Cleveland Browns fans across Ohio are pushing back hard after quarterback Deshaun Watson appeared confused by the vitriol directed at him by the local fanbase. For football fans in Northeast Ohio, the relationship with Watson has been fraught since the franchise handed him a historically massive, fully guaranteed contract despite a mountain of off-field legal allegations and accusations of sexual misconduct.
Now, as the quarterback expresses disbelief over the harsh treatment he receives both at Huntington Bank Field and online, fans are making it clear that his surprise is only making them angrier than they already were.
In a post shared on X by Underdog NFL, Watson can be seen accusing fans of booing him for reasons that have little to do with football, which is a bold move given his terrible preseason game. After public comments where Watson seemed taken aback by the crowd’s hostility, social media quickly erupted with backlash calling out his lack of self-awareness.
Ohio Fans Tear Watson Apart For His Defiant Attitude
“Zero awareness,” wrote one fan, summarizing the dominant sentiment across online forums. Others pointed to his massive financial compensation paired with minimal on-field results as the primary driver for the hostility. “Dude acting like it’s not deserved,” another commenter posted.
“You got the largest fully guaranteed contract in the sport and haven’t done a thing. That comes with the territory boss man. Suck it up and get better.” For many in the fanbase, the frustration stems from a feeling that the franchise’s identity was compromised for a player who has failed to deliver on the field while remaining shielded from accountability. “Yeah, this dude has basically held our franchise hostage since he’s been here,” stated one fan. “The fans cannot stand him and would like to see him gone, so yeah, it is personal.”
The sentiment was echoed across football forums, where observers urged the front office to take drastic action regardless of the sunk cost. “The Browns should have never signed him, that was the first mistake,” another fan noted. “This will go down as the worst contract move in maybe the history of the NFL. Cutting him now isn’t going to change that, so the Browns should just cut him.” Another fan agreed that the financial burden remains a sticking point: “If you don’t like it, deshaun, then return the 240 million you earned with the browns and give it back to the owner.‘
‘You ripped the fans off and more importantly the owner as well.” As one local poster put it succinctly, “browns fans have every reason to boo you on and off the field.” With the season pressing forward, the wedge between Cleveland and its starting quarterback appears wider than ever, and Sanders is inching ever closer to getting the starting job.
