Deshaun Watson got a second chance to be under the spotlight in 2026 after being sidelined in 2024. He seems to be on the path to what looks like a great comeback. But four weeks into the season, the Cleveland Browns quarterback got called out by a FOX reporter for seeking sympathy.
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“I feel good for the Cleveland fans. Yes. I feel good for a lot of those players,” said Brady Quinn on FOX Sports Radio on October 2. “I’m not sure what PR spin they’re trying to put on or revisionist history they’re trying to make. Anything that he [Watson] endured in the past, he brought on himself. I mean, there’s not one part of the adversity he faced that he should have been solely responsible for.”
Even though Quinn now works as a full-time analyst for FOX, he started his career as an NFL quarterback. Having played for the Cleveland Browns from 2007 to 2009, he has been following the team’s trajectory even after retiring. So, he feels that Watson should not be complaining about how his trajectory took shape in Cleveland, as the Browns have immensely helped him to survive in the league.
“So, like, here’s the unfortunate part is we have— we’re going to keep talking about this because they’re going to keep bringing it up and we’re going to have to keep addressing it, acknowledging it. Like, dude, stop throwing a pity party. For what’s happened in the past for yourself. All right, you won a game, make it about the team, make it about everyone besides you, because quite frankly, you’re on a really good team, and it is about everyone besides you.
“You’re being successful because of the help you have around you. So I just, I hope he stops with keep trying to get people to feel bad for him.”
Things started to go downhill for the veteran quarterback ever since dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct while he was playing for the Houston Texans. The Browns signed him to a five-year, fully guaranteed, $230 million contract regardless of the controversy. He came to Cleveland an already unpopular QB.
After joining Cleveland, injuries have followed him like a shadow. Now healthy, the Browns still trusted him and gave him the keys to start the first few weeks. Yet, as Quinn highlighted, Watson stays busy turning everything into a sob story.
During an interview with Prime Video, he reflected on the toll of “the world kind of flipping against me” on his “mental state.” Watson was also asked whether the continued “skepticism” from fans who boo him over “who they believe you are as a person” is fair.
“Fair?” Watson said. “Of course, to me I’m going to say, ‘No.’ But life isn’t fair, and I understand. I can accept my responsibilities and everything that I went through and feel and move forward.”
Even before the season kicked off, fans already gave a trailer of what Watson was going to encounter. Boos rained down on the quarterback against the Buffalo Bills as he completed only 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards. During the post-game presser, he opened up about his feelings after facing the backlash.
“The whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson later said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?”
That’s exactly how, as Quinn pointed out, Watson is making everything revolve around him. The reminder comes at a time when he can hold the reins strongly instead of scripting another ‘sorry story’ as the Browns are on a 3-1 heater.