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By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief
HOUSTON, Texas -Though quarterback Deshaun Watson (pictured) was rusty by critics standards as he made his debut with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday following an 11-game suspension for violating NFL standards by offending a wealth of women who sued him for alleged sexual misconduct during off-the-field massage sessions primarily during his time as quarterback with the Houston Texans, the Browns defeated the Texans 27-14 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was ecstatic as he joined his players in the locker room after the game and said that he and his team look forward to winning next week's away game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Selected by Houston as a first round draft pick in 2017, Watson, 27, was traded to the Browns in 2022 after being sidelined with an injury and following his problems with women, some 24 of them at least. Until Sunday, he had not played on the football field in an official NFL game as a starting quarterback in nearly two years. He signed a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland that featured a $44.965 million signing bonus and a 2022 salary of $1.035 million.
Last week he held a press conference on his upcoming debut as quarterback with the Browns against the Texans and only took "football questions." He has settled lawsuits with 24 of his women accusers while also maintaining his innocence and has completed counseling and other mandates associated with his 11-game suspension issued by the NFL.
On Sunday against Houston, the talented quarterback finished 12-of-22 for 131 yards with no TDs. He, however, still managed to lead the Browns to defeat his former team, though sloppy turnovers by the Texans and its quarterback, Kyle Allen, and skill by the Browns' defense team as well as its offensive line bailed him out of a not so impressive debut, pundits said. Nonetheless, it was an outright win for Watson, and his team, Cleveland now with a 5-7 regular season win-loss record, and the Texans a record of 1-10.
"It's not going to be perfect, especially playing December football," Watson said in a post game interview with reporters, adding that he was glad to have the opportunity to "get my feet wet."
Highlights for the Browns relative to Sunday's game against the Texans include a 76 yard punt return by Donavan People's Jones for a touchdown late in the second quarter and a return by Denzel Ward on a Kyle Allen fumble in the third quarter that took the Browns lead from 7-5 in the second quarter to 14-5. And linebacker Tony Fields picked off a Kyle Allen pass and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown to take the Browns’ lead to 24-8, a lead they would hold onto in ultimately delivery the Texans their 11th lost this season.
Watson's supporters say that in spite of a mediocre performance, his athletic brilliance was visible in Sunday's game and that he will improve in coming games. Time will tell.
Second-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is Black like Watson, held the fort for the Browns during Watson's suspension as the Browns won their season opener against the Carolina Panthers and lead quarterback Baker Mayfield but lost the season home game opener against the New York Jets. The Browns went on to lose six more games before Sunday's win, though they had won four games before sunday's victory against the Texans, including last week against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief (Coleman is a former biology teacher and a seasoned Black journalist, and an investigative, legal, scientific, and political reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio).
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
