Stephen A. Smith left his ESPN co-star feeling ‘uncomfortable’ after he declared scandalized quarterback Deshaun Watson is a contender to win the NFL’s Comeback of the Year prize.
After missing the entirety of last season with an Achilles injury, a rejuvenated Watson has led the Cleveland Browns to five wins from their opening seven games.
But his return to NFL stardom comes after he previously faced sexual misconduct allegations from 24 different massage therapists, many of whom claimed he exposed himself, touched them with his genitals and – in some cases – forced sexual acts during massages.
Watson denied sexually assaulting or harassing anyone and said that any sexual encounters were consensual. He was not criminally prosecuted over the allegations, but was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Now, four years on and after dealing with multiple injuries, Watson is trying to rebuild his career in Cleveland, on a huge $230 million contract and in front of a fanbase that is torn on whether or not to support him.
Following Sunday’s last-gasp win over the Tennessee Titans, however, Smith said Watson should be in the running for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award if he can maintain his current form.
Stephen A. Smit declared scandalized quarterback Deshaun Watson should win an NFL award
Smith’s claims did not go down well with co-star Chris Canty, who was left ‘uncomfortable’
Watson has started every game for the Cleveland Browns this year, winning five of seven
‘Deshaun Watson right now is the Comeback Player of the Year. Right now, Comeback Player,’ Smith declared on Tuesday morning’s episode of First Take.
But his assessment did not go down well with co-star Chris Canty, a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants in 2012.
‘That’s uncomfortable to even say,’ Canty replied. ‘It’s very uncomfortable.’
‘Very uncomfortable to say it, but it’s true. It’s true,’ Smith responded in defense.
‘Five wins, first place in the division. All five wins were come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter, led by him.
‘Considering where he was, how bad he looked on the football field, to what he has looked. Him, as far as I’m concerned, [and Todd Monken] is one of the top Coach of the Year candidates.’
Amazon Prime was criticized by NFL fans earlier this month for its ‘puff piece’ interview with Watson that opted against digging into his controversial past off the field.
Before the Browns’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Amazon Prime aired an exclusive sit-down interview with the quarterback. It didn’t go down well with fans, though.
The short piece, with Taylor Rooks interviewing Watson, skirted around the allegations made against him, with the host introducing the pre-recorded piece by simply mentioning that he arrived in Cleveland with a ‘past that was unresolved.’
Amazon Prime was blasted for an interview with Watson ahead of a Thursday Night Football
Watson engineered another game-winning trive on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans
Watson’s impressive performances come after an Achilles injury and several years of scandal
In the interview itself, Rooks went on to ask whether Watson felt it was ‘fair’ that some of the Browns crowd had booed him this season, to which he responded: ‘Fair? Of course, to me, I’m going to say no… but life isn’t fair.’
On X, fans immediately launched into criticism of the interview, with some claiming it was a ‘puff piece’ to help Watson rebuild his reputation.
One wrote: ‘Amazon choosing to do a PR run for Deshaun Watson is a choice.’
Another added: ‘Don’t be shy. Tell us how he violated the personal conduct policy. This is so gross.’
A third claimed: ‘The beating around the bush is disgusting. If you’re going to bring it up at all, don’t just say “violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.” He was accused of sexually assaulting more than 20 women!!!
‘To contextualize that simply as “violating a policy” is sickening and minimizes the allegations against him and the women who came forward.’
The noise will only grow louder while Watson keeps turning in game-winning drives.
Watson led his fifth winning drive in the fourth quarter this season, connecting with Harold Fannin Jr on a 36-yard catch-and run that set up Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, as the Browns beat the Titans 27-24 on Sunday for their fifth win in six games.
‘He has something in him to be able to make plays when it counts,’ Browns first-year coach Todd Monken said.
Watson, who also ran for a touchdown and threw for 308 yards, became just the third quarterback since the 1970 merger to have a game-winning drive in each of his team’s first five wins that season along with Dallas’ Troy Aikman in 1990 and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford in 2016.
