It was an ugly performance for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in the Browns loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. To make matters worse, the Browns franchise signal-caller could be facing a suspension after committing two blatant facemask penalties in addition to shoving a referee,
Whatever the reason may be, Watson was visibly frustrated in the game versus the Steelers. Could the facemask penalties be a result of something that irritated him on the field? Not only did Watson grab the facemask of multiple defenders, he dragged them forcefully by their helmets in the aftermath of both facemask sequences.
Midway through the third quarter, Watson grabbed the facemask of Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander to draw one of his two facemask penalties, which led to a skirmish between the two teams. Watson was on the Steelers’ sideline surrounded by Steelers players so the refs came in to diffuse the situation, then Watson shoved an official.
Normally, any contact with an official is forbidden in the NFL and results in automatic disqualification. Not only was Watson not ejected from the game, the Browns weren’t even penalized. The aftermath has left many people shocked and questioning why there were no consequences for Watson’s actions.
Could a bigger penalty be coming such as a suspension and/or hefty fine? Or, does Watson’s status as a high-profile franchise quarterback earn him the benefit of the doubt in a situation of this magnitude? If one thing is certain, it’s that Watson needs to do a better job of keeping his composure in the future.
