Deshaun Watson Apologizes for Slamming Browns Fans Booing Him After Todd Monken Meeting

After Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson fired back at fans for booing him during the team's second preseason game on Saturday, he reversed course after a meeting with head coach Todd Monken.

Watson opened his media availability on Monday with an apology for his comments, admitting that emotions got the better of him:

Monken said he spoke to Watson about his comments calling out fans for their reaction to him on the field.

"The conversation was, 'The way we make this go away is play good football. We've got to own that,'" Monken told reporters on Monday. "I asked him, 'Do you feel like you got that off your chest?' Now what do we do? Move forward."

Watson played four second-half drives in Saturday's 31-7 preseason loss against the Buffalo Bills, going 5-of-7 for 36 yards and an interception. While his subpar play certainly didn't sit well with the Cleveland crowd, the 30-year-old asserted that the boos weren't based on what he did on the field.

"I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said after the game. "It's a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it's a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on."

Despite his lackluster showing on Saturday, Watson was named Cleveland's starting quarterback for the 2026 season on Monday over second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders. It remains to be seen if his apology will be enough to win back some fans.

Watson will be hoping to avoid any further battles with Browns fans when the team opens the 2026 season on Sept. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.