Prominent Senior National Reporter for NFL Media, Stacey Dales, had some hot takes after the Cleveland Browns’ 27-24 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 1. There were a few takes surrounding the Browns’ quarterback, Deshaun Watson. As she stood in the veteran’s defense, she later deleted the post on X.
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“I’m told per Browns sources, tonight would be a huge breakthrough game for Deshaun Watson, who’s been a consummate professional. His relationship with Todd Monken, special. We’re seeing it manifest,” she wrote on X.
In a follow-up tweet, she argued Watson deserved a second chance after his tumultuous journey in the NFL.
“Hey guys, we are all moving on. Appreciate your passion. Everybody is entitled to a second chance. Please move forward with an open heart as I have. It will free YOU!” she wrote, replying to her earlier post, but later deleted it.
She did not mention any name in the post. However, the deletion suggests the post was intended to support Watson. Nevertheless, the follow-up post drew further backlash from fans, particularly because of Watson’s controversial off-field history and the sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Although she did not publicly explain why she deleted the post, the move led to speculation that Dales may have removed it after seeing the reaction to her comments. However, without an explanation from Dales, the reason behind the deletion remains unclear.
These back-to-back posts from Dales came after the veteran quarterback was iconic against the Steelers, helping the Browns improve to 3-1.
Watson threw for 181 yards and a touchdown in the first half, completing 14 of 17 passes. He wrapped up the night, finishing 24 of 33 for 268 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and a 94 passer rating in the game. His touchdown came with 1:22 remaining in the first half, when he found Harold Fannin for a 2-yard score. Bringing home a win, Watson put the Browns on a heater, who are 3-1 for the first time since 2021.
When it comes to proving himself, Watson has been on a streak. Even though he had a slow start to the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he scored two touchdowns each against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 and the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. That’s what made Dales to slip into the “second chance” narrative for the veteran quarterback. It comes in light of the troubled past the quarterback witnessed.
He faced a $5 million fine and an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Watson has reached confidential settlements with 23 of the 24 women who filed civil lawsuits against him alleging he committed sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions,” the NFL.com staff wrote. “Watson has previously denied any wrongdoing… Two grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal complaints filed by 10 women.”
While we are not sure what led Dales to delete the tweet, Watson getting called out for his off-field antics is not new. It has been only a few weeks into the season, but Stephen A. Smith had already pushed the quarterback to the edge. Particularly after Watson fired back at the critics after struggling in Week 1 as the starter.
“I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and five touchdowns every week,” Watson said when speaking to reporters. “Until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. Again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get the win and keep moving forward from there.”
However, for Smith, media backlash is something that Watson could have accepted in good spirits.
“I’m gonna tell you how you just made it worse,” Smith said. “Awful is one thing. Stupid is another. I’m not calling you stupid, Deshaun Watson. Wouldn’t disrespect you like that, bro. I’m calling your actions stupid.
“You’re complaining about people talking about you playing football. Haven’t you done other things that people could be talking about? … You should embrace every football conversation.”
Watson’s path to rehabilitating his image remains uncertain.