Kirk Herbstreit’s comments about Deshaun Watson during Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football broadcast have drawn criticism from viewers who felt that ESPN’s College GameDay analyst’s remarks were rather “tone-deaf”.
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Herbstreit’s remark came during a segment focused on Watson’s difficult path back to the field.
“When that news broke, everybody was kind of like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ Everybody was kind of surprised… I’m a guy that believes that everybody deserves second opportunities,” Herbstreit said during the broadcast.
Watson’s situation is unlike a routine comeback story. More than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions while he was with the Houston Texans. Watson denied wrongdoing and maintained that his sexual encounters were consensual. Two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on criminal complaints.
The NFL nevertheless disciplined Watson in 2022. Following a settlement with the NFL Players Association, the league suspended him for 11 games and fined him $5 million for violating its personal-conduct policy. He was also required to undergo evaluation and treatment as part of his reinstatement.
Watson settled 23 of the 24 civil lawsuits that had been filed against him at the time. Those settlements did not represent an admission of wrongdoing, and Watson continued to deny the allegations. Hence, many fans felt that Herbstreit had overlooked the allegations.
“Being accused by dozens of women of inappropriate sexual behavior when you’re supposed to be getting a massage? No, you don’t deserve a second opportunity. You deserve to rot in prison,” one fan wrote. “Just astonishingly tone deaf by Kirk Herbstreit.”
“Herbstreit is now officially the most disingenuous CFB commentator. Full…of…sh*t,” replied another.
That said, Watson is getting another chance nonetheless as Cleveland has also named Watson its Week 1 starter after his offseason competition with quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He signed a five-year, $230 million deal with the Browns in 2022 and is now trying to return from two Achilles injuries while carrying the weight of the controversy that has followed him.
Fans have made it clear how they view Cleveland’s decision. Watson was booed by Browns fans during his preseason appearance against Buffalo and later described the reaction as “disrespectful.” After he was declared the starter, fans plastered anti-Watson signs on the Jim Brown statue outside Huntington Bank Field. Some went as far as threatening to stop buying tickets or watching the team altogether after the decision.
In fact, former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky had urged Browns fans not to attend home games, saying: “Browns fans should not go to games.”
Fans are asking again whether his return should be framed as a redemption story when questions about accountability are still part of the conversation.