Cleveland Browns fans loudly cheered as quarterback Deshaun Watson, left Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on a cart after suffering a significant leg injury.
The response drew the ire of backup Jameis Winston, who went to bat for his teammate after the game.
In an intense rebuttal, Winston, fighting back tears, wildly defended the much-maligned QB.
“I tell myself every morning, ‘What I want for myself, I want for everyone,’ and I do not want the treatment that Deshaun Watson has received from these passionate fans,” Watson said via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans. But Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle.”
Watson has struggled mightily this season, boasting the worst QBR in the NFL (21.7) while ranking 28th in passer rating (74.4), better than only Bo Nix (74.4), Jacoby Brissett (74.2) and Will Levis (70.7). His play unsurprisingly led to calls for change at QB for the Browns, but the celebration over how Cleveland finally got there rubbed Winston the wrong way.
“I was taught to love no matter the circumstances, especially for people who do right by you — but I am very upset by the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years,” Watson said. “Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought should happen to him, he committed every single day that I’ve been here to be the best that he can be for this team.”
Winston wasn’t the only Browns player to speak up. Star defensive end Myles Garrett told reporters the Cleveland faithful should “be ashamed.”
“Man’s not perfect, he doesn’t need to be,” Garrett said via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “None of us are expected to be perfect — can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones from my glass house.”
Watson’s play undoubtedly influenced how fans reacted to his likely season-ending injury, but Browns’ players like Winston and Garrett skirted around the elephant in the room. In 2022, the NFL suspended the quarterback for the first 11 games of the season due to allegations of sexual misconduct and another lawsuit was filed in September over a similar complaint.
It goes without saying that fans shouldn’t be rooting for a player’s injury. However, while admirable, Winston and Garrett’s defense of Watson comes off as highly tone-deaf.
