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Myles Garrett and Browns chide fans for cheering Deshaun Watson's Achilles injury: 'I can't judge him for what he does off the field'

Myles Garrett and Browns chide fans for cheering Deshaun Watson's Achilles injury: 'I can't judge him for what he does off the field'
Posted on | Posted on angela

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury on Sunday.

Browns fans have no regrets about his departure. Fans in the stands in Cleveland booed Watson during the pregame introduction and then reportedly cheered after he went down due to his injury. After the game, Browns players, including All-Pro defensive back Myles Garrett, chided fans for their reaction.

Garrett took them to task in his postgame comments at the podium.

“The reaction from the fans was harsh,” Garrett said. “Whether it’s an opponent going down or one of us, we don’t boo. We don’t boo players who are injured on the field, especially when the car comes out.”

“We should be ashamed as Browns and as fans for booing someone and failing — a season-altering and career-altering injury.”

Garrett then appeared to acknowledge the context surrounding the Browns regarding Watson, who joined the team in 2022 after more than 20 women were accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

“The man isn’t perfect,” Garrett continued. “He doesn’t have to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. I can’t judge him by what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones out of my glass house.”

“But we have to do better. We have to be better on the football field and we have to be better as fans by having empathy for a man who is doing his best and has done his best up to this point.”

Garrett wasn't alone in his criticism. Cornerback Greg Newsome II and backup quarterback Jameis Winston also had harsh words for Browns fans.

Disclaimer: NSFW language in the video below:

“That was bullshit,” Newsome said. “I noticed that immediately. No matter what you think about a player – performance wise or not – you don't boo a guy who's down, who can't get up on his own. So yeah, that was bullshit***.

“So any fan that said anything is bullshit. It's that simple. You don't do that. Like I said, whether someone's playing well or not, whether you're a fan favorite, whether you're anything. “You don't boo a guy who sits down. So that’s bullshit.”

Newsome later reiterated his stance on social media.

Winston moved to the Browns this offseason to back up Watson. The Browns demoted Winston to third-string/emergency QB before Sunday's game, and he completed 5 of 11 passes for a touchdown in relief. Dorian Thompson-Robinson played quarterback for most of the 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Winston said this about the reaction from Browns fans in the stands:

“I was taught to love no matter what the circumstances, especially to people who do the right thing,” Winston said after the game. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve Deshaun, but I am deeply upset by the response to a man the entire world has spoken out against for the past four years.”

“And he put his body and his life on the line every day for this city. Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought was going to happen to him, he committed himself every day to me being here to be the best he could be for this team.”

Watson's injury and mere presence with the Browns is stressful. Sunday wasn't just an incident where fans booed an injured player who didn't play.

Watson joined the Browns amid more than 20 civil allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct before settling them out of court. Despite these allegations and the fact that Watson sat in Houston for an entire season after her emergence, the Browns traded Watson and signed him to a historic contract with $230 million in guaranteed money.

On the field, Watson looked nothing like his Pro Bowl-caliber former self during his two-plus seasons in Cleveland, which were plagued by injuries and poor play. A Browns team that made the playoffs last season with Joe Flacco at quarterback went 1-5 Sunday with an offense that ranked last in the NFL in yards per game.

And the allegations of sexual assault never end. Another woman accused Watson of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in September. It detailed an allegation of an assault that she said occurred at her apartment in 2020 when Watson arrived for a date. As with the previous allegations, Watson agreed to a confidential agreement to resolve the dispute out of court.

In the meantime, Watson has been allowed to continue playing while the league conducts an investigation into the newly surfaced allegations, which commissioner Roger Goodell says are ongoing. The fans in Cleveland are fed up with the whole thing.

Before his injury, they greeted Watson with boos during his pregame introduction.

Then came reports of cheers in the stands when he was injured.

There's a reason why it's taboo to boo someone who's injured during sports. It's also fair to say that the circumstances surrounding Watson's injury and his relationship with fans are anything but ordinary.

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