Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson called the boos he received from his own fans during the team's preseason opener on Saturday "disrespectful" and "personal." The quarterback was jeered repeatedly in the second half of a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Watson, who has faced scrutiny due to injuries, an 11-game NFL suspension in 2022 related to accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct, and a $230 million contract, completed 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards and threw an interception during his performance. He entered the game after starter Shedeur Sanders, with coach Todd Monken yet to announce the Week 1 starter for the September 13 season opener.
In his first appearance before Browns fans since tearing his Achilles tendon on October 20, 2024, Watson recalled the crowd's reaction to his injury. "Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson said in his post-game press conference. "So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer."
Watson stated that the boos were not solely performance-related but felt personal. "I think that's a disrespectful thing," he said. "I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on."
Watson has played in just 19 games since the Browns acquired him in a trade that involved three first-round draft picks. His tenure has been marked by a league suspension, struggles with rustiness upon his return, a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023, and now recovery from a twice-ruptured Achilles tendon.
He expressed frustration that the animosity from fans seems to surface primarily when he is on the field. "When I'm in public, no one's mentioned anything," Watson noted. "Because this is social media, players can't respond back. And then in the stadium, players can't respond back. So I get it. I understand it. So it is what it is. It's a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games. So if it is my spot and he (Monken) does make me the (starter), maybe it's 17 away games then."
Despite competing with Watson for the starting role, Sanders defended his teammate, stating, "I don't appreciate that at all. Regardless of competition, we're all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room, too, we're all humans. I don't do things to humans that I wouldn't want done to me. For all the fans, we appreciate you showing up, and however you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it's more about a bigger purpose and it's respect. It's a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we're all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible."
Coach Monken acknowledged the difficult nature of being booed but suggested that improved play could shift fan sentiment. "It sucks. I don't want to get booed," Monken said. "It comes with the territory. You don't want to get booed? Let's play good football. Let's play good at quarterback. Let's play good on offense. Let's play good as a team. And then you don't have to worry about all that because it can turn just like that. Win, play good football, and everybody will be fine. That's just part of it."