Unsurprisingly, Deshaun Watson didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes in his return to the NFL gridiron on Friday night.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback stepped onto the field for the first time since 2020 in his team’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His time under center was met by a chorus of boos and other NSFW chants.
There was also a more unsavory chant that we’ll let you find on Twitter – if you so choose.
Over the past year, Watson collected 24 civil cases of alleged sexual misconduct stemming from massage therapy sessions with 24 different women. He settled 20 of these 24 cases, but much of the NFL world is still disturbed by his alleged pattern of behavior.
Watson’s initial punishment for violating the league’s personal conduct policy is a six-game suspension to start the 2022 season. Roger Goodell and the NFL appealed this decision, saying the quarterback’s “egregious” behavior deserves at least a full-season suspension.
The Browns, who signed Watson on a fully-guaranteed, $230 million contract earlier this offseason, elected to play him in last night’s game despite this ongoing appeal.
Watson went for seven yards and zero first downs on 1/5 passing through three drives.
Luckily for Watson, the Browns will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at home in their next preseason matchup.