This season, the Cleveland Browns expect to reap the rewards of a trade over two years ago as the team is looking for quarterback Deshaun Watson to lead them on a deep postseason run.
With the start of the season less than 36 hours away, Watson and the Browns are making last-minute preparations for their season-opening opponent: the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, the team’s star quarterback will have at least one issue to deal with that could weigh heavily on his mind entering the 2024 NFL regular season opener.
Analyst Dov Kleiman shared a screenshot on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – of Watson’s Instagram story as the quarterback announced his father’s passing.
“Rest in Peace Pops,” Watson wrote with a broken heart and praying hands emoji on his Instagram story on Friday.
Prayers: Deshaun Watson's father has passed away.
Rest in peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/nWSVU8xPZE
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 6, 2024
Watson was reportedly estranged from his father, according to a FOX News report.
In 2017, Watson – who was still with the Houston Texans at the time – spoke about his father Don Richardson, and his family situation, suggesting he had seen his father “five (times) at the most.”
“My mom was basically my mother and father, so I didn’t really pay too much attention to it,” Watson said at the time.
“My friends had fathers,” the quarterback explained, adding, “But, for me, it was just kind of, ‘Hey, my mother is the one that I’m going to rely on and I’ll always focus on.'”
Neither the Browns nor Watson have suggested the quarterback would miss the game to deal with the passing.
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