Kirk Herbstreit drew immediate backlash Thursday night after weighing in on Deshaun Watson’s future with the Cleveland Browns, with many NFL fans blasting the analyst’s defense of the quarterback as “tone-deaf.”
Herbstreit addressed Watson during the Browns’ preseason finale and acknowledged the allegations that have followed him, but said he still believes in giving people another shot. “When that news broke, everybody was kind of like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’
Everybody was kind of surprised,” Herbstreit said. “I’m a guy that believes in everybody deserves second opportunities.”
He didn’t stop there. Herbstreit also called Watson’s move to Cleveland “one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL.”
Even so, he argued that Watson’s age and ability still make him worth another look. “I know this has been a disaster, one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL, but this is still a 30-year-old who at one point was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the league,” Herbstreit said.
That didn’t sit well with a lot of fans online. Two dozen women have accused Watson of sexual misconduct since 2021, including claims that he forced them to perform oral sex during massage appointments. Watson has denied wrongdoing.
The NFL also suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 season after finding that he violated the league’s personal-conduct policy. He additionally faced 10 criminal complaints in Texas, though two grand juries declined to indict him on criminal charges.
The reaction to Herbstreit was swift and angry. One fan wrote, “Being accused by dozens of women of inappropriate sexual behavior when you’re supposed to be getting a massage?
No, you don’t deserve a second opportunity. You deserve to rot in prison.
Just astonishingly tone deaf by Kirk Herbstreit.”
Another said, “This is like a 5th fucking chance so get the f out of here with that nonsense.”
A third asked, “How many women do you have to settle with out of court to no longer get a 2nd chance?”
Despite the criticism, Watson is still set to get another opportunity with Cleveland this season. Todd Monken said the Browns chose Watson as their starter after evaluating his offseason work, training camp and preseason games. “I felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points,” Monken said.
Watson has played only 19 games since Cleveland acquired him. In that span, he has completed 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Now he’ll try to prove on the field that he can still deliver. Herbstreit’s comments, though, showed just how much of the fan base remains unwilling to move on from everything surrounding Watson off the field.
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