After five years of stops and starts, Deshaun Watson once again looks like a capable NFL quarterback, and the media faces a challenge in covering the re-emergence of a man with an ugly off-field history.
Watson faced allegations dating back to 2020, primarily from massage therapists who said he abused them during sessions. The quarterback settled each of them, with the final resolution coming this past February.
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After returning from nearly two missed seasons over the allegations and recovering from a torn Achilles, Watson was controversially named Cleveland’s starter this year. Watson has played well in leading the Browns to a 3-1 start.
During a home win on Thursday Night Football this week, Watson was widely lauded by the Prime Video team, who glossed over the more than two-dozen sexual misconduct lawsuits he settled to tell his comeback story. Announcer Al Michaels said, “We don’t have to go through” Watson’s allegations, while studio analyst Tony Gonzalez told Watson he was “proud” of how he overcame adversity.
On his Stugotz and Co. radio show Friday, host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner slammed the Prime Video broadcast and other Watson defenders for painting him as a victim.
“Anything Deshaun Watson is going through or has gone through is self-inflicted. He hasn’t ‘gone through’ anything,” Stugotz said. “Those women went through something terribly bad. I don’t want to hear about it.”
Stugotz explained that while he understands why Browns fans might celebrate Watson’s play and how it has led to team success, he does not believe anyone should be inspired by Watson.
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“He is not an inspiration by any stretch, and he’ll never be an inspiration to anybody. And he shouldn’t be an inspiration to Cleveland fans,” Stugotz said. “If Cleveland fans want to root for the jerseys, root for the team, root for the Browns, I’m OK with it. There is a fine line between rooting for the Browns and rooting for Deshaun Watson.”
Referencing TNF game analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s comments about Watson turning Browns fans’ boos into cheers, Stugotz argued fans aren’t celebrating Watson. They are, he said, merely happy to see their team winning for the first time in years.
“When you see them cheering, and he makes a play, what are they supposed to do?” Stugotz said. “This is a really bad guy. But fans have rooted for bad dudes, some they know about and some they have no idea.”
Beyond Watson settling with alleged victims who claim he assaulted them, the veteran QB was the recipient of a massive, fully guaranteed contract. Cleveland also gave up three first-round picks and two mid-round picks to get him. Until this point, nearly everything about the Watson era in Cleveland went catastrophically.
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Stugotz acknowledged that Watson is at least above replacement level again and contributing to wins in Cleveland. But the Miami-based longtime radio personality wouldn’t budge beyond that admission.
“If you’re going to give him credit, that’s the only bit of credit you can give him,” he said. “That after all of this, he has figured out a way to play decent on the football field. I don’t know. If you’re going to give him any credit. I’m not giving him any.”
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