(White Sulfur Springs) Deshaun Watson has changed, in his attitude, his gestures and the way he speaks.
Posted at 9:35 a.m.
Tom Withers
Associated Press
This summer, football, the sport that kept him out of trouble growing up in rural Georgia, is once again a top priority for the Cleveland Browns quarterback, who feels he’s become a better person due to his recent personal troubles.
“I’m in a better mood today,” he agreed.
Watson was suspended for 11 games last season for violating NFL behavioral policy, after more than 20 young women accused him of various sexual misdeeds during massage therapy sessions. After the team’s second training session on Sunday, he said he was a different person today.
PHOTO CHRIS CARLSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deshaun Watson
“I’m not the same anymore,” he said. I feel very good, I am comfortable with my teammates, in the locker room, with the coaching staff, the organization and the city of Cleveland. »
Watson has shown a lot of poise talking to the media, which hasn’t always been the case in recent seasons. Although he expressed no remorse, Watson made no attempt to deflect the conversation and he offered straightforward answers to the questions posed.
The months spent away from the game, the fine of 5 million US and the mandatory therapy, which he continues to undergo, have affected him.
“This whole situation has changed me,” he said. It was a situation where I had to work on myself, channel my energy and be aware of the people who are around me, in order to determine who would be there for me in my darkest moments.
The last few years have obviously been the darkest of my life, but that’s only part of my life, and I have to learn from it. I learned things. I continue to progress, to surpass myself, to demonstrate my resilience, my true personality, and who I am as an individual.
Deshaun Watson
Now that his legal troubles are behind him — there are still two civil lawsuits to settle — Watson must deal with the pressure associated with the fact that he ratified a contract last season that will earn him 230 million guaranteed with the Browns.
Watson believes he will be able to handle it well.
“Pressure is a big word,” he said. Each person sees this in a different way. Personally, I consider it to be made up of moments and circumstances, of opportunities that you can fear, that put you in an uncomfortable position, if you haven’t prepared yourself adequately to face them.
“That’s especially true for a quarterback, because you touch the ball on every play. We’re the leaders, we decide where the ball goes and if it reaches the end zone. I have this opportunity, I want to savor this privilege, take advantage of every opportunity and see where it takes us. »
2023-07-24 13:35:12
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