Boom! Deshaun Watson suspension fireworks getting closer to grand finale | Rob Oller
You know how when dealing with fireworks noise fatigue there is that one final boom you know is coming but don’t know exactly when? Well, here it is, one last blast of Deshaun Watson.
It may not be the grand finale, but this is it until the smoke clears. Or at least until Watson says something else contradictory or the Cleveland Browns do something dumb, either of which could be any second.
Until then, some close-to-final thoughts on the Charlie Browns and their controversial quarterback.
Two words that keep coming up when discussing Watson are “Yeah, but …,” typically spoken by Browns fans who would rather focus on possibilities than current events or past problems. It’s not that these Factory of Sadness workers approve of Watson’s off-field behavior, but their moral compass is a moving target more than pointing true north.
Yeah, but … can you really believe all those women?
Yeah, but … they just want his money.
Yeah, but … Watson wasn’t the first NFL player to allegedly abuse women. And are the accusations any worse than similar violence against women perpetrated by Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Rice and Kareem Hunt? Brett Favre sent a woman a photo of his junk. Talk about messed up.
Rob Oller:Who wins in NFL vs. Deshaun Watson? The league and its lawyers, of course.
Yeah, but … we all know threats of so-called Cleveland fans to leave the Browns will end as soon as the team begins winning games with Watson.
Yeah, but … the NFL is full of hypocrites who come down hard on Watson – an 11-game suspension, $5 million fine and mandatory counseling – but go relatively easy when it’s one of their own. Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder gets accused of co-signing a culture of sexual harrassment within the franchise? Crickets. New England owner Robert Kraft indulges his own “massage” habits. Nothing to see here.
Yeah, but … Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are willing to spend money, plus they do a lot for charity.
Yeah, but … why should Watson admit guilt when he believes he has done nothing wrong?
Yeah, but … he even said he was sorry.
You’ve heard them all.
Yet for every declaration of “Yeah, but …” there needs to be an admission of “But, yeah.” Browns apologists who argue “Yeah, but …” eventually must acknowledge certain common sense truths.
But yeah … former U.S. district judge Sue L. Robinson described as “predatory” Watson’s actions involving 66 female massage therapists over 17 months, concluding that his conduct was “egregious.”
But yeah … usually when you find a few massage therapists you like, you stick with them. Sixty-six? C’mon, man. And has no one else wondered why Watson scheduled only women to attend to him? Can we really chalk it up to simple personal preference, that Watson’s interpretation of “unwanted touching” means him not being touched by a man? Sorry, not buying it.
But yeah … Watson’s apologies are more like non-apologies. His explanations sound more like defense mechanisms. He first came out with “I want to say that I’m truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation. The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back.” Later, he released a written statement that included, “I take accountability for the decisions I made.”
Then, after receiving the 11-game suspension he said, “I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said I’ve never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone.”
So why accept the 11-game suspension?
“That was the legal side,” he said, sounding less contrite than an alley cat spitting feathers from its mouth.
But yeah … the Browns bloodied their lip first by pursuing Watson, then spun it to sound like they are humanitarians bent on saving him.
“Is he never supposed to be a part of society? Does he get no chance to rehabilitate himself?” Jimmy Haslam said. “That is what we are going to do.”
Fair question: What need is there to rehabilitate a man who insists his behavior is in no way, shape or form beyond the pale?
But yeah … even if the team eventually wins with Watson, excitement will be muted and the sense of accomplishment distorted. Many Browns fans will claim they don’t care what anyone else thinks, but Super Bowl success is supposed to be warm and fuzzy, not wrapped in and warped by national ridicule.
Let’s not be so naive to think many Browns fans who vow never to return won’t eventually jump back on the bandwagon, but it is a shame even if 10% stay away forever.
But yeah … things also could fall apart under Watson. If that happens, complaints about surrendering three first-round draft picks and calls for the Haslams to sell the team will erupt like Mount Vesuvius. The Cleveland Pompeiis, always stuck in place.
Eagles at Browns
When: 1 p.m. SundayTV: Ch. 10Radio: 97.1 FM
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Deshaun Watson fireworks ready to explode on Cleveland Browns
