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Staff article
CLEVELAND, Ohio-Quarterback Deshaun Watson (pictured) played his first home game with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday at First Energy Stadium coming off of an 11-game suspension for violating NFL standards and offending a wealth of women who sued him for alleged sexual behavior and other sexual malfeasance before he joined the Browns last year. His debut on the field with the team, however, came last month against the Houston Texans.
The Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-3 on Saturday, a much needed win and a win that brings the Browns win-loss record to 6-8, and the Ravens 9-5. The Browns are now third in the AFC North and the Ravens second, behind the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was Watson's third game since reinstatement and while he was not spectacular, he got the job done. And there were no protests outside of FirstEnergy Stadium from women's groups before or after the game as some media pundits had predicted.
Women's March Cleveland, the city's most prominent women's rights organization, had been lobbied to protest against Watson at Saturday's home game in Cleveland but decided against it.
Activist Kathy Wray Coleman, a Black Cleveland activist and organizer who leads Women's March Cleveland, said that while her group believes Watson's accusers and is pleased that he settled lawsuits with 24 of them in good faith, her group decided against a protest specifically against Watson Instead, she said that Women's March Cleveland will focus on the NFL as a whole, and the Browns franchise.
"Women's March Cleveland remains firm on urging the NFL to take another look at its policies as they relate to women and to give back to women of Cleveland via contributions to the rape crisis and domestic violence centers and community programs."
Coleman said further that "Women's March Cleveland reserves the right to protest the NFL and the Browns on women's issues and any other matters of public concern when we deem it necessary."
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 he made his post-suspension debut in a game month against Houston, a game that Cleveland won, 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.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was elated as he joined his players in the locker room after Saturday's victory over the Ravens and said that he and his team look forward to winning next week's away game against the New Orleans Saints.
Watson finished 18 of 28 for 161 yards. In comparison, Ravens quarterback Tyler went 17 of 30 for 138 yards
Other highlights of Saturday's game by the Browns against the Ravens include two filed goals by Cade York, who also missed two field goals. And Denzel Ward intercepted Huntley at the Cleveland Browns nine with the score 6-3, setting the stage for Watson to ultimately deliver a touch down to Peoples-Jones with 2:10 left on the game clock.
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