Cleveland sports radio host blasts Browns' Deshaun Watson over press conference

Local sports media personalities are not taking it easy on quarterback Deshaun Watson ahead of his Cleveland Browns regular-season debut. 

Watson generated headlines when he spoke with reporters on Thursday and vowed to take "only football questions" coming off his 11-game suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Nick Wilson of Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan ripped the signal-caller for his antics ahead of Sunday's game at the 1-9-1 Houston Texans. 

"You can’t bury this story simply by saying: 'I won’t talk about it,'" Wilson said during an on-air segment, per the Barrett Sports Media website. "It is insulting to the media who covers this team. This is not about Nick Wilson, I promise. This is about the beat reporters who cover this team. It is insulting — intentionally or not — to say: 'You know what, guys? I love y’all, but I’m going to dictate what you ask me.'" 

Earlier in the week, the BSM website noted how Sean Pendergast of Houston's SportsRadio 610 praised Cleveland media for previously "peppering" Watson about the allegations that resulted in his legal team settling 23 lawsuits filed against him.

Two Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges, and two civil lawsuits filed against him remain active. He last played in a regular-season game when he started for the Texans on Jan. 3, 2021, as he later asked to be traded and then sat through the entire 2021 campaign. 

Houston traded Watson to Cleveland this past March. 

Earlier in the week, attorney Tony Buzbee said that he and "around 10" of his clients who alleged Watson committed sexual misconduct planned to attend Sunday's game between the 4-7 Browns and Texans at Houston's NRG Stadium. 

"Cameras will be trained on him the entire time, obviously," Seth Payne of SportsRadio 610 said of Watson playing in front of a handful of Buzbee's clients. "All he has to do is make one glance in that direction and someone will grab a still frame of that. Let’s say Deshaun can compartmentalize but also not stare at one section of the stadium."