The Cleveland Browns’ disappointing season hit another low Sunday when starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was lost to a season-ending injury.
Some fans appeared to direct boos at Watson after he went down with an Achilles injury in the first half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals. After the game, several of Watson’s teammates, including star pass rusher Myle Garrett, came to the quarterback’s defense and criticized the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. Could be a season-altering, career-altering injury. The man’s not perfect,” Garrett said.
“He doesn’t need to be. 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.
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett responds to questions after the team’s game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“But we need to do better. We need to do better on the football field, and we need to be better as fans for having some empathy for a man who’s doing the best he can and did the best he can up to this point.”
Off the field, Watson has faced 24 lawsuits from women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. He has settled more than 20 of those suits.
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Garrett then spoke about Watson’s work ethic, saying the quarterback did not deserve the treatment he received Sunday.
Deshaun Watson (4) of the Cleveland Browns walks toward the locker room while Myles Garrett (95) signs an autograph after a 27-14 win against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium Dec. 4, 2022, in Houston. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“No one deserves that,” Garrett said. “I’ve seen him work his a– off to get back here and put a smile on his face and try to put everything that’s outside the facility behind him. Death threats, [people] come to his house. People going after his family. Like I said, no one deserves that. I hate using the word deserve. I’m usually consistent saying earned. He hadn’t earned it, and he doesn’t deserve it.
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns is taken off the field on a medical cart in the second quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“Man does pretty much everything right. A model citizen through college and also the pros. Plays the game as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen. Puts everything on the line, willing to throw his body out there. He plays the game at 100 miles an hour, and there’s a risk of being injured, and he took that risk. We have to be there for him as a team and as an organization. We can’t look down on a guy because of any mistakes on the field or anything off the field. We don’t have any moral high ground to look down on the guy.”
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Jameis Winston, who will step in for the injured Watson, also scolded fans for their reaction to Watson’s injury.
“The way I was raised, I was taught to love no matter the circumstances, especially with people who do right by you,” Winston said. “I’m grateful to have the chance to serve Deshaun. But I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years. And he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day.”
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