Only 24 hours after it was reported Deshaun Watson would not be joining Cleveland, the Pro Bowl quarterback reversed course in stunning fashion, settling on the Browns after a whirlwind courtship spanning several days.
The Browns, who are sending five draft picks (three first-rounders, a third and a fifth) to Houston in the deal, wasted no time in signing Watson to a long-term contract, rewarding him with a five-year, $230-million extension that runs through his age-31 season.
While some fans, including Akron native LeBron James, were ecstatic to see Watson choose Cleveland over Carolina, New Orleans and his hometown Falcons (Lamar Jackson also took to Twitter to offer his congratulations), others felt understandably betrayed, crestfallen the Browns would sell their soul for a quarterback with so much baggage.
The ways that people are reporting on and framing the Deshaun Watson trade are gross.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 18, 2022
Haven’t seen any context about why he was available in first place. So much “sweepstakes” talk and very little about what it means that these franchises courted Watson in the first place.
A harsh reality of the NFL—and all sports, to a certain degree—is that morality will always come second to winning, often putting fans in the uncomfortable position of rooting for athletes like Watson, who, even after being cleared by a grand jury, still faces 22 lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct. Not only did Watson earn every penny of his $10.54-million salary last season, but the 26-year-old was even granted the power to handpick his next team, facing essentially zero consequences. It's probably not a great sign when your strongest allies are Trevor Bauer and Antonio Brown, who have faced similar misconduct allegations in the past.
Balancing fandom with these principles is admittedly a difficult tightrope to navigate, inviting gross comparison shopping between players accused of sexual assault, domestic violence (including Watson’s new teammate, Kareem Hunt, who was suspended eight games following a leaked video of him attacking a woman in a hotel dispute) and other heinous crimes. Even if you’re able to separate the art from the artist, much in the way we grapple with cancelled celebrities like Kevin Spacey and Bill Cosby (both casualties of the “Me Too” movement), it’s hard to justify the Browns smearing Baker Mayfield for his immaturity while welcoming an alleged sexual predator with open arms.
As consumers, we make compromises every day of our earthly existence, from the iPhones we text with (relying on cheap labor is, for better or worse, a staple of our world economy) to the music we play in our cars (are we complicit by listening to R. Kelly and Michael Jackson on the radio?). Not to mention the moral dilemma shoppers encounter each time they pass a Chick-fil-A at the mall food court. Sports present a similar obstacle course ripe with landmines and rampant hypocrisy. Last week’s court ruling means Watson won’t ever have to see the inside of a jail cell. But that doesn’t make him “innocent” or downplay the lasting trauma and emotional damage he caused to his accusers, who now have to see him paraded around each Sunday with Browns fans chanting his name and wearing his No. 4 jersey.
Clearly fans are conflicted on this issue, torn whether to cheer for Watson—a monster talent who had been on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory until his scandal broke—or make the conscious decision not to, refusing to participate in his redemption arc.
LISTEN NOW on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
