"Who the hell goes to SIXTY-SIX different massage therapists?!?" - NFL fans blast Deshaun Watson and Browns after more disturbing details about QB's behavior emerge
Sports reporter Jenny Vrentas made shocking revelations in her New York Times article about Deshaun Watson's frequent visits to masseuses during his time with the Houston Texans.
Deshaun Watson received massages from at least 66 different women in a 17-month period. Some of these women, speaking publicly for the first time, described experiences that undercut his insistence he was only seeking professional massage therapy: nytimes.com/2022/06/07/spo…
Vrentas' article revealed that the Cleveland Browns quarterback visited 66 different massage therapists in a 17-month span between 2019 and 2021. The article also contains some disturbing and grotesque accounts from therapists, who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct.
The damning report comes on the heels of another plaintiff filing a sexual misconduct lawsuit against the quarterback, increasing the tally of complainants to 24.
Vrentas' report caused a frenzy on social media. NFL fans not only went after Deshaun Watson for his alleged behavior but also the Cleveland Browns owners, who claimed they had done their due diligence before landing the quarterback and handing him the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history ($230 million).
One fan simply couldn't fathom that a professional athlete would visit 66 different massage therapists, with all of them being women:
@JennyVrentas Who the hell goes to SIXTY-SIX different massage therapists?!? And why were they ALL women, if he just wanted “professional massages????”
Another fan, who is also a doctor, found it astonishing that a professional athlete would allow 66 massage therapists to touch his body in a short span of 17 months:
@JennyVrentas 66 different women touching the body of a professional athlete for the purposes of professional massages only.
66 in 17 months.
I honestly thought a couple dozen was extreme. 66?
🥴 twitter.com/jennyvrentas/s…
A Twitter user suggested that getting a massage wasn't the only reason Watson visited 66 different massage therapists:
@JennyVrentas No one goes to that many different masseuses for “just a massage”
One fan shared a snippet from rapper Eminem's smash hit Crack a Bottle. The song opens with a crass introduction of the enigmatic star. The lyrics are:
"Oh, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for. In this corner, weighing 175 pounds, with a record of 17 r***s, 400 assaults, and four murders, the undisputed, most diabolical villain in the world, Slim Shady!"
The fan suggested that the Browns should introduce Watson at the FirstEnergy Stadium using this snippet:
@JennyVrentas The Browns introducing Deshaun Watson in his first home game. https://t.co/vgq7UCjIng
Fans were also highly critical of the Browns organization, who traded for the quarterback despite being aware that he had to fight more than 20 civil lawsuits and that he would likely be suspended by the NFL.
One fan found it unbelievable that the Browns would commit $230 million to a player accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women:
@JennyVrentas $230 million guaranteed just unbelievable @Browns
Another Twitter user believes the Browns threw away $230 million:
@JennyVrentas Starting to sound a lot like the #Browns flushing 230 million down the toilet.
During Watson's introductory press conference, the Browns owners claimed they had done their due diligence before making the move. Recent reports about the quarterback have fans questioning if this is true:
@JennyVrentas But, but, the Browns said “they did their homework”.
Fans were also disappointed that Dee Haslem, owner of the Browns, was complicit in signing a quarterback facing sexual misconduct lawsuits from 24 women:
@JennyVrentas Friendly reminder that this is the Cleveland Browns owner who felt comfortable giving Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed contract while these suits play out in court. https://t.co/YW4vddYiJo
Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns in 2022
The Browns thinktank is firmly in the crosshairs of fans and the media, but the quarterback's troubles run deeper. The prospect of a lengthy ban from the NFL and spending the next two years fighting lawsuits and clearing his name is in the offing for the troubled star.
With more and more cases being filed, the NFL's investigation, which had been drawing to a close, will likely now take much longer. This will be a source of great anxiety for the Browns camp, a distraction they could really do without.
It seems likely that a suspension is coming for the quarterback, and the longer the suspension, the less likely Cleveland are to make the playoffs. With more and more material to investigate, the future looks increasingly bleak for Watson and the Browns.
With the 2022 season creeping closer, we will just have to wait and see what the NFL decides to do with the under-fire quarterback.