![]() So far, Watson has not come up with a public explanation for why, according to the New York Times, he sought treatment from 66 massage therapists in 18 months (mostly on social media) when his team had full-time staff to treat him. “It wasn’t making any sense.” She says that two or three of the women who made allegations against the quarterback were believable, but Watson generally was “not getting a fair shake here. “I kept an open mind, and this just didn’t add up,” she says. She decided to read as much as she could, including a deposition from a Houston detective. Lockner says she did not like the acquisition of Watson at first “because of the baggage.” She knew he was a phenomenal football player, an upgrade over Mayfield, but, as she says, “in the beginning, it was like, ‘What are we doing? Why are we getting into all of this?’” The group, reads the cover page, is “for WOMEN ONLY who love their Cleveland Browns.the good, the bad and the ugly years.for those of us who have endured it all.for those of us tired of men acting like we don’t know anything about football.this group is for year-round Cleveland Browns football talk.” A season-ticket holder for six years, she launched the Cleveland Browns Women’s Group on Facebook because there was not exactly an organization for “women die-hard fans.” There are now 6,300 members. The matter has been difficult for Robyn Lockner to resolve. But for people who are actual survivors or are family members who are victims of sexual assault, it will be a little bit deeper for them.” They kind of just want to get past it, and people will respond. have their PR strategy and they’re executing it. She adds: “People will have short memories, unfortunately, especially if the Browns win, especially if Deshaun Watson is successful. ![]() But she says of her adopted city: “Cleveland is definitely a football town, rooted in very deep, deep, deep, deep tradition.” Green grew up 130 miles away in Pittsburgh as a fan of the Steelers, making it hard for her to root for the Browns under any circumstances. They were all Browns fans and had season passes, and they’ve given up their tickets and they’ve donated the cost to our organization. “But there are a number of folks who thought this to be devastating. ![]() ![]() “You have the die-hard fans who want to rock with the Browns regardless of the situation, and they’re going to be able to move past the headlines,” Green says. Many donated $22, for the 22 women who originally accused Watson of sexual assault. She says 2,000 new donors collectively pledged more than $100,000. Donisha Green, the director of community engagement for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, says that calls to the center increased by 150% after Watson was signed. Watson’s new No 4 Browns’ jersey is not among the big sellers at (though the No 6 Carolina Panthers’ jersey worn by Baker Mayfield, the quarterback whom the Browns traded after Watson was acquired, did make the top 10 in July.) No piece of Watson merchandise is among the top 100 sellers on ’s Cleveland Browns page.īut the effects of Watson’s arrival in Cleveland go deeper. I’ll watch the NFL on TV, but not the Browns.” It’s going to be hard for me to be a Browns fan again. “I have loved this team,” one Browns fan, Kyle Marvin, told NBC’s Peter King recently, “but I will not be a Browns fan this year. Many who don’t hold season tickets “are totally turned off by this,” Grossi said. “The fissure deepened as unsavory details of the Watson case came out.”įans canceled their season tickets. “It’s very real that the Watson acquisition from the start polarized the fan base,” says Tony Grossi, the ESPN Cleveland reporter who has covered the Browns for nearly 40 years. ![]() But many are understandably wary of cheering for him. Without question, he is a talented quarterback. So: Does Cleveland cheer for him – or even for the Browns? The Browns acquired Watson in March knowing about Watson’s alleged behavior, then handed him a five-year, back-loaded $230m guaranteed contract. “I continue to stand on my innocence,” Watson said Thursday, which raises questions for some critics about the NFL’s assertion that he “has committed to doing the hard work on himself that is necessary for his return.” Watson has settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits against him, which accused him of coercive and lewd sexual behavior during massage appointments. Grand juries in two counties in Texas, where Watson played for the Houston Texans, declined to file criminal charges. ![]()
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