Deshaun Watson played in his first game as a member of the Browns on Friday as Cleveland took on the Jaguars in NFL preseason Week 1.
Before the contest, Watson publicly apologized for the first time to the women who have accused him of sexual assault and misconduct.
“I want to say that I’m truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation,” Watson said to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala. “The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back, but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character and I am going to keep pushing forward.”
Deshaun spoke with Aditi Kinkhabwala ahead of starting tonight’s game in Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/9kuHxI9ULh
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 12, 2022
Friday’s interview marked a dramatic shift in Watson’s tone about the allegations against him. Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam claimed in early August that the quarterback had been “remorseful that this situation has caused much heartache to many.” They made their statement after former federal judge Sue L. Robinson announced that Watson would be suspended for six games.
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Watson hadn’t expressed that remorse publicly until Friday. He said in his first news conference as Cleveland’s QB that he had “no regrets” about his off-the-field issues and maintained that he “never did anything that these people are alleging.”
On Friday, he took more responsibility for his actions and said that he is receiving counseling.
“I know I have a lot of work to put in, especially on the field, to be able to make sure I’m ready to play whenever that time comes, whenever I can step back on the field,” Watson said. “But also the biggest thing is I want to continue counseling and I want to make sure that I’m growing as a person, as an individual, [in] my decision-making on and off the field.”
Watson may be hoping that expressing remorse will help him as the NFL seeks to suspend him for a full season. Robinson, an arbiter jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association to hear Watson’s case, wrote in her ruling Watson displayed a “lack of expressed remorse” for his actions.
Watson made his comments while former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey continues to review evidence in the NFL’s appeal of Watson’s suspension. Harvey was appointed by commissioner Roger Goodell to hear the appeal.
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Whatever the reason for Watson’s change of course, he was looking forward to one thing more than anything else Friday: playing in his first NFL game since January 2021.
“I’m super excited,” Watson said. “I’m excited to get out there with my new teammates and go out there and compete. Each and every snap. I want to make sure I cherish that because I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be able to get out there with those guys.”
