Myles Garrett: Browns fans 'should be ashamed' of themselves for cheering on injured Deshaun Watson; Jameis Winston, others upset or “disgusted”

Watson was loudly booed during the pre-game introduction, with some fans rejecting him.

After he was loaded onto the cart and driven to the locker room with a towel over his head and wiping away tears, the cheers grew louder, but some fans may have cheered in support. Others perhaps not so much.

“At the end of the day, everyone is human and they are just as disappointed as we are, but we have to be better as people,” Garrett said. “It has different levels. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo someone when they get hurt and you don’t celebrate anyone’s demise.”

Garrett, who has supported Watson all season, hurt his teammate after the non-contact injury in which his Achilles tendon visibly snapped and ruptured as he began running up the middle.

“No one deserves this,” Garrett said of the celebration. “I've seen him work his ass off to get back here, put a smile on his face and try to leave everything that's outside the facility behind him. Death threats, people coming to his house and stalking his family. Like I said, no one deserves this and I hate using the word “deserved.” I’m usually pretty consistent and say “deserved.” He didn't deserve it and he didn't deserve it. People do pretty much everything right.

“He was a model citizen throughout college and most of his professional career. He plays the game as hard as anyone I've ever seen, puts everything on the line, is willing to throw his body out there and he plays the game at a hundred miles an hour and there's a risk of getting hurt and this He took a risk. But we have to be there for him as a team, as an organization. We can't look down on the guy because of his mistakes on the field or off the field. We have nothing. We have no moral reason to look down on the guy.”

Winston's voice shook and he almost burst into tears as he defended his close friend.

“I’m going to look into this camera right here,” he said firmly and firmly. “My upbringing taught me to love regardless of circumstances, especially people who do the right thing. I am grateful to have had the chance to serve Deshaun, but I am deeply angered by the response of a man who has had the world against him for the past four years and has put his body and his life on the line every day to do so . Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you think should happen to him, he has worked every day to make sure I'm here to be the best he can be for this team.

“And I know I’m from the Deep South – Birmingham, Alabama, Bessemer, Alabama – so I know the standard that hungry fans want. But the way I was raised, I will never, I will never drag a man when he is down, but I will be the person that lifts him up.”

Winston was Watson's confidant and mentor. He helped him navigate the entire NFL call to bench him this season and helped him handle another sexual assault civil lawsuit this season. Watson settled the lawsuit two weeks ago, but the NFL is still reviewing the case under its personal conduct policy to determine whether he deserves further sanctions. He was suspended 11 games and fined $5 million in 2022 for sexual misconduct.

“We all have unique experiences,” Winston said. “We all have circumstances, conditions and facts that we face every day. And I'm proud to be a man of great growth and a man who wants to bring out the best in everyone. I tell myself every morning what I want for myself, what I want for everyone, and I don't want the treatment that Deshaun Watson received from these passionate fans. I know you love this game.

“When I got here I knew these were some great fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has another obstacle to overcome. So I'm going to support him, I'm going to lift him up and I'm going to be there for him because I see how he fights, I see how he works and I know who he is as a person and as an NFL quarterback. And that's all I have to say to address him. I send my prayers up. I have already prayed for his leg and will continue.”

Winston, potentially stepping in as a starter while Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffers a game-ending finger injury, is ready for the challenge of bringing this splintered offense together.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that lies ahead of me,” Winston said. “I was just disturbed because I saw a man being used day in and day out for this organization and for this city and how he was treated when he really needed support.”

Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo made some of the strongest statements in the dressing room.

“I was disgusted,” Okoronkwo said. “The boys, no matter what you think of him and how he plays, he's a human being, he's got a family, he's got loved ones, he's got people he loves, he goes out here and plays a game he loves , and he got hurt,” and he can’t stand up on his own accord and let the people cheer. I can't find any excuse for this. It's disgusting behavior. It's truly a privilege every time you step onto the field because the game is so dangerous.

“When someone gets hurt it’s really heartbreaking because there’s a lot of work that goes into it. So when you hear your team's fans cheering and then cheering even louder as he gets on the car, it just breaks my heart and it's really disgusting. I hope that this isn't the behavior of our fans in the future if we want to change things. We have to do this together, but like I said, that was (expletive) and I didn't like it. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. Probably no one cares what I think about it, but we have to do better. We are all human beings.”

Kevin Stefanski was equally distraught.

“I don’t think it’s ever OK to cheer when someone’s hurt,” Stefanski said. “I’m sure not everyone in this building does this, but this is disappointing.”

Left back Joel Bitonio has also supported Watson all season, believing he would play better if things improved around him.

“Anytime someone gets hurt in this league, home or away, people don’t cheer about it,” he said. “So it was a little disheartening to see the fans cheering when a guy got injured and, like I said, he's getting his body back every week. He goes out every time he plays. Her husband was injured late in the game. Don't cheer for that. So it's one of those things that I think is the nature of the sport. It's kind of an unwritten rule that you don't celebrate these injuries, so you didn't want to see that reaction.”

Bitonio had complained that Watson was sacked 33 times this season and didn't have much time to implement the new program. It was one of many things wrong with this dysfunctional offense.

“Every time he went on the field he got hit,” Bitonio said. “He tried to make plays. He fought his way through. He clearly didn't care if he went out there every week. In the NFL, if you want injuries or something like that, you can find a way out. There are ways to find a way out and he was out there every week trying to get us to win. Of course we haven't been very successful this year, but that's not just because of him. It’s down to the whole team and that’s why it’s disappointing to see one man go down like that.”

Bitonio still believes Watson can win the ball for the Browns once he recovers from the injury.

“That’s what I’ve said all year, we need to perform better as a group,” he said. “Penalties, protections, routes, plays, it all adds up.” You can't just blame one person for the ineptitude of the offense, leaving you unable to get a fair picture of what really happened. And Deshaun is obviously our quarterback, so we’re behind him.”

Cornerback Greg Newsome II described the fans' reaction with a profanity.

“That was (expletive),” Newsome said. “I noticed that immediately. No matter what you think about a player, performance-wise or not, you shouldn't boo a player who is down, who can't get up on his own. So yeah, that was (expletive). So every fan that said something, it's (expletive) so simple. You don't do that. Whether someone is playing well or not, whether you're a fan favorite, whether you're anything, you don't boo a guy who's down. That’s (expletive).”

Will Watson's final appearance as Cleveland Brown be celebrated while he was injured? His teammates certainly hope not.