‘Nauseating,’ ‘Why People Don’t Trust Broadcast Partners’ — NFL World Rips Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Gross’ Deshaun Watson Interview
· Yahoo Sports
Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns pulled off a close-shave 27-24 win at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, with Andre Szmyt drilling a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining to give Cleveland its third straight win.
But before Watson helped the Browns move to 3-1, the quarterback sat down with Prime Video’s Taylor Rooks for an interview, discussing his struggles with Browns fans, his mental state, and more.
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Few were fans of that sit-down, though, as people from the NFL media world aired their complaints on social media.
NFL World Rips Prime Video’s Deshaun Watson Interview
While Rooks pressed Watson on several difficult subjects, viewers voiced their displeasure with the broadcast team for giving the Browns quarterback such a prominent platform, given the extensive sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him.
One fan accused the NFL of giving Watson a sympathetic platform in spite of everything that has transpired, terming it flat-out “nauseating.”
David Ubben of The Athletic questioned why the league’s broadcast partners weren’t providing sufficient context when covering controversial subjects involving NFL players.
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“Things like this are why people rightfully don’t trust broadcast partners to offer viewers a clear-eyed view of facts and context if they’re inconvenient for the entity with which they partner,” Ubben wrote.
Drew Olanoff was also not pleased with the segment, saying, “Not only was this gross, it was a terrible interview.”
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Meanwhile, one podcaster pointed back to the major accusations against the quarterback, which have been a major point of controversy since his trade to Cleveland.
“Someone should’ve told the NFL that nobody cares to hear from Deshaun Watson. Referring to his 30 sexual assault accusations as anything other than that is just strange,” he wrote.
Watson faced civil lawsuits from 27 women accusing him of sexual misconduct, allegations he has denied. Two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on those charges. The NFL then suspended him for 11 games and fined him $5 million in 2022 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
The final two civil lawsuits against Watson were dismissed in February 2026, leaving no known related lawsuits pending, per an Associated Press report.
Similar reactions poured in from many in the NFL world. Paul Booming wondered whether others felt the same about the interview as he did, asking, “Did this feel weird?”
Ricky Raines, who primarily covers the Carolina Panthers, slammed Prime Video for dedicating a segment to Watson, saying, “This manufactured redemption tour angle on this guy is… not it.”
During the interview, Watson discussed the struggles he experienced since joining the Browns, saying his biggest challenge was his mental state rather than the physical side.
“I don’t think it’s ever really been the physical part. I was dealing with a lot. I was dealing with the world kind of flipping against me,” Watson told Rooks.
In preseason, Watson was also booed by the Cleveland crowd, and things escalated when he fired back at the Browns supporters. However, things have appeared to calm down since, with the franchise sitting at 3-1 for the first time since 2021.
Rooks later asked the $230M QB about the pressure to earn every penny of his fully guaranteed contract. “I agree with that. I mean, that’s what they pay us to do. To be able to earn the money and be the top guy,” Watson said.
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One fan reacted to Watson’s answer about his five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract, which includes a $44.965 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause through the entire contract.
“Who thought this interview on Amazon Prime was good for Deshaun Watson???? The Browns should not let this happen. He just said he deserves a $300 million contract. lol,” the fan said.
The interview was followed by one of his better performances. In the win against the Steelers, Watson completed 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while helping Cleveland engineer a late scoring drive. He racked up a PFN QB Impact grade of 82.5 in Week 4, which will go some way in boosting his season impact grade, which stood at 72.4 heading into this showdown.
The Browns’ 27-24 victory moved them to 3-1 and gave them three consecutive wins. Cleveland currently sits first in the AFC North, and while much of the heat around Watson’s on-field performances has cooled down, his off-field controversies may not be washed off as easily.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.