The Cleveland Browns made a major offseason splash recently when they completed a blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson.
The superstar quarterback has become incredibly polarizing over the last year or so, as sexual assault allegations have been brought forward against him by over 20 women.
While some have criticized the Browns and the league as a whole as a result of the move, former star receiver and current sports pundit Michael Irvin took a different approach.
.@michaelirvin88 on @923TheFan: "Cleveland let me tell you this. Hell of a job getting your QB. All that other stuff, I don't know anything about it. All I know, you got a bad man on the football field."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) March 22, 2022
Considering all of the allegations that are circling Watson, Irvin’s message seems to be pretty tone-deaf. However, this isn’t the first time that an NFL star has gotten the benefit of having his off-the-field issues overlooked by the league and many of its fans.
Surely, Watson and the Browns are hoping that the drama surrounding the allegations is behind him. Still, it will be interesting to see how he is received by the team’s fan base as the 2022 season gets underway.
There is no doubt that with Watson under center, the Browns are a better team. They may even be a team that could challenge for a Super Bowl. However, only time will tell if the Browns made the right choice by bringing in a player who has a fairly large shadow hanging over him.
Watson didn’t play at all during the 2021 season, but he had a stellar year during the 2020 campaign, completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns. Throughout his time in the league, he has been named to a total of three Pro Bowls.
