When Deshaun Watson was first traded to the Cleveland Browns from the Houston Texans on the eve of a long suspension, you could always point to the fact that he was an exciting football player. Not only is he not exciting anymore, he’s not even good.
He’s dreadful, and the baggage he brings far overshadows what little he brings to the table nowadays. He completed just over 50% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 9.3 – not good – with two interceptions and six sacks taken Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns, who were actually favored in the game, were down 33-10 with 30 seconds left, only scoring a late rushing touchdown to make it 33-17.
Now let’s look at the contract situation. Dallas’ Dak Prescott, of former Mississippi State fame, finally received his new contract before kickoff Sunday. Across four years, he will earn upwards of $240 million. His counterpart, Watson, is currently on Year 3 of a $230 million deal. Prescott statistically didn’t wow anyone Sunday, but he didn’t turn the ball over and led his team to a dominant victory – with much thanks to the Dallas defense and Watson’s performance.
That’s the bad on-field play. But his play off the field is far worse, and the reason we’re even discussing him today.
See, bad quarterback play is not a rarity in the NFL. You could spend days talking about all the various Joe Schmoes that have tried and failed in the league, but it’s not often that they were both really good in college and at the start of their career before flaming out hard.
Oh, and it’s alleged by over two dozen women that Watson committed sexual misconduct. I’d say that sets him apart.
The aforementioned suspension he served? An 11-game sentence – he got let off the hook – after he was alleged to have committed inappropriate conduct and sexual assault during massage sessions. (By the way, the Browns knew of this and still decided to send the Texans three first round picks for his services before giving him his current monster contract, fully guaranteed.) And now there’s another lawsuit that was filed this week alleging him of sexual assault and battery that dates back to his tenure in Houston. The details of the lawsuit would make any father furious.
And what stands out to me above all of this? He never gave a heart-felt apology that most would see as the absolute bare minimum. He apologized for the impact he had on those women, but he staunchly denied wrongdoing. And yet, here he is, still playing football at the highest level. Making millions. Generational wealth. With no remorse.
The NFL talks long and hard about how the league wants its players to be role models. Watson sure isn’t one, and it’s an absolute embarrassment that he’s still allowed to suit up week in and week out despite having all of this associated with him. He’s got plenty of money already. Barring him from the NFL, whether formally or informally, will not ruin his life, as his alleged actions could have done to others.
People still held the belief that Watson was a good quarterback when the Browns made the move to acquire him, and that was their justification for taking on a person like him. Now, he’s unapologetically abysmal. It’s already too late to be done with him, NFL. At least try to salvage what little good will you can gain by getting rid of him for good.
The Pickoff
Boy, Notre Dame sure soiled themselves on Saturday. I mean, the Fighting Irish essentially had a playoff spot locked in as long as they won the games they were supposed to win leading up to the final week against Southern Cal.
But Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois at home wasn’t just a game Notre Dame should have won. The former No. 5 team should have won handily.
Instead, the Huskies stayed in the fight all game, and intercepted Irish quarterback Riley Leonard in the fourth quarter down 14-13. NIU drove down and kicked a field goal with under a minute left, and the Huskies blocked a Fighting Irish field goal attempt as time expired to clinch the upset of the 2024 season.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch NIU head coach Thomas Hammock’s postgame interview with NBC. Real, raw emotion from an NIU alum, now head coach. It’s the type of thing that sets college football apart from the more popular NFL.
Play of the Week
This one hits a little close to home, so I’ll have to give the nod to Southern Miss’ Dylan Lawrence this week, who returned an interception to the house for a touchdown last Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana.
It was a game that was seldom in doubt – at least it shouldn’t have been – but this play means a lot because of what the Golden Eagles have lost. Lawrence and I graduated as the George County High School Class of 2019, where we both knew M.J. Daniels, who tragically lost his life this summer. Lawrence carried Daniels’ No. 11 jersey onto the field to start the year against Kentucky, and he’s honored his legacy with two interceptions in as many games.
Dylan, you’re making Lucedale proud.
