Cleveland Browns third-string quarterback Jameis Winston is well known around the NFL for not holding back when it comes to speaking his mind, even if his words can get him in trouble.
Sunday afternoon, the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft (selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) came off the bench to replace backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson (who left the game with a finger injury).
Thompson-Robinson replaced injured starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who suffered what appears to be a season-ending right Achilles injury (he will undergo testing for confirmation).
During the pre-game player introductions, Browns fans booed Watson as he made his way onto the field. And when the former Houston Texans quarterback was down on the field with his injury, many spectators cheered.
After the game, Winston expressed disgust and disappointment with the Browns fans who booed Watson and cheered.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years. And he put his body and life on the line for this city. Every single day,” said the quarterback.
“Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought should happen with him, he committed every single day that I’ve been here to be the best that he can be for this team (…) I will never pull on a man when he’s down. But I will be the person to lift him up.”
The Browns fell to the state rivals Cincinnati Bengals and have one of the worst records in the league (1-6), along with the Carolina Panthers, the New England Patriots (teams that have the same record) and the Tennessee Titans (1-5).
For now, the team is under Jameis Winston’s hands. The once electrifying player for the Florida State Seminoles, who became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game during his freshman year, has struggled to be a consisten player on the league.
After five seasons with the Buccaneers, he signed with the New Orleans Saints where he failed to become the starting quarterback and he left the organization in march of 2024.
