It turns out Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson doesn't feel so great about the idea of playing "17 away games" after all, so he opened his press conference on Monday addressing his comments aimed at the team's fans and offered something of an apology.
Sort of.
Probably more an explanation.
DESHAUN WATSON FIRES BACK AT BROWNS FANS AFTER HE'S BOOED AT HOME
Whatever it was, once Watson was selected the team's starting quarterback on Monday morning, he got the message that ripping the fan base is not such a good idea – even if they booed him before, during and after he played in Saturday's preseason game.
Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns listens to questions during a press conference prior to a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 18, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
"First off, I want to address the comments from Saturday after the game," Watson said to begin his presser. "I think just human nature and myself being very emotional, putting a lot of time these last two years to get back, spend time in this facility, in the city, meeting a lot of different people in the community, I thought I was going to get a little different response.
"But I think my emotions got the best of me, and my comments weren’t intended to go at any of the fans around the city, because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me."
Waiting for the apology.
"And I know the frustration. This organization put a lot of investment into getting me back in ’22, and things haven’t been going the right direction that we thought it would. A lot of injuries, a lot of time off, and not putting my best football and my best foot forward.
"So, again, I understand the frustration, I understand everything that goes into that."
Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns listens to questions during a press conference prior to a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 18, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
BROWNS PICK DESHAUN WATSON AS THEIR STARTING QB DESPITE BOOING INCIDENT
Yeah, this an explanation. Not an apology for saying the fans had gotten "personal," and made him feel some sort of way about their reactions, which he deemed "disrespectful."
"I feel like I get more love on road games than I do at home games," Watson said at one point on Saturday. "So, if it is my [starting job] ... maybe it’s 17 away games, then."
To be clear: Browns fans have not embraced Watson for a number of reasons. He came to the team with a history of lawsuits tied to sexual abuse claims by nearly two dozen massage therapists in Houston.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson signals to fans before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans in Houston, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022,. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
He was suspended by the NFL 11 games and fined after he reached a settlement with those therapists as part of civil court proceedings.
Then Watson injured his shoulder in 2023, forcing him to miss 11 games. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2024, forcing him to miss 10 games. And he tore the same tendon again in 2025, forcing him to miss the entire season.
All this by a player who cost the Browns six draft picks in trade, including three first-rounders, and a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
So, excuse the Dawg Pound if it took a big doodie on Watson by booing him on Saturday.
"Moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there, having the best ability because I thrive off the energy," Watson said. "I thrive off the energy of the fans, I thrive off the energy of the community, I thrive off all that stuff.
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"...I want to make sure I put the best product out there for the team, for the organization, and for the city, so we can put [out] a lot of wins, and celebrate, and put Cleveland on the map."
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Armando Salguero is OutKick's Senior NFL Writer.
