CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson finally heard what many Browns fans have been trying to say for years.
As Watson walked off the field after completing just 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards and throwing an interception, boos echoed throughout Huntington Bank Field. Personally, I think they came far too late. The booing shouldn't begin after a poor performance or an interception. It should begin the moment he steps onto the field wearing a Browns uniform.
Help me understand something. How is Deshaun Watson still on an NFL roster? How is there even a conversation about him taking meaningful snaps for this franchise, let alone being named starter?
Yeah, I get the cap hit if they were to let him go. That doesn't mean he's worthy of starting for the Browns—or even serving as the backup. The Browns could easily say, "Here's your bag. Best of luck to you." They simply don't have the courage to do it.
After the game, Watson called the boos "disrespectful" and "personal." Some of his teammates defended him.
Personal? Absolutely.
It is personal.
Not because Watson threw an interception in a meaningless preseason game, but because many Browns fans have never accepted what the Browns chose to overlook when they traded for him.
Twenty-seven women accused Watson of sexual misconduct in civil lawsuits. That isn't a former girlfriend or acquaintance or a single individual who accused him of sexual misconduct. Literally dozens (with an “s”) of women came forward.
Whether someone believes those allegations should define him forever is a matter of opinion, but no one should be surprised that many fans believe they do, and pretending otherwise insults the intelligence of people buying the tickets.
So, when Watson asks for respect, I have a simple question in return: respect for what?
His play certainly hasn't earned it. He has been absolutely abysmal as the starting quarterback for the Browns, and one disappointing performance after another has only reinforced the feeling that the trade has become one of the worst decisions in franchise history (and personally, not only do I think it’s the worst trade in franchise history, but it ranks only behind the Saints mortgaging their entire draft for Ricky Williams as the worst trade in the history of the sport). For many fans, his off-field reputation eliminated whatever goodwill his on-field performance might have earned.
That said, the Browns deserve every bit as much of the criticism. This wasn't an unfortunate circumstance thrust upon the organization. It was a deliberate decision. The franchise willingly tied itself to one of the most controversial players in modern professional sports and then seemed genuinely surprised when a significant portion of its fan base refused to embrace him. That's not the fans' failure. That's on the Browns for being completely blind and completely tone-deaf.
Perhaps what's most frustrating is watching members of the organization act as though the public's reaction is somehow unfair. It isn't. Fans invest thousands of dollars, countless Sundays, and an enormous amount of emotional energy into this team. They're allowed to reject—and yes, boo—decisions they believe hurt both the football team and the values the Browns should represent.
So yes, boo.
Boo when he throws an interception. Boo when he jogs onto the field. Boo because you're tired of being asked to separate the player from everything that brought him here in the first place. And boo the front office for continuing to stand behind him.
If that makes Watson uncomfortable, so be it. Be a better human being and a better quarterback – in that order.
The problem was never, nor will it ever be the boos. The problem is Deshaun Watson and the organization that continues to enable him.