The Draw Play

I genuinely thought we’d escaped this happening. When Watson got his massive contract, you could see the narratives forming. The redemption narratives. The same shit we saw Roethlisberger enjoy after his bathroom assault. But Watson saved us from himself by going out there and playing some of the worst damn football you’ll ever watch, then getting hurt multiple times. It was as if the universe itself manifested “Ball don’t lie”.

But we’ve somehow ended up in a bizarre situation where the Browns are winning games with Watson. Watson isn’t exactly playing top-shelf football against high-quality competition, but this isn’t the mess we saw week 1 against the Jaguars. He’s…doing barely enough. Barely enough to somehow trigger all the apologia and redemptive nonsense we’d managed to avoid these past several years.

To some degree, I understand that announcers and the media in general are simply not going to discuss the details of why Watson sucks as a person. It was an off-field issue, and there might be legal quirks in bringing up some of the cases that have already been settled. We were never going to get ESPN showing big bright graphics about Watson’s 27 sexual misconduct allegations every time he was a point of discussion. For the most part, since Watson sucked, it was easier to just not talk about him at all. But now he’s playing well enough to win some games (and judging from their schedule, they could end up with a decent amount before the year is up) and the bullshit is coming out.

Mina Kimes put it pretty well when she pointed out that they aren’t just ignoring the scandal, they are trying to give Watson a redemption arc. Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and much of the TNF crew (and other crews) have spent time alluding to the “adversity” Watson has endured, on and off the field. They conveniently never specify what that adversity was. They use this as the foundation for a feel-good anecdote about his current play. It feels sickening to see what this guy did get brushed over as some personal journey towards football redemption. He’s a sexual predator.

If he’s playing well just say that. If we should “stick to sports” as it were, then fucking stick to sports and leave his crimes out of it. Don’t bring his own vile personal behavior into it as vaguely as possible to sell me a cool football redemption. We can and should bring guys personal stories into the narrative of football, because that gives the sport life and enriches the experience. But that requires you to acknowledge that some of these guys are pieces of shit, and you shouldn’t dance around it. Watson’s behavior should be a constant mark on his story. Unlike Vick, he has put forth no effort to redeem himself or admit responsibility except play below-average football years later. I’m not giving him credit for that shit.

He’s only still in the league because the Browns gave him such a bad contract that they are unable to cut him. That’s it. It’s the only reason he’s survived this long. If you want to bring up his “adversity”, make it clear you are talking explicitly about his injuries (I hope he has another!) and not his own predatory actions. There is a reason most NFL fans hate him, and it isn’t his poor play. His poor play makes most of us cheer. There is a reason we boo him beyond his garbage passing. We don’t want to look at him anymore.

I feel genuinely bad for Browns fans right now. This is the first twinge of success they’ve had for a while, and it’s a surprise at that. 52 other players on the team presumably aren’t serial predators, and there is no reason why you can’t root for them and enjoy this success. But it feels disgusting seeing the wins come with this taint stain smiling. I kinda get it, my team is starting Jameis Winston and winning, and I feel gross seeing him throw a good touchdown even if it means good things for the Giants. I don’t want to see the Giants lose. I wish I could be having that joy without him under center.

Watson is a sexual predator. He’s a creep. A few good passes do not change that, and they do not redeem it. Shut the fuck up if you can’t acknowledge it.