The People of Cleveland Vs. Deshaun Watson

With two minutes to go in the half on Sunday, at home against the Bengals, QB Deshaun Watson attempted to scramble up the middle. Instead, he fell to the ground almost immediately, and it was clear he was injured. As teammates and training staff gathered around him, an unusual sound was heard from the hometown crowd. Rather than the typical quietness out of respect, cheering began to reverberate throughout Huntington Bank Field. This moment showcased the burgeoning disdain fans had for their starting QB, as Watson now had a new adversary. After seemingly endless legal issues, it was now The People of Cleveland vs. Deshaun Watson.

Cleveland Fans Broke an Unwritten Rule

There are numerous well-known unwritten rules in every major sport. Things that aren’t illegal per se, but should still be followed. Most of these rules are for the players. In baseball, for instance, you don’t bunt to break up a no-hitter or stand and admire a home run too long. Not all these rules apply to the field of play as it is well known a few pertain to fans in attendance. Some examples are don’t make racist comments to players (outside of Philly and Boston, at least) or that if seats are left empty after the first hour of a game, they’re up for grabs.

Another rule that has always seemed to be followed is when a player gets hurt during a game, you don’t cheer for their injury. Regardless of if a player is home or away, if they go down it’s protocol for a quiet hush of the crowd followed by a cheer if/when said player gives the thumbs up or walks off. That’s why the fans of Cleveland are currently facing backlash, as they broke that cardinal rule this past Sunday when they cheered for Deshaun Watson getting injured. Given the fact that this was a home game for him, it is even more unsettling for some.

Fans had Grown Tired of Watson

I don’t think any Cleveland fan out there will tell you they have grown accustomed to elite quarterback play. It’s pretty well known they’ve had a seemingly never-ending string of bad luck when it comes to who’s lining up under center. So, when they traded for Watson in 2022, many felt that long run of misfortune was about to end. That’s why when they found themselves sitting at 1-5 prior to Sunday’s game, their frustrations had already seemed to overtake any sense of optimism for their team. The player they thought was going to help change their entire football culture had done nothing more than continue down the same path as those before him, with poor play and abysmal stats.

Watson Hasn’t Lived up to Expectations

Watson was traded after sitting out the 2021 season in Houston due to issues with the front office. This was after putting up over 4,800 yards and 33 TDs in 2020. That’s the player Cleveland was hoping they’d get when they gave up 3 first-round picks for him. Not to mention signing him to a mega deal at $230 million, fully guaranteed. Two years after making this deal, his time in Cleveland has been very forgettable.

Watson was suspended to start the 2022 year, and in 2023 was hurt less than halfway through. 2024 he was back, healthy, and fans believed this would be the year that the trade finally paid off. Yet as they entered week 7, Watsons’ 5:3 TD to INT ratio and inability to throw the ball more than 10 yards had fans clamoring for a change. With another lost season on the horizon, they wanted to see someone who could provide any spark on offense. Many didn’t think they should have traded for Watson to begin with, due to his off-field issues. For many Cleveland fans, that didn’t matter, but poor play was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Deshaun Watson Came with Baggage (like, very bad baggage)

When the Browns traded for Watson in 2022 a lot of people were vehemently against it. This wasn’t due to his play or even his holdout in 2021. No, people were beginning to think that Deshaun Watson was actually not a very good person. This may *possibly* have had to do with the onslaught of sexual assault allegations that had come out against him.

In March 2021, a massage therapist accused Watson of sexual misconduct during a massage. Once that suit was filed, the floodgates opened. In total, 24 women would file lawsuits against Watson, claiming some form of sexual assault. Usually, it was during a massage, where he’d basically be seeking (or forcing) a happy ending, without consent. Watson would deny the allegations and eventually, a grand jury opted not to file criminal charges. The NFL did its usual PR-motivated investigation, as they often do when Goodell can’t sweep bad publicity under the rug. In the end, they’d “come to an agreement” with Watson to suspend him for 11 games. Oh, and he had to pay some pennies of his mega deal contract.

Not a Criminal, also Not a Good Person

Yes, Watson was cleared by a grand jury of criminal charges, one week before the Cleveland trade. Those 24 women accusing him though were still lingering in civil court. So, while not technically a criminal, it was obvious his hands weren’t clean. Some people claim the women were just after money, which I understand since he’s a superstar athlete. There’s always going to be some hesitation to automatically believe someone isn’t just after a payday in these situations.

However common sense should dictate that when 24 women, who don’t know each other, accuse someone of the same crime, there might be some truth to it. Even if someone were to try to defend Watson, perhaps they say some of the women were lying, that’d still be admitting he sexually assaulted the others. Hell, if 23 out of 24 were making it up, that still makes Watson guilty of 1 sexual assault. This isn’t really a quality-over-quantity situation, as 1 sexual assault is still too many. But Watson put up 33 TDs in 2020, so that’s the only number many fans were really concerned about.

That’s why even after the trade, the Browns owner tried to minimize the severity and give Watson the benefit of the doubt. He believed Watson “deserves a second chance“, seemingly forgetting he had at least 24 chances to not commit sexual assault during a massage. The 25th time’s the charm, I guess.

Browns Players (and others) Sound Off on the Fans

It didn’t take long after the game for Browns players to chastise the fans’ behavior. DE Myles Garret stated “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall” for the reaction to the injury. He then doubled down and claimed Watson was a “model citizen” throughout college and the pros. Pretty bold declaration to make about a guy accused of sexual assault by 24 women. Then again, Myles Garrett also isn’t the epitome of morality, once smashing someone’s head with a helmet. Clearly the bar for what a model citizen looks like according to Myles isn’t that high.

Jamies Winston also joined in on the crowd shaming:

“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years”

The idea here is that the world just up and chose to turn on Watson one day, willy-nilly. Surely it couldn’t have had anything to do with any of those sexual assault allegations. Not that those are unheard of to Winston, who himself has been suspended in the past for allegations. Had any of the accusations against Watson involved crab legs, maybe Winston would be more concerned.

Lebron James even got involved, tweeting that Cleveland fans were “Lame AF” for their behavior. This is the guy who tried to have a cop killed without knowing any details. Even tweeting out “accountability” as his reasoning. Something he clearly doesn’t think should be applicable to Deshaun Watson.

The Player’s Anger is Insulting

Watson is a teammate, so the players questioned had to respond regarding the situation. The problem lies in their demeanor and overall attitude about it. Fans don’t normally cheer for a player when they get hurt, so maybe the players should have reflected on the situation before voicing their anger at fans. It’s insulting at the same time, as they said things that they know will not sit well with the public. Calling him a model citizen just diminishes his accusers and excuses any wrongdoing. It’s also confusing to me how they seem to now have an opinion about the fan’s behavior. Where was their moral outrage when fans were harassing the accusers?

The Issue with the Fan Reaction

There is an issue with the cheering for the injury by the Cleveland fans. While the players are wrong for their defense of Watson, trying to paint him as an upstanding citizen, the fans were wrong too. Not because they kicked a man while he was down, but rather because this happiness was misguided. If the Browns were entering the game at 5-1 and Watson had better stats on the season, their reaction probably would have been very different.

They accepted who he is when they traded for him, sexual assault allegations and all. To turn on him now seems to be more out of frustration with his play than any moral code. Fans would have made it clear they didn’t want him on the team in 2022 if they were that concerned. Instead, it’s been the case of a high-profile athlete dodging legal issues due to his on-field ability. Now that his ability seems to have waned, so too has the Cleveland fans tolerance for his behavior.

You Shouldn’t Hope for an Injury, but sometimes It’s OK

It’s human nature to find comfort when someone you know to be a bad person gets what’s coming. If we found out tomorrow that Jared from Subway got shivved during a game of prison yard softball, I think most of us would be OK with that. No (sane) fan is going to actively cheer for a player to get hurt simply because they don’t like the player or their team. If they did, chances are those around them would check their behavior pretty quickly.

Plus, in the end, Watson is going to be just fine; he’s got his bajillion dollars guaranteed and most likely some sort of incriminating dirt on the Texas D.A. His injury looked bad, as most non-contact ones do. The players need to relax and understand the situation and the public’s perception of Watson. They didn’t need to immediately start a war with their own fans. Besides, it’s not like anyone was trying to intentionally hurt Watson, aside from maybe karma.

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