Deshaun Watson calls booing by Browns fans 'disrespectful' and 'personal,' but QB feels love on road

CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson fired back at his detractors, calling the booing he heard from some Cleveland fans during Saturday's home preseason loss against Buffalo “disrespectful” and "personal."

Watson, who has a complicated relationship with Cleveland fans because of injuries, off-field issues — including an NFL suspension in 2022 — and a massive, $230 million contract, was booed repeatedly during the second half of a 31-7 loss to the Bills.

Watson was just 5 of 12 passing for 36 yards and threw an interception. He came off the bench because the Browns started Shedeur Sanders, who is competing with Watson for the starting job. Coach Todd Monken has yet to decide which QB will start the season opener in Jacksonville on Sept. 13.

Watson didn't appreciate the reaction from the sparse crowd at Huntington Bank Field. It was his first home game since tearing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024, when fans cheered him sustaining a potential career-ending injury.

“It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said of the boos. “It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on.”

Watson has started just 19 games since the Browns acquired him in a blockbuster trade from Houston four years ago. They traded three first-round draft picks for the former Pro Bowler. He had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2023 and is coming back this season after twice rupturing his Achilles tendon.

When Watson first injured his Achilles tendon in 2024 in a home game against Cincinnati, some fans cheered while he laid on the field. He hasn't forgotten.

“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer.”

Watson said he's not sure if he can win back any fans. He's frustrated that the only time he feels animosity from Cleveland fans is when he's on the field.

“When I’m in public, no one’s mentioned anything," he said. "Because this is social media, players can’t respond back. And then in the stadium, players can’t respond back. So I get it. I understand it. So it is what it is.

“It’s a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games. So if it is my spot and he (Monken) does make me the (starter), maybe it’s 17 away games then.”

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson speaks at a press conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson speaks at a press conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson speaks at a press conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson speaks at a press conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony on Saturday in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet, a killing that drew national attention and led to harassment of the families.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Austin Metcalf, 17.

Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate.

Russell Wilson, Anthony's attorney, said the defense would appeal.

“Our commitment to our client has not changed,” Wilson said. “We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.”

At the center of Anthony’s retrial request was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and his trial defense team to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers out of the proceeding. Both sides agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.

The case attracted widespread attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

But worries that prosecutors would renege on the agreement as Anthony prepared to testify, his attorneys say, came after a heated argument between lawyers on both sides and changed their defense strategy at the eleventh hour. Anthony ultimately decided not to testify.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.

“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”

Anthony’s attorneys also demanded a retrial because they said trial judge John Roach’s courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the public’s access to the proceedings. And in asking for Roach's recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he expressed agreement with the jury's decision.

“Whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach said.

Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.

Jurors rejected Anthony’s claims that he was defending himself during a confrontation with Metcalf in the bleachers of the track meet, where several schools were competing.

Anthony, who was sitting under a tent in the bleachers, was told repeatedly by Metcalf and others to leave, witnesses testified.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.

At one point Anthony reached inside a bag and said: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

According to witnesses Metcalf pushed Anthony, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

This booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, shows Karmelo Anthony. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)