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‘Can’t judge him by what he does off the field’ (Video)

VaselineOctober 20, 2024

0 4 minutes read

‘Can’t judge him by what he does off the field’ (Video)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a likely season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday.

Browns fans won’t be sad to see him go. Fans in the stands in Cleveland booed Watson during the pregame introductions and then reportedly cheered after he went down with his injury. After the game, Browns players, including All-Pro defenseman Myles Garrett, chastised those fans for their reaction.

Garrett took a closer look at them in his post-match comments on stage.

“It was hard, the reaction the fans gave,” Garrett said. “Whether it’s an opponent going down or one of our own, we don’t cuss. We don’t cuss guys who are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out.

“We should be ashamed as Browns and as fans to berate anyone and their downfall – because this is a season-altering and career-altering injury.”

Garrett: ‘Can’t judge him by what he does off the field’

Garrett then seemed to acknowledge the context engulfing the Browns in terms of Watson, who joined the team in 2022 amid allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women.

“The man isn’t perfect,” Garrett continued. “We don’t have to be perfect. None of us are expected to be perfect. I can’t judge him on what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones out of my pocket.”

“But we have to do better. We have to do better on the football field, and we have to be better as fans because we have some empathy for a man who is trying his best and has done his best so far.”

Garrett wasn’t alone in his criticism. Cornerback Greg Newsome II and backup quarterback Jameis Winston also had harsh words for Browns fans.

Disclaimer: NSFW language in the video below:

Greg Newsome didn’t mince words #Tanning fans cheered when Deshaun Watson went down with an Achilles injury. Called it “bullshit” several times. pic.twitter.com/brdJo3Xrxv

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) October 20, 2024

“That was bull***,” Newsome said. “I noticed it straight away. Whatever you think of a player – performance-wise or not – you don’t make fun of a guy who is in trouble, who can’t get up on his own. So yeah, that was bulls***.

“So any fan who said anything, it’s bulls***. It’s that simple. You don’t do that. Like I said, whether a guy plays well or not, whether you’re a fan favorite, whether you something, you don’t care about someone who stays put. So those are bulls***.”

Newsome later reiterated his stance on social media.

yeah mannn, if you cheer for a wounded man, you should look yourself in the mirror, that’s BULLSHIT. Be better.

— Greg Newsome II (@gnewsii) October 20, 2024

Winston joined the Browns this offseason to back up Watson. The Browns demoted Winston to third string/emergency QB prior to Sunday’s game, and he completed 5 of 11 passes for a touchdown in relief. Dorian Thompson-Robinson played most of the 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at quarterback.

Winston said the following about the reaction of Browns fans in the stands:

“Growing up, I learned to love no matter the circumstances, especially for people who do right by you,” Winston said after the game. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve Deshaun, but I am deeply angered by the response to a man who has had the world against him for the past four years.

“And he put his body and his life on the line every day for this city. No matter your perception, no matter what you thought would happen to him, he promised every day that I was here to be the best he could be. ” could be for this team.”

Were the fans wrong to boo Watson and cheer his injury?

Watson’s injury and mere presence with the Browns is fraught. Sunday wasn’t just an incident of fans booing an injured player who hadn’t performed.

Watson joined the Browns amid more than two dozen civil allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct before settling them out of court. Despite these allegations and Watson sitting in Houston for an entire season after they surfaced, the Browns traded for Watson and signed him to a historic contract with $230 million in guaranteed money.

On the field, Watson looked nothing like his former Pro Bowl self in more than two seasons in Cleveland, plagued by injuries and poor play. A Browns team that made the playoffs last season with Joe Flacco at quarterback started Sunday at 1-5 with an offense that ranked last in the NFL in yards per game.

And the allegations of sexual assault have not stopped. Another woman accused Watson of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in September detailing an allegation of an attack she said occurred in her apartment in 2020 when Watson arrived for a date. As with the previous allegations, Watson reached a confidential agreement to settle the lawsuit out of court.

Meanwhile, Watson has been cleared to continue playing amid a league investigation into the newly surfaced allegation that commissioner Roger Goodell said is still ongoing. Fans in Cleveland are fed up with it all.

Prior to his injury, they greeted Watson with boos during pregame introductions.

Then came the reports of cheering in the stands when he was injured.

It is not without reason that swearing at an injured person while exercising is taboo. It’s also fair to say that the circumstances surrounding Watson’s injury and his relationship with fans are anything but usual.

VaselineOctober 20, 2024

0 4 minutes read