Deshaun Watson got to know Matt Ryan by being Ryan's ball boy when he was younger
Deshaun Watson was probably going to be rooting for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI no matter what, because he was a Falcons fan growing up in Georgia.
But he has another good reason: He spent his high school years as Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s ball boy.
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Watson, the Clemson quarterback who led his team to a national title last month and will be a high pick in this year’s NFL draft, said in an interview with Yahoo Sports that he would help out at Falcons training camp when he was younger and from ninth to 12th grade he was Ryan’s ball boy.
“Always the nicest guy,” Watson said about Ryan. “Treated everyone well, with respect. I’m happy for him to be in a Super Bowl and have a chance to win it.”
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Watson went to high school in Gainesville, Ga., which is outside of Atlanta. He said he’ll be pulling for the Falcons on Sunday.
“Hopefully they can pull it out, bring it home,” Watson said.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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