As Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson laid on the ground during the team’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at of Huntington Bank Field after suffering an Achilles injury on a non-contact play, sarcastic cheers rang from the home fans in the stands.
After the game, Browns players and coaches voiced their displeasure with the reaction, saying the fans “should be ashamed.”
“We don’t boo guys who are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” star Cleveland pass rusher Myles Garrett said. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. (Watson’s) not perfect, he doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect.”
“Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field, because I can’t throw stones from my glass house, but we need to do better. Do better on the football field and do better as fans for having some empathy for a man who’s doing the best he can and did the best he can up until this point. We have to be better.”
Watson is believed to have torn his Achilles tendon, according to a league source, on a second-quarter play against the Bengals. He was carted off with a towel over his head.
The 29-year-old, who has been the subject of dozens of lawsuits from women alleging sexual assault or harassment, is in his third season with Cleveland after signing a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns in 2022. Including Sunday’s eventual loss to Cincinnati, Cleveland is 9-10 in games started by Watson.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski echoed Garrett’s words, telling reporters, “I don’t think it’s ever OK to cheer when someone’s injured. I’m sure it’s not every person in the building doing that, but yeah, it’s disappointing.”
Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II called the reaction “bulls—” and said he noticed them right away from the field.
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston — who started the day as the Browns’ emergency quarterback and later entered in the fourth quarter — appeared to be near tears as he spoke about the crowd.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years and he put his body and his life on the line for this city every single day,” Winston said. “Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought should happen with him, he committed every single day that I’ve been here to be the best that he can be for this team.”
Winston ended his answer by noting how much he appreciates the passion the “amazing fans,” but said he learned from his upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama, to “never pull on a man when he’s down.”
“I do not want the treatment that Deshaun Watson has received from these passionate fans,” Winston added. “I know you love this game, from when I first got here. I knew these were some amazing fans. But Deshaun was treated badly, and now he has to overcome another obstacle.”
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(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
