Browns QB Deshaun Watson Received Death Threats Before Season

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson received death threats before the 2024 season.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Browns entered the 2024 NFL season hoping to see Deshaun Watson get back on track. As everyone knows, that didn't end up happening.

Watson ended up going down with a torn Achilles that ended his season, but before the injury he did not look good. Fans were already calling for the Browns to bench him.

Unfortunately, his time with the franchise has likely come to an end. The hope is that Cleveland will never have to go back to Watson being its starting quarterback.

That being said, some of the things that Watson went through prior to the 2024 season are horrible.

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic did a deep dive into Watson this week. One of the things that came out of his story was the fact that Watson received death threats.

"His agent, David Mulugheta, received a disturbing email in June from someone threatening to shoot Watson or burn down his house, according to a police report obtained byThe Athletic," Lloyd wrote.

While the threats were made, the police could not track down the individual who made them.

Seeing these kinds of stories are terrifying. Watson may not have played well since being traded to the Browns, but there is zero need for any kind of death threat over sports. The fact that he went through that kind of hatred is downright sad and disgusting.

Very few people would be able to go through that and play well in their sport. He deserves criticism for his play on the field, but nothing more.

Heading into the upcoming offseason, Cleveland is widely expected to either draft or sign a new quarterback. Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are the top two options in the 2025 NFL Draft, while names like Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers have come up as possible veteran targets.

It seems very likely that Watson's time as the Browns' starting quarterback has come to an end.

Hopefully, the two sides can end things on a mature and amicable basis. Things have not gone well between the two, but the situation has escalated way too much.


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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.