Deshaun Watson will carry a lot of baggage with him for the rest of his career, and the Cleveland Browns threw another set of Louis Vuitton luggage at him with their fully guaranteed contract.
That’s why every move he makes brings its own barrage of criticism or conjecture, whether it’s fair or not, and a rather simple matter of procedure prompted the team to step in and defend their franchise quarterback.
As reported by ProFootballTalk on Twitter, the Browns do not allow recently-injured players on the sidelines during games.
Browns say Deshaun Watson was off the sideline to avoid risk of an injury in a collision. https://t.co/Nb5Tlq8Tew
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 8, 2023
Watson, along with Nick Chubb and others, watched the Browns-Rams game from a stadium suite, but for some reason, social media chose to take a non-flattering moment and create a false narrative.
Watson was pictured with his girlfriend sitting alone with rather unenthused expressions.
The photo was paired with a pre-game photo of Nick Chubb on the sidelines.
Whoever posted the photo claimed Chubb was with his teammates during the game and Watson was not.
It questioned the quarterback’s leadership qualities and loyalty to his team.
Never mind that Watson and Chubb were both on the sideline pre-game and in the same suite to watch the contest, and never mind that Watson showed up at the L.A.-based practices during the week between rehab sessions.
Even after the initial post was debunked, folks doubled down with a photo of Joe Burrow in a cast.
Cincinnati let Burrow hang on the sideline with his wrist injury, so why couldn’t Watson be with his teammates?
As the team announcement notes, it’s because of the Browns’ rules, which apply to all of the Browns’ players.
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