NBC football commentator Chris Simms got plenty of criticism for the way he discussed Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s disturbing past allegations.
Ahead of Thursday night’s kickoff to the NFL preseason between the Browns and the New York Jets, Simms discussed Watson’s upcoming season and how he might play in his second year with the franchise.
Of course, Watson’s NFL career cannot be discussed without mentioning his outrageously troubling scandal that saw 20-plus women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct or assault.
MORE: Year 1 of the Deshaun Watson trade was a failure for the Browns
The Browns trading for Watson had plenty of understandable outcry, and it dominated any headlines that followed the quarterback last season as he served an 11-game suspension for what the NFL described as “predatory behavior.”
Well, Watson’s 2023 season has now kicked off with Simms describing the quarterback’s history of allegations as “some issues.”
"The thing I was told multiple times is don't look at last year. The man has knocked the rust off, and you're going to see the old Deshaun Watson that we used to see before he had some issues."- Chris Simms pic.twitter.com/SJRkbEJ6HO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 3, 2023
Some issues? Some issues?! There just comes a point where you can actively see the water-carrying for Watson here, one that keeps NFL fans from having to deal with the fact that an alleged sexual predator is on their television.
Simms really should be aware that this just completely misses the mark with how sports media figures should discuss Watson’s past, especially when it’s still so fresh on the minds of so many who follow the NFL.
As you’d imagine, plenty of people took issue with how Simms talked about Watson’s continuously shameful history of allegations.