Today, the Browns made it more official by introducing Deshawn Watson as their new quarterback and team member at Berea. Flanked by head coach Kevin Stefansky and general manager Andrew Berry, he looked dapper for most of the opening press conference in his brown suit and orange tie.
Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam were not present, nor were the investigators hired by the club to investigate allegations against their new star player. The Haslams later participated in a Zoom conference call as they were out of the country.
The signing of Watson undoubtedly divided Browns fans. Many fans simply abandoned the franchise and found other things to do. Others accepted a very talented player in the hope that his signing would give Cleveland another championship title. While others mulled over a “wait and see” attitude, as Watson was never actually accused of anything.
#Browns Attention all Deshawn Watson haters he is a Cleveland Browns quarterback whether you like it or not the billionaires and millionaires still run the NFL if you don’t like it get out or at least find another NFL team to follow leave the truth Browns fans alone
— Jay Dog (@67vett327) March 25, 2022
The press conference came immediately after two grand jury hearings in which none of the Texas courts sought indictments for any criminal charges against him regarding complaints and allegations from 22 different women, most of whom were massage therapists.
Watson is still facing another criminal charge, soon to be presented to another Texas County grand jury. The lawyer for the 22 women then stated that their civil lawsuits would continue and each believed that their allegations would lead to victory.
Here, in DBNwe have five options for Watson’s first speech to the Cleveland media.
1. Watson not only stated that he was innocent of all charges, but also repeated it quite a bit
Watson came straight out and stated that he did not and did not commit any act or sexual assault that any of these women portrayed. Then he said it again. And later, again.
“I never attacked women,” Watson said. “I have never disrespected any woman.”
Not only did he repeatedly claim to be innocent, his body language and tone was quite strong.
“What has just come out of my sight caught me by surprise because I didn’t do anything that these people claim,” Watson said. “… I have never in my life insulted, disrespected or abused any woman.”
Many statements and questions were asked, and then Watson came back with this:
“I understand that the situation is very difficult, especially the female part of the fans in this community. I’m not naive about this. These accusations are very, very serious. But, as I mentioned earlier, I have never insulted women, I have never disrespected any woman. I was raised by a single mother who has two sister aunts. I was raised to be sincere. I have always defended it and will always stand by it. I’m just an opportunity to show who I really am in the community.”
If you could find anything in Watson’s first press release, it was that the player firmly and clearly defended his claim of innocence.
Berry echoed Watson’s assessment:
“We have a lot of confidence in Deshawn as a person. We have a lot of faith in him and feel that when he gets into the community he will be a positive influence. We think he is one of the best players in the sport. He is in his prime and we think this is the most important position. We really think that this decision, when evaluated in the long term, will be positive for our organization.”
Watson repeatedly made it clear that he had done nothing wrong.
2. Everyone understands that sensitivity is work 1.
The Haslams were very focused on being sensitive to the fact that every part of it is of a delicate nature.
He was also voiced by Stefansky and Berry.
One thing that raised a lot of concern after the announcement that Watson was coming to Cleveland was that there could be a huge exodus due to season ticket renewals. Haslam actually explained that the opposite is happening.
The entire Browns organization seems to be on the lookout for anyone in the community who might be bothered by the female rapist heading the franchise. This has been addressed many times.
The Haslams have made it very clear that they support the idea of trying to complete the Watson exchange despite the legal ramifications that are still ongoing. They mentioned that they trust the legal system and fully support Watson’s legal team, as well as the direction that is currently underway regarding the 22 pending civil claims.
“We’ve spent more time, more effort, more research on this decision than any other decision we’ve made with the Cleveland Browns,” said Jimmy Haslam. “This is something we have taken very seriously and we feel comfortable in the process.”
Dee Haslam then shared her thoughts:
“It has been a difficult journey for us and for our family. We spent a lot of time with our daughters and worked on it as a family. We had to work hard to come to terms with this decision. We knew that it would be very difficult for people who can evoke emotions caused by sexual violence. Our compassion for these people is really deep.”
3. The whole press conference felt like a funeral.
The Browns had a new toy that replaced a new old toy. However, the atmosphere was serene amid the huge national and local network coverage.
Mind you, Watson hasn’t appeared in front of a barrage of cameras for nearly two years. Maybe he was rusty, or maybe he’s just so solemn when approached en masse. Be that as it may, the whole atmosphere was depressing.
It turned out that after a few questions, his lawyer instructed him not to say anything reprehensible in relation to his upcoming cases. No one had the happiness of meeting the highest paid player in the league.
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
4. The Watson situation, regardless of the outcome, is likely to continue.
Once the Browns are on the field and the real games are won and lost, every week the media will talk about Deshawn Watson and any charges he will have to face in the coming months.
These accusations may not fester, but they certainly will.
And, of course, the Browns are hoping they have the right guy this time around to help them at the end of the season. And for $230 million, they better be. Watson is an exceptional athlete, but as long as cases are open and pending, this will be news that will surround the Browns throughout the season.
But after the press release, it is doubtful that what has been said will change even one fan of their position on this issue at the moment. There was no moment that suddenly made anyone more comfortable with Watson being the new franchise leader.
Many of the questions were very well evaded and did not accurately represent what needed to be said or revealed.
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK
5. The only question that needed to be asked was, finally, “Why are there so many massage therapists?”
Almost four minutes later, Watson was finally asked what a lot of people were already wondering about.
Most athletes prefer to have only a few people touching their body, whether for medical reasons or for muscle tone and the like. Athletes get massages all the time. And, like a good auto mechanic, when you find a good one, you will stick to that source.
But Watson apparently used 40. And 22 of that number filed sexual allegations against him. Why so much?
“I was in Houston for five years, and 40 years is more time. It is not in one period of time. You go to different people. I can’t go into details, but people have different schedules and I meet different people over time.”
Did it answer him? Not on the list. Doesn’t really make sense. Can you imagine a place that needs a business for professional athletes who pay well and pay on time and can’t move other clients for a player like a franchised quarterback for a local NFL team?
It just didn’t seem like a straight answer. And it’s not that Watson didn’t have time to think about what to say when asked. Is that all he could come up with? Maybe he wants to give the impression that there is no good answer to the question.