Members of the Cleveland Browns are seemingly and understandably working as normal during organized team activities ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. The majority of them cannot help, of course, that new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing 22 civil lawsuits regarding allegations of sexual misconduct that may ultimately make him unable to play for part or all of the 2022 NFL season.
As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk noted, Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. rocked the No. 4 jersey last season but offered it to Watson after Cleveland acquired the star signal-caller in March. Watson, who's had No. 4 throughout his playing days, presented Walker with a Rolex box that more likely than not wasn't empty on Wednesday afternoon.
Walker elected against opening the item in front of media members.
"Yeah, Deshaun said he was coming to Cleveland, I text him 10 seconds later and said, ‘Welcome to Cleveland, No. 4.' That was it," Walker explained.
"He’s a good guy, man. Appreciate that," Walker added.
Deshaun Watson interrupts Anthony Walker’s press conference after OTAs to give Walker a hug and a mysterious present. Walker wore “4” last year and was happy to give it to Watson. pic.twitter.com/7Nlz3fVpWk
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) May 25, 2022
Watson can certainly afford to buy such gifts considering the Browns gave him $230 million guaranteed just a couple of short months ago.
"Yeah, I think he does a good job coming in every day and leaving outside, outside and coming in and focusing on football while he’s here," Walker said about Watson's handling of what is, at the very least, a unique situation. "I can’t speak on anything else, but I know when he’s here, he’s locked in and happy to be back on the field and we’re happy to have him as our quarterback. He’s confident, looks good throwing the ball and I know what he does on game day."
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!