BEREA, Ohio — One week after the Cleveland Browns made a blockbuster trade to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, the principals involved in the deal spoke with the media.
Watson sat alongside Browns general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski for a news conference at the team's facility in Berea. Two hours later, owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam spoke to reporters via Zoom.
The new Browns quarterback denied the sexual misconduct accusations against him, which primarily come from massage therapists in the Houston area.
"I never assaulted, I never disrespected and I never harassed any woman in my life," Watson said, echoing a similar sentiment on multiple occasions. "I wasn't raised that way. My mom and my aunties didn't raise me that way over the course of my life. That's not in my DNA. As far as the details of the things that they're alleging, I can't speak on that because there's an ongoing investigation. But in the future, once everything's resolved, I would sit down and love to talk about it."
Here's a sample of how fans and members of the media reacted on social media:
More coverage of Deshaun Watson in Cleveland:
- Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson maintains innocence against sexual misconduct allegations
- Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam discuss Deshaun Watson trade
- Cleveland Browns introduce QB Deshaun Watson
- Look: New Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson takes tour of FirstEnergy Stadium
- Brazoria County grand jury declines to indict Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson on sexual misconduct charge