Deshaun Watson’s vile rehabilitation campaign was the focus of Thursday Night Football

| Getty Images It was impossible to watch Thursday Night Football without being beaten over the head with veiled references to Deshaun Watson’s past. In what’s become one of the most disgusting rehabilitation campaigns in recent memory, Kirk Herbstreit, in particular, slobbered over Watson for the better part of the game, rebranding alleged sexual assault against 27 women as “past troubles” and turning the Browns’ recent success into a tale of overcoming adversity. Coverage began on Thursday night with reporter Taylor Rooks having a sit-down interview with Watson, which never once directly mentioned the women he abused, instead vaguely referencing criticism of “Deshaun Watson the person,” as if his biggest crime was putting pineapple on pizza. We had to listen to Watson prattle on in platitudes about the struggles he’s pushed through, how he wants to be special, why he disagrees with people who criticize his character, and on several occasions he dropped jaw-dropping mentions of HIS need to forgive others. Yes, the man who allegedly abused 27 women is really needing to focus on forgiving the people who boo him, that’s his grand takeaway. Ahead of #TNFonPrime, @TaylorRooks sat down to chat with Browns QB Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/15eA1yfb12 — NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 1, 2026 There’s no shortage of whitewashing past indiscretions of athletes, particularly when it comes to violence against women. It’s a predictable cycle of silence, followed by rehabilitation, then a return to business as usual. What makes the Watson situation unique is how announcers are trying to reduce his off-field actions and change the narrative to be about on-field performance. Herbstreit’s actions on Thursday Night Football were nothing short of vile, as he referenced fans booing Watson, his early struggles as the quarterback of the Browns, and now overcoming all that to lead them to victory. No mention of Watson’s suspension, the backbreaking contract the team signed him to, the woman paid off to ensure their silence. If you tuned into a Browns game for the first time on Thursday, you would have thought Watson was a victim of irrational fan expectations, not that he leveraged the two-tier justice system to pay off the women he assaulted, rather than face any real punishment. That’s brass tacks: If Watson wasn’t a multi-millionaire, with the funds to pay off his accusers to the tune of $50M, at the very least he would have had to go through discovery, which could have led to evidence emerging that could have renewed criminal proceedings. Luckily for Watson, the system we have isn’t equal, and he was enabled through his NFL contracts to escape charges. During the critical final drive of regulation, Herbstreit referred to Watson as “much maligned,” with Al Michaels chiming in “in capital letters,” as if to make light of the whole situation. This wasn’t simply the story of a quarterback playing bad football; he was a serial abuser who alienated fans of the Cleveland Browns when the organization decided to support him and insulate him, rather than cut him, take the hit, and move on. It was a perfect storm of incompetence that led us to this moment. Had the Browns not given Watson the worst quarterback contract in NFL history, which fully guaranteed his money — then he would have been cut for playing like ass two years ago, that’s it. Instead, he’s lingered on the back-end of the roster like a malignant tumor, and got the opportunity to start in the NFL again purely because he was marginally better than two other garbage options. It’s a bit like choosing to have meningitis, because the alternatives are hepatitis and rabies. Truly gross stuff. — rivers mccown (@riversmccown.bsky.social) 2026-10-02T02:23:36.074Z The Browns are winning football games. Watson is playing decently enough that the defense is able to carry the team. Sit down and watch him play the quarterback position, and it’s not as if Cleveland is benefiting from some individual brilliance. In fact, on the whole, Watson is mediocre, misses wide-open throws, and can’t actually drive to win a game. They beat the Buccaneers because Baker Mayfield has become a potato, the Panthers because they were missing five starters, and now the Steelers because Aaron Rodgers is washed. Good on them for winning the games in front of them, because that’s every team’s job — and the Browns defense is legitimately fantastic, but Watson isn’t the reason this team is winning; he’s just benefitting from the hard work of others. In this world of identity broadcasting it’s not compelling to tell the true story. It’s not enticing to focus on defense, interview middle linebacker Carson Schwesinger, or a pass rusher like Jared Verse. Quarterbacks have reigned supreme forever, but Deshaun Watson deserves no praise, no focus, and he never will. Shame on everyone involved with Thursday Night Football for turning their broadcast into a chance to try to rehabilitate the image of a serial abuser.

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