"I’m sure counseling won’t make him say sorry or come of his innocence" - NFL fans call out league for making Deshaun Watson attend farcical mandatory counseling
Deshaun Watson has been given his punishment. He will miss 11 games and pay $5 million in fine. However, one additional requirement is drawing ire from the league's fanbase. The quarterback is also required to attend counseling regularly.
Fans have a problem with this, considering the Browns quarterback hasn't admitted any wrongdoing. In their minds, the treatment will not fix anything. Taking to Twitter, many fans expressed their opinions.
One fan expressed his doubts over the counseling:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king I’m sure counseling won’t make him say sorry or come of his innocence. He only guilty in a arbitrator’s opinion of a conduct rule & never found guilty in a court of law.
This NFL fan made a snarky remark:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king He needs counseling to tell the truth. Got it.
This fan echoed a similar sentiment, doubting the efficacy of counseling:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king Lol. Counseling won’t change if he believes he’s innocent or not.
This fan expressed his frustration about the state of the league:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king So what he just has to admit to the counselors he did it while still claiming innocence in the public? The nfl is a joke
This fan predicted that the counseling would roll off the quarterback's back, and he would go through the motions so he could play:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king Counseling is wasted on people who don’t think they need it.
This Washington Commanders fan wrote that this was what the quarterback deserved and hoped the Browns would return to where they were before the Baker Mayfield era:
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king He made his bed. Hope Browns never win
This NFC West fan took a shot at Robert Kraft, lumping him in with Deshaun Watson.
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king Same counselor Robert Kraft had?
This NFL fan slammed the quarterback, calling him "sick" and a "predator."
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king Deshaun Watson is an unrepentant serial SEXUAL PREDATOR.
Deshaun Watson is a SICK $&@!
This fan referenced a movie in his analysis of the punishment.
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king Quite a justice system. Sounds like clockwork orange level stuff
One could feel the eye roll that accompanied what this fan said.
@ProFootballTalk @peter_king You can’t force someone to say they’re guilty, Florio.
Deshaun Watson's legal labyrinth
The quarterback hasn't played in a regular-season game since the end of the 2020 NFL season. One of the core reasons for this was the avalanche of lawsuits the quarterback was saddled with when roughly two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct.
Since the initial accusations, the quarterback has faced criminal trials, civil lawsuits, and a massive suspension handed down by the league. With the NFL suspending the quarterback for 11 games, it is clear he will play this season.
With the date circled on the calendar in permanent marker, the next question facing fans and pundits after evaluating the quality of the punishment is straightforward. Considering how long he has been out of action, the degree of rust the quarterback might have accumulated has become a genuine concern. Will he return in the same form as in 2020?
Of course, for the Browns to come out on top with the acquisition, many will argue that he will need to return in better shape than he was in 2020. That year, he went 4-12 and threw for 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. It won't be good if Watson carries that same win-loss into his tenure with the Browns.