Tensions flared between Cleveland Browns players and some members of their fanbase during Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn Achilles in the first half.
As Watson was being treated on the field, a section of fans cheered, reportedly fed up with his disappointing performances.
This led to verbal confrontations between Browns players and the fans who had celebrated the injury. Several Cleveland players publicly defended Watson after the game, expressing frustration with the fan reaction.
However, the incident sparked a larger conversation, as some sports commentators addressed Watson’s complicated public image.
Watson’s off-field conduct has long been a point of contention. With dozens of sexual assault allegations and settlements in his past, many fans and analysts feel Watson should not be viewed sympathetically.
Still, most argued that cheering for an injury crosses a line, regardless of the player’s history.
Michelle Beadle took a different stance. On her SiriusXM show with co-host Cody Decker, Beadle said she would have cheered if she were in the stadium.
“The fans think that because they pay their money, they can do or say whatever they want out loud,” Beadle said. “That’s exactly what Deshaun Watson did. He did whatever he wanted, and then he paid some money to make a problem go away.
“I would’ve cheered my a** off. Here’s the problem – I would’ve been booing Deshaun Watson the minute they brought him to Cleveland.
“The fans were put in a garbage situation, and if you talk to a lot of Browns’ fans, they don’t like him. They never liked him. They hated the move by the organization, and they didn’t want to be forced to cheer for this person, who they don’t find to be a decent human.”
Beadle also criticized the Browns players who rushed to Watson’s defense after the game, calling their loyalty “reprehensible.”
“You want to stand by your dude? You can do it with minimal words,” Beadle argued. “What I don’t need is for you to canonize the guy in front of cameras and microphones, and act like we’re wrong for not liking him, or we’re the world against Deshaun Watson.
According to Beadle, the hostility toward Watson stems not from his recent injury or his inconsistent play as quarterback, but from the serious accusations against him.
“The way people feel about Deshaun Watson has nothing to do with his Achilles or his play as a quarterback. It has to do everything with what he’s been accused and what he has settled with dozens of women for doing – and that’s what we know of,” she said.
For what it’s worth, Super Bowl champion turned NFL analyst, Chris Canty, agreed that Watson shouldn’t be made into a sympathetic figure.
He made it clear that no one should root for or celebrate an injury. However, it’s also important to keep in mind Watson’s controversial history when discussing the topic as a whole.
“It’s such a hard conversation for me to have because I feel like the fans in Cleveland were booing because of Deshaun Watson’s poor play – and happy that he got out of there,” Canty said on ESPN’s “UnSportsmanlike.”
“Hopefully, the team can get better quarterback play. I’m not sure how much the two dozen sexual misconduct cases factored into their emotions in that particular moment. But, when I hear Myles Garrett and Jameis Winston call for empathy for Deshaun Watson – that’s cringe.
“Where was the empathy for the two dozen victims to his sexual misconduct? And them being forced to relive that trauma after the Cleveland Browns give Deshaun Watson $230 million. Where’s your empathy for how they felt in that moment? For how victims of sexual abuse in that moment, seeing somebody being accused of something so despicable, be rewarded in that fashion. That’s the part that the players gotta be careful with that line.
“I mean, LeBron James came out yesterday and talked about how lame it was for the Cleveland fans to boo Watson when he got hurt. Did you come out and talk about how lame it was with Deshaun Watson having two dozen sexual misconduct cases? That’s where you gotta be careful as a player when it comes to issues like this. And I understand wanting to defend your teammate; I understand that bunker mentality. ‘I’m in the foxhole with my guy, and I gotta defend my guy.’
“There was nothing wrong with those players coming out and saying, ‘It lacks class for the Cleveland Browns fans to boo when Deshaun Watson got hurt.’… Leave it there. For you to go out there and make calls for empathy shows a complete lack of awareness – and something about that has to change.
“It is completely insensitive. And those players who thought they were doing the right thing, could not be more wrong in that moment with their commentary.”
That’s powerful stuff from Canty…
Watson’s beloved college coach Dabo Swinney chimed in on the situation, sending his best to his former quarterback and wishing him a healthy recovery.
“I absolutely reached out to him and just tried to encourage him and lift him up. And just praying for him,” Swinney said. “It’s a tough setback for him. He’s still young. He’s got a lot of football left. I mean, look at Aaron Rodgers, he’s about 40 and coming back from a torn Achilles.
“It’s tough because he was just starting to find his rhythm again. But setbacks happen. You can’t let them keep you down. You’ve got to bounce back, and I know he will.”
What are your thoughts on the whole situation???
