The Cleveland Browns’ courtship of quarterback Deshaun Watson in the midst of rampant sexual misconduct and harassment claims was a strange story to follow as an NFL fan and outsider. Following the story as a Cleveland-based media member watching the entire situation unfold in real-time was another thing altogether.
That was the situation for former ESPN First Take host, and current WKYC NBC 3 Cleveland anchor Jay Crawford. He covered the trade that brought Watson to the Browns, who already had Baker Mayfield at quarterback, before handing the embattled star player a record-setting fully guaranteed contract.
Covering the trade meant also covering the allegations and legal cases involved, which created a need for a delicate balance from a journalistic standpoint, especially with emotions and biases high on multiple sides.
Appearing on the latest episode of the Awful Announcing podcast, Crawford explained what it was like for him to watch that wild situation unfold.
“It was unlike anything I had done in my career,” said Crawford. “It was just such a weird time because, you have to remember at the time of the trade, they were only two years removed, not even, from Baker Mayfield turning this franchise from a perennial loser to a playoff team that won a playoff game at Pittsburgh and damn near came within a fourth down conversion of beating Kansas City in Kansas City to go to the AFC Championship Game. And then in a matter of nine months, that whole thing was blown up.”
“If you would have told me after the Browns’ loss at Kansas City, that Baker Mayfield’s on borrowed time in Cleveland, I never would have believed it. I just, I, I wouldn’t have believed it because where the team had been the previous 30 years and where he had taken them in a short period of time, you just felt like, wow, we finally got not just the coach right, but we got the coach and the quarterback right,” Crawford added.
“And then came the news that, you know, Baker found out through the media that they were pursuing Deshaun Watson. And the next day, the story comes out that Watson told the Browns, no, he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland. Then the Browns came back to Baker. Now, Baker’s holding the hammer and Baker said, ‘No, I want, I can’t play for you guys. You were ready to move on yesterday and now your new date to the prom said no and now you wanna go to the prom with me? I’m good.’ And so from there, it just evolved, or devolved, into this situation where he’s gone. The Browns come back with the richest contract offer in guaranteed dollars in the history of the sport for a guy who is already in the spotlight for a sexual assault scandal with, as you said, dozens of women. And I just said, well…I didn’t have this on my Browns bingo card, but I should have. This is the stuff that happens to the Browns,” Crawford said.
As for that scandal, Watson was sued by more than two dozen female massage therapists over claims of sexual harassment and sexual assault. While Watson denied any wrongdoing, he settled 20 of those claims of sexual misconduct. Two grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges but the NFL suspended him for 11 games, fined him $5 million, and made him undergo evaluation by behavioral experts and complete a treatment program before returning to play for the Browns.
Browns ownership stood by Watson and defended the quarterback after acquiring him from the Texans, and Crawford says that he also still isn’t sure what to believe regarding the claims.
“I thought that a lot of people were quick to judge Deshaun Watson as an abuser,” said Crawford. “I’m still not sure myself what to believe. There were so many women. But at the same time, I understand that there was money to be made. And the lawyer representing the women was actively reaching out, ‘Hey, anybody else want to jump on this train?’ And the next thing you know, there’s 25 or whatever the number ended up growing to. And it was just, watching it in real-time, was unbelievable.”
Watson had been mired in a miserable 2023 season before injuries took him off the field in recent weeks. Given the staggering contract that the Browns offered to him, Crawford is concerned that both the team and the player have yet to prove why it was necessary.
“It’s one of the more bizarre storylines I’ve ever covered up close and, personally, I’m not convinced yet that that deal had to be made.”
The full episode of The Awful Announcing Podcast with Jay Crawford will be released Thursday morning. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.
