I Believe in Second Chances. Deshaun Watson Doesn’t Get One.

Deshaun Watson is once again a starting QB in the NFL. He shouldn’t be, and it has nothing to do with what happens on the field.

The Browns announced Monday that Watson would be their quarterback to open the 2026 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13. Head coach Todd Monken chose him over Shedeur Sanders, stating that “Watson gives the team the best opportunity to move the ball and score points.”

That’s all fine and good. I don’t care. To play in the NFL is a privilege that few get, and Watson does not deserve to play.

That is a strange thing for me to say because I am usually the person arguing that Black folks deserve second chances. We know what happens when (white) America decides a Black person is defined forever by their worst moments. Black men, especially.

Related: Opinion: Everybody Wants To Be a D-1 Athlete, Here’s How To Make It Happen

But second chances should not be automatic. And knowing what we know about how Watson got down, he is not deserving of one.

Time for an uncomfortable conversation. Buckle up.

Before y’all write my name on a sheet of paper and set it on fire, let me say again that I believe in second chances for Black folks. But believing in second chances doesn’t mean I think everyone deserves one.

Watson is not a man who made one bad decision. I’m trying my best to be careful and not get sued, so I will just say that when I look at his behavior, there is only one word that comes to mind. And that is predatory, the same word Roger Godell uses in describing Watson’s behavior.

Twenty-seven women filed civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage appointments, including allegations of exposing himself, unwanted touching, and forced sexual acts. (The women pursued civil lawsuits because they could bring those cases themselves, while criminal charges required prosecutors to pursue them. FYI.)

For the record, Watson vehemently denied wrongdoing and was never criminally charged. But twenty-four of the 27 lawsuits were resolved through confidential settlements.

My grandmother used to say, “You don’t get much smoke unless something is burning.” And Deshaun gives off so much smoke that the man must be smoldering.

One accusation, I would believe the woman. But sure, I could understand someone having doubts. But 27 women describing similar encounters with the same man in the same way?

C’mon bruh. True accountability would be Watson saying what he did and apologizing for his behavior it. Not saying he is sorry that women were “impacted,” but clearly admitting that what he did was wrong.

So yeah, I believe in second chances for Black folks. I will die on that hill.

But at some point, we must demand accountability from a person who has done wrong. Black solidarity is not a coupon for bad behavior. And Watson, to this day, has never fully taken accountability for the behavior the women accused him of.

We don’t have to defend Watson simply because he is Black. And we don’t have to pretend 27 women, lawsuits, settlements and an NFL suspension are somehow just a misunderstanding.

The Browns can give him another chance. But that doesn’t mean he deserves one.