CLEVELAND (AP) — Less than 24 hours after the Guardians lost the American League finals against the New York Yankees, and remained as the team with the longest title drought (since 1948) in baseball, the fans in the city of Cleveland suffered another blow, this time on the NFL field.
Deshaun Watson, the controversial and questioned Browns quarterback, was taken off the field on Sunday with an injury to his right Achilles tendon that he suffered in a non-contact play against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Following Cleveland's 21-14 defeat, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that it "appears" Watson's injury is serious and will end his season. The team was still awaiting test results, but all signs point to the quarterback not returning to play in 2024.
How did Deshaun Watson get injured?
Watson, who has not lived up to expectations in his more than two seasons with Cleveland, fell to the ground on a play with 1:26 left to play in the first half.
He immediately put his hands on his head while lying on the field in obvious pain. The Cleveland trainers hurried to help him, and soon all the Browns players, as well as the Bengals, approached from their bench to surround Watson and offer their support.
As he walked away, Watson, whose arrival in Cleveland divided the fan base, covered his head with a towel as fans applauded.
However, when he first stumbled, there were fans who cheered for him. Some even chanted for the backup, Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Myles Garrett, the current NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was upset by the fans' behavior. "We should be ashamed of ourselves as fans for booing an injured player," Garrett said. "No one deserves that."
The other backup quarterback, Jameis Winston, went even further. "I am very upset with the reaction to a man who has had the world against him for the last four years," Winston said. "He put his body and his life on the line for this city every day."
The controversial contract of Watson in Cleveland
Cleveland signed Watson to a fully guaranteed contract of 230 million dollars in 2022. He was suspended for 11 games by the NFL in his first year with Cleveland, and his second season was cut short after just six starts due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Watson has had a poor performance this season and was booed during the pre-game introductions.
Before getting injured, Watson completed 15 out of 17 passes for 128 yards. He was sacked twice. Thompson-Robinson replaced him, but he suffered a finger injury in the last quarter.
If the injury is confirmed, he would not return until next season to face his last two years of contract with the Browns for $46 million each. But will the Cleveland team be willing to continue trusting Watson? From a sports perspective, the answer seems to be negative, however, economically it is difficult to bench the most expensive player in the squad, and with his performance, a trade seems to be out of the equation.