Ben’s Back Page: An open letter to Cleveland Browns fans
After the Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson then signed him to a fully-guaranteed five-year $230 million contract, Browns fans are facing a tough decision.
By Ben CohenMarch 23, 2022 at 2:16 pm PDT
“Ben’s Back Page” is a column by Ben Cohen focusing on national sports’ hot topics.
Cleveland, I feel for you.
On Friday, March 11 when a
grand jury in Texas declined to indict Deshaun Watson on criminal charges of sexual misconduct, NFL teams decided the remaining uncertainty about Watson’s potential misconduct could take a back seat to their hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Watson refused to play for the Houston Texans last year and demanded a trade. He still faces 22 active civil lawsuits and has not been exonerated. Still, assurance that Watson wouldn’t go to prison was all some NFL teams needed.
Your General Manager, Andrew Berry, ended up trading for him.
Maybe you have no problem separating the person from the player, at least until proven guilty. But, if you’re questioning your fandom for the team you grew up with because you don’t know if you can support an organization that has picked Deshaun Watson as its new franchise quarterback, I get it. Truly, I do.
I’m not a Browns fan, thankfully, but earlier this year I reconsidered my love for English soccer club Manchester United when Mason Greenwood, a 20-year-old forward, was arrested for sexual harassment and rape.
Greenwood is just a few months older than me. He was the first United player I felt like I grew up with.
I idolized him.
Of course, the pain I felt is irrelevant compared to what his ex-girlfriend went through, but I felt let down. I wanted to buy his jersey.
Can you imagine if I had worn his name on my back?
That experience gave me perspective. I couldn’t even talk about the rest of the team for a little while — it just felt unimportant.
Now imagine if Greenwood returned to play for the club. What was a player doing the unspeakable would have become an organization condoning it. I don’t know if I’d be able to continue supporting the club I’ve loved since before I can remember.
I don’t wish that feeling on anyone. Browns fans, if that’s what you’re going through, I empathize with you.
Your general manager didn’t just want him. He didn’t just pay him. He made sure Watson got all of his money guaranteed.
But if that wasn’t bad enough, take a closer look at the contract. In Year 1, Watson’s base salary is just $1 million, despite the average annual value of the contract being $46 million.
Why does that matter? Because if Watson gets suspended this season as a result of his twenty-two pending civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct, the money he would lose through suspension would come out of his Year 1 base salary.
If suspended, he’ll lose less money because Cleveland planned it that way.
Wherever you stand on trading for a player facing civil lawsuits, this contract showed Cleveland’s true colors. Watson’s new contract was structured to use his potential crimes as an incentive for him to sign.
Berry chose to protect Watson and his money and to make sure he faced as few consequences as possible.
You don’t just have Deshaun Watson, but those in the Cleveland front office who signed him, too. Whether or not Deshaun Watson is guilty, the Browns decided that they didn’t care.
If you decide to part ways with your beloved team, I can’t blame you.
If you stick with the Dawg Pound, I can’t blame you either.
But for me and the majority of NFL fans, we’ll be rooting for your opponents for the foreseeable future.
Connie Schultz
, because if so it may get out of hand. 
