic work in the city of Houston.
Watson was a Houston Texans' hero throughout his first four seasons as QB, until a trade request in 2021 and subsequent allegations of sexual assault changed everything.
If you look into the Browns’ history at the quarterback position, it… is… well, ugly. You can easily make the argument that the Browns hadn’t had a legit, unquestioned difference-maker at QB since 1955. (Shoutout Otto Graham.)
So, within that context, like I stated before: you can begin to understand why the Browns did what they did to get Watson on board. However, that understanding ends when you call Watson’s alleged actions in using an overwhelming number of female masseuses as sexual house calls back into question. The Browns weren’t the only team trying to get Watson in the 2022 offseason — the Saints and Falcons also had deep interest — but those two teams weren’t willing to go anywhere near a precedent-setting, fully-guaranteed deal for Watson.
Looking back on the time period following the news of Deshaun’s trade to Cleveland, it was a very large contingent of Browns fans that were over the moon, excited. For the first time, they looked to have a star QB in the fold. Sure, maybe some were a little bit uneasy about a double dozen sexual assault allegations coming with Watson, but overall? Browns fans saw the potential on the field above all else. Some of these fans were really, really excited, as you can see.
Images of Browns fans holding up some very questionable signs before a preseason game in 2022.
It’s not some unique phenomenon for NFL fans, front-offices, and owners to excuse a player’s criminal & deviant past (and in some cases, their present) for that player’s incredible on-field ability.
In 2014, Defensive end Greg Hardy was placed on the NFL’s exempt list following his arrest for assaulting his ex-girlfriend by strangling her, throwing her through furniture, and threatening to kill her. However, due to the victim not appearing in court, the criminal charges against Hardy were dropped. That didn’t stop former Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera from actually allowing Hardy to play a game that season because he felt “comfortable” in doing so, nor did it stop the Dallas Cowboys from handing Hardy a 1 year, $11 million deal in the following season.
Despite Greg Hardy nearly murdering his girlfriend a year earlier, that did not deter the Dallas Cowboys from giving him an $11 million contract in 2015.
Hardy’s case is the most prominent and relevant one to reach my mind when it comes to Watson’s situation in Cleveland. The NFL, in addition to all of the other major pro sports leagues, though, each have a long, well-documented, troubling history with giving athletes with history of violent legal trouble undue second chances. Look to MLB’s Atlanta Braves with Marcell Ozuna. Look to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers with Kevin Porter Jr. or the Charlotte Hornets with Miles Bridges. You can look to the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury with Brittany Griner. The proof is all there.
It’s not good, obviously. It’s a sobering reminder that top-of-the-line executives are willing to forgive nearly anything if you have enough money, power, influence, and ability.
But here’s another sobering reminder: the VAST majority of the decision-making that these top-of-the-line executives perform is tied directly to their bottom line. In other words, they invest in what the fans support, and they don’t invest in what the fans don’t support. Money is always at the center. This is especially true in the NFL, and even more especially true in the case of Deshaun Watson & Cleveland.
After news broke of Deshaun’s signing with the Browns, Cleveland fans had ample opportunity to cry out at-large and denounce the move. However, like I stated earlier, many fans outright celebrated the move, with some fans even stooping low enough to mock Watson's alleged victims.
Scenes at a Cleveland Browns pre-game tailgate in September of 2022.
The addition of Watson to an already well-assembled Browns team around him gave Cleveland fans Super Bowl dreams and aspirations.
In the grand scheme of things, it is truly crazy how much sports fans are willing to excuse & ignore for the sake of winning. I haven’t been above that either — when I was a teenager watching my favorite NFL team, the New Orleans Saints, win their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2009, I was on cloud nine. When it was later revealed that the Saints were running a “bounty” scheme in which players were getting paid additional cash on the side to injure opposing players on the way to said Super Bowl championship, I consistently offered the retort of “we still won, tho."
That’s the machismo culture of football, though. It’s always been this way. Nothing else matters but the win. It’s brutish and Machiavellian in nature.
And this is where I land this piece back on the events in Cleveland on Sunday.
Deshaun Watson takes the snap on a 2nd-and-6, deep in Bengals’ territory. Attempting to take off and run, Watson then quickly crumbles to the ground in pain, writhing around on the field in agony, as it appears that he’s suffered a textbook Achilles rupture in his right leg.
As it becomes increasingly clear by the minute what’s taken place here, and as Watson and the medical staff wait for the infamous medical cart to wheel him off the field, Browns fans erupt in cheers. They are expressing joy at what is arguably the most common career-crippling injury a professional athlete can suffer.
As the medical cart finally arrives for Watson, he’s wheeled off the field, casting a towel over his head as the camera shows him breaking down in tears, using said towel to wipe those tears away. Browns fans proceed to boo him off the field.
I am not here to say whether Browns’ fans reaction here was right or wrong. I am here to tell you, though, that it was an understandable one, but not for the reasons you might assume or think.
The narrative that many Browns fans are pushing is that they mocked Deshaun’s injury because he’s an alleged serial sexual predator that doesn't deserve a lick of empathy. They will tell you that they never embraced Watson into their good graces for that reason.
But let me pose this series of questions to you.
If the Browns were 5-1 instead of 1-5 heading into Sunday…
and if Watson was playing up to his generational-level potential as a top-flight QB instead of playing like one of the worst in the league throughout the past two seasons…
How different do you think Browns fans would’ve reacted to his injury Sunday?
It’s a simple answer. They would’ve been distraught. Why? Because nothing else matters but the win. If the Browns were lighting the NFL on fire before that injury, their hypothetical Super Bowl hopes would’ve rested on the right arm of Jameis Winston. To translate in more direct terms: their Super Bowl hopes would’ve been over. Football fans are so crazed, some of the Browns fans in attendance may have even shed tears in this alternate scenario, even with the large number of sexual assault allegations levied against Watson.
You may think I’m pushing a narrative here, but I would again remind you of the entire centuries-long history of sports leagues and its franchises sweeping people’s crimes and wrongdoings under the rug for the sake of winning.
If you’re winning games, division titles, and championships, the most abhorrent type of behavior can get forgiven. If you’re losing games & struggling, that same behavior gets dredged back up to the surface as a recurring talking point. That’s sports at-large. It has been that way forever.
When sports and morality are forced to meet, they collide and repel much more often than they conjoin and come together in harmony.
So as much as Browns fans will tell you that their jeering of Watson was justified because of his alleged past, and while that might sound sufficient when you stop and think about all of the women in your life that are constantly at risk and have fallen victim due to the violent and dangerous world that they live in…
Don’t lie to yourself like Browns fans are lying to themselves. They mocked a player’s injury due to that player’s extended period of poor play, and used his litter of off-field SA allegations as a springboard to do so.
Sexual assailants and agents of violence towards women don’t deserve anyone's sympathy. I feel the need to state that in case my message here gets misconstrued.
I just want everyone — every sports fan in the world — to be honest about what exactly we’re doing here.
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