Cleveland Controversy

The first time we ever talked to each other, we discussed Cleveland sports. We are both Cleveland fans, and it was important to know we were on the same page. Now, we are not seeing eye-to-eye about the Cleveland Browns – nothing unusual, since the Cleveland controversy is being argued by most people who follow the team. If the goal of the Browns was to create chatter about their team, they have been successful.

The Browns management decided to give up on Baker Mayfield, who only a few years ago came in and saved the day for a team who had won only one game in two seasons. That’s right, ONE game in TWO seasons. Baker is a good guy, a leader, Cleveland’s quarterback. Baker represented Cleveland exactly how the city is known: gritty, giving it his all, never giving up, tough as nails. Baker Mayfield was the perfect quarterback for fans who have seen hard times, in football and in life.

There was a collective gasp when the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson. 24 women had filed claims of sexual misconduct against Watson and the Browns gave him a fully guaranteed 5 year 230 million dollar contract? They also gave away three first round, a third round and a fourth round picks. The Browns future was given away in order to secure Watson, who might not even be able to play for a year or more. The NFL has not handed down their verdict yet, but experts believe Watson will be suspended for at least one year, possibly more, with a lot of people thinking he should be banned from ever playing.

Part of the controversy with Deshaun Watson, is that nobody really knows what went on with all of these women. There are conspiracy theories that he is completely innocent, and that the lawyer for the women is in cahoots with the Houston Texan’s owner. That seems kind of farfetched, but we have to recognize that this could be a scheme against Watson to punish him for wanting to leave Houston. The Browns supposedly talked to dozens of people who went to college with Watson, and not one single person claimed that Watson had behaved badly before going to the NFL. The other side of that coin is that the Browns did not interview any of the women who filed a claim.

It is hard for most people to believe that 24 women would file a lawsuit against Watson just to ruin his reputation. Also interesting that Watson settled with 20 of the women yesterday, for an undisclosed amount of money.

We are not here to judge whether or not Deshaun Watson is guilty of sexual misconduct. The problem in our opinion is that he allowed himself to be in situations that made this possible. Is this the person who should represent Cleveland? Watson’s NFL record might be a tad better than Baker Mayfield’s, but is it worth bringing in a quarterback who has this type of baggage?

The Browns’ management has forced fans to take a stand. Are we Browns fans No Matter What? Was a line crossed in the name of wanting to win a Super Bowl, that a lot of fans aren’t willing to accept? We both agree that if we were owners, we wouldn’t have brought in someone with all of these allegations. Several other teams who needed a quarterback took a hard pass and we would have done that also. At some point, moral standards have to mean something! Watson has not been proven guilty of anything – we want to make sure that is well understood – however, thousands of people are no longer Browns fans due to this decision.

This is where the controversy enters the Kurjan household. Don is a diehard Browns fan, has been for years and always will be. He is a fan of the team and will continue to root for the Browns. Don says if the Browns win a Super Bowl with Watson, he will be happy, but it won’t be the same good feeling as it would be with Baker Mayfield. I am no longer rooting for the Browns, as I feel they are completely out of touch with most of their fanbase. Everyone loves to win, but I’m not willing to pay this price. This year I will be cheering for the Colts, who recently brought in one of my favorite players – Ifeadi Odenigbo.

Bringing the controversy into Fantasy Football. Fantasy football cannot compare to real life events, if they took place, against 24 women. So, do we draft a player who has allegations of undesirable conduct? Where is the line drawn with Fantasy Football? We can’t draft our teams based on behavior, when we are trying to win! When Watson came to Cleveland, we both said we wouldn’t draft him. However, we are in a bestball league, and Don thought he was worth taking a chance on. He says if he didn’t take him, someone else would have, and that is definitely true. He was surprised how he felt after he drafted him. He wasn’t planning to take him, but once he did, he wasn’t happy about it. Do the Cleveland owners know enough about this situation that they feel happy with their choice?

Only time will tell how the Cleveland Controversy will work itself out for the team, the city, the fans and the Kurjans.