It was a tale of two mind sets going into Sunday’s game between the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.
One the former team of Deshaun Watson, the other team debuting Watson after an 11-game suspension.
The Browns quarterback had an uninspired game, his first since 2020, with 131 passing yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 53.4
While there were some boos in Houston directed toward Watson, it was more indifference from the, maybe a little over half-capacity, crowd.
The NFL limited the game nationally as well. Only 7 percent of the country was shown the game.
But even with the lack of fanfare surrounding his return, a few made light of the serious allegations levied against Watson.
26 lawsuits of sexual misconduct were fired against Watson. 24 have been settled and two still remain.
One Texans fan had a sign that said “I would rather be 1-9-1 than have Deshaun Watson as my quarterback.”
But some Browns fans had to just be Browns fans.
One sign a man was seen wearing said, “Welcome back Deshaun! We’re ‘Pulling’ for you! Hoping for a happy ending!”
Another fan was seen entering the stadium with a shirt that said, “B**ch I need a message.”
Guilty or not, it’s inappropriate behavior from Browns fans, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen shirts and signs making light of a very serious subject.
While the Browns would go on to win 27-14, Watson wasn’t the reason.