Deshaun Watson’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns and his relationship with the fans have been complicated. That much was evident when he played in front of the home crowd for the first time since the 2024 season. The fans, meanwhile, welcomed him with boos, prompting Watson to call the reaction “personal” and “disrespectful.” Things escalated further when head coach Todd Monken named him the starter over Shedeur Sanders for Week 1.

In response, Browns fans taped signs to the statue of franchise legend Jim Brown outside the team’s stadium. By placing multiple signs on the statue, fans criticized the team’s decision to keep Watson on the roster. As that unfolded, Pittsburgh Steelers legend James Harrison called out the fans for vandalizing the statue of one of the greatest players in franchise history.

“You put this on Jim Brown’s statue. The man who is the greatest running back and player for the Cleveland Browns y’all have ever had. One of the best running backs to ever do it in the NFL. He led the league in rushing eight times. He only played nine seasons. He had 12,312 yards rushing, 106 touchdowns, three-time NFL MVP, an NFL championship in 1964. That’s just his football accomplishments, okay? And he is one of the first black superstar athletes, dude, to use his status for the civil rights movement.

“You can look it up and see all the things that he did and everything he was involved in. Now, we talking about the 60s. He played from 1957 to 65, when this country had legal segregation. I mean, you had actual presidents that ran their platform on segregation. He put his life at actual risk to try and better this country. This is the same man that helped broke a peace deal with the Crips and Bloods.”

The Browns selected Jim Brown in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft. Considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, Brown made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro every season. Besides, The Sporting News and the Associated Press named him the greatest professional football player ever in 1999.

By the time he finished his career, he averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game. At the same time, he remains the only player in league history to average over 100 rushing yards per game in his career.

After retiring from the NFL, Brown also made an impact off the field, as he was one of the few athletes to speak out on racial issues in the 1950s. In 2016, the Browns unveiled his statue outside the team’s stadium. That, however, was recently vandalized as the fans showed their frustration over quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Per ESPN, one of the signs on Brown’s statue read, “$280,000,000. 27+ Victims. Zero Supporters,” while another sign called his presence on the team “Permanent Damage To The City & Franchise.”

Watson’s tenure in Cleveland began with controversy, as he was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season shortly after signing a five-year, $230 million contract. Subsequently, he missed a significant portion of his tenure because of season-ending shoulder and Achilles injuries.

Now, Watson is entering the final year of his deal, and it’s clear that the Browns have no long-term plans to view him as their starting quarterback, even though he’s set to start in Week 1 this season.