Deshaun Watson exited the Cleveland Browns‘ Week 7 clash against the Cincinnati Bengals on the back of a cart Sunday.
The quarterback, who appeared emotional as he left the field, is feared to have suffered an Achilles injury, according to Adam Schefter.
The under-fire NFL star went down on the turf with just over one minute remaining in the second quarter with a non-contact injury.
Shocking replays appeared to show the signal caller’s right calf muscle pop, which is often an indicator of an Achilles injury.
It came as yet another blow for Watson, who has struggled amid a miserable 1-5 start to the season for the Browns.
Deshaun Watson is emotional as he’s carted off the field in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/IwHpZ53gy0
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 20, 2024
Deshaun Watson exited the Cleveland Browns ‘ Week 7 clash against the Cincinnati Bengals
Watson, who is in his fourth year with the Browns after signing a fully guaranteed $240 million contract, had to endure merciless booing from his own fanbase during his game introduction.
The audible heckling came one week after Watson managed to complete just 16 of his 23 pass attempts for 168 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watson’s dire performances – which have included a defiant walk-off during Week 5’s loss to the Washington Commanders – sparked calls for the signal caller to be exiled to the bench.
However, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted that he was sticking with Watson as his starting quarterback over Jameis Winston.
But the coach was left with no other option than to resort to Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the team’s third string quarterback, following Watson’s exit after Winston had been listed as inactive earlier in the day.
Watson was traded to the Browns for six draft picks, including three first rounders, in 2022 – despite being sued by more than two dozen female massage therapists for sexual harassment and sexual assault the year before.
Browns’ owner, Jimmy Haslam, went on to hand Watson a five-year, $230million extension, all of which is guaranteed, in 2022.
Watson has been embroiled in various court cases over the past three seasons, previously reaching confidential settlements with 20 women over sexual misconduct lawsuits that saw him suspended for 11 NFL games during the 2022 season.
Last month, it was revealed that he is being sued for more than $1million by a new woman, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her in Texas four years ago. Watson ‘strongly denies’ the allegations.
Meanwhile, on the field, bizarre scenes played out during Week 5 when Watson defiantly walked off mid-game.
Stefanski was left in disbelief at his own quarterback, when Watson left the huddle and made his way to the sidelines during the third quarter.
Down 21 on 4th-and-goal, the head coach made the call to keep the offense on the field in a desperate attempt for Cleveland to claw its way back into the contest.
Moments later, however, Watson was off the field and the Browns had resorted to kicking a field goal.
Watson had appeared to defy his coach, who removed his headset in frustration before covering his mouth and speaking to his quarterback.
Many NFL fans on social media accused the 29-year-old of effectively quitting on his team.
Later, Stefanski explained that it was a blunder by the Browns that led to Watson leaving the field.
‘We had the wrong amount of people in the huddle, and then at that point, we were just going to kick the field goal,’ he said.
More to follow.
