The Browns’ mock-humility over the Deshaun Watson trade is laughable

From a football-only perspective, the winner of the Cleveland Browns-Houston Texans blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson is worthy of debate. The Texans shipped the 26-year-old quarterback to the Browns in exchange for three first-round picks, plus a third- and fourth-rounder. In addition, Watson will reportedly receive $230m in guaranteed money. That’s a boatload of capital to invest in any player, and Watson will need to give the Browns several years of production to make the deal worth it for Cleveland from a football perspective. Franchise quarterbacks drive organizations: great ones are worth breaking the bank for.

But in trading for Watson, the Browns sold their soul. Of course, Watson is no ordinary player. He’s a multi-faceted – and arguably generational – talent who led the league in passing yards in 2020. He is a three-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record for highest career completion percentage. The Browns salivated at those stats, all the while minimizing a far more significant number: 22.

Twenty-two women who happen to be massage therapists have accused Watson of sexual assault or misconduct. According to the initial complaint, Watson requested massages through Instagram and asked the therapists to focus on his groin area. He is accused of demanding a specific focus on his groin area and then positioning himself so the therapist was forced to feel his erect penis. Similar accounts were later shared by the other therapists who signed onto the complaint and filed civil suits.

The Texans sidelined Watson for the entire 2021 while the legal proceedings played out and the NFL launched its own investigation which is still ongoing. Meanwhile, the Browns must have concurrently launched their own investigation