The fact that the Watson trade was a massive failure is far from news. Most NFL analysts consider it to literally be the worst trade in NFL history.
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledged that the Deshaun Watson trade was “a big swing and a miss,” which would be sort of like me holding a press conference to announce that I’m a tall Ginger and that gravity exists. Valid statements, but necessary?
The fact that the Watson trade was a massive failure is far from news. Most NFL analysts consider it to literally be the worst trade in NFL history. It massively handicapped our team’s future through a loss of cap space and draft capital while simultaneously challenging our loyal fanbase to support a problematic quarterback accused of multiple sexual assault allegations. Not ideal.
Cleveland fans who took issue with the move at the time were assured that their moral flexibility would all be worth it when the winning started and the Browns became dominant. Of course, that never happened and now here we are in our typical quagmire coming off a 3-14 season with a thin roster and Kenny Pickett as our current QB1. Woof.
The team’s a mess. And it’s by no means exclusively but in large part due to the albatross that is the Deshaun Watson contract. That’s obvious to any reasonable person.
And yet, Haslam’s comments were somehow the hot sports news yesterday, not only around town but nationally. What he said was by no means revelatory, but it was still considered newsworthy.
So why does it become such big deal when a team owner acknowledges something that’s already apparent to everyone?
The answer is both sad and simple: Americans simply aren’t accustomed to hearing rich people in positions of power acknowledge mistakes, or take any form of accountability, no matter how minor. And that’s why it freaked everybody out.
A rich guy guy took some blame? Stop the presses, if there are still any presses to stop!
I’ve actually seen a good number of people giving Mr. Haslam a lot of credit for his statements yesterday, suggesting that his willingness to accept culpability for the Watson trade is a sign of personal growth and character.
And I don’t want to outright dismiss that and it’s certainly better for him to have taken some responsibility than to have not.
But at the same time, I have to question just how low our bar for billionaire personal responsibility has become when comments like those heard yesterday can be interpreted by anyone as candid or bold. They were neither.
But there are few rarer sounds in nature than that of a rich guy apologizing. And when it does happen, it’s typically in court, based on advice from his legal team who believes that the admission might humanize their client to the presiding judge and jury.
But Mr. Haslam was not under oath when he made his comments. He was not compelled to take any blame yesterday for the thing that people already blamed him for, and yet he did.
And regardless of the timing or motivation behind the comments, I suppose any movement towards accountability for past mistakes by this ownership team should be commended, and the disastrous Watson trade was an excellent screw-up to start with.
But if this is an attempt to win back credibility with the Browns fan base by atoning for past errors, I’m afraid he still has some work to do.
We’re still going to need to hear similar mea culpas for things like, hiring Michael Lombardi, promoting Freddie Kitchens, drafting Johnny Manziel after apparently consulting with a street vagrant and agreeing to the team partnership with Dude Wipes, just to name a few.
But if Mr. Haslam were to combine those additional apologies with a few consecutive non-humiliating Browns seasons, I think he’d win our hearts back for sure.
Hang in there Browns fans. Cherish the draft.