Stephen A. Smith boldly claims Browns fans also to be blamed for team's decision to trade for Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns fans should be held accountable for the team's decision to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to Stephen A. Smith. On ESPN's First Take, Smith commented that the Cleveland fans should accept some responsibility for their role in trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson:

“What I will say to you is this: getting to the Cleveland Browns. I don't want to hear this about the Cleveland Browns. Not without pointing the finger at those fans. We got to stand up and accept culpability for our role in all of this. The Cleveland Browns went to the Conference Finals, were Bernie Kosar on those boys. You remember that? In 1989. Ladies and gentlemen, that is now 33 years ago, the Cleveland Browns have been in the playoffs three times. What [do] you think [are] the owners concerned about? He's trying to win, because they've been addicted to losing. And ineptitude. And being [more than] awful. And the fact that the matter is you have a fan base come September, no matter what they say.”

Smith went on to say that the fans don't care about Watson's situation and will show up at FirstEnergy Stadium to cheer on the team, no matter how cold the weather is:

“They're not going to give two cents about the situation with Deshaun Watson, if he could get out on that field and win football games. That is sad. And you could say it's a sad commentary. But don't stop at the owner, the Cleveland Browns. Look at the fans. That's gonna show up to... whatever the hell the name of this edited stadium is. I didn't look it up at this particular moment in time. They don't pack in there right off of Lake Erie, no matter how damn cold it is to watch that team.”

The ESPN personality concluded his point by saying what team owner Jimmy Haslem was supposed to do in acquiring Watson and that morality was pushed aside in favor of bottom-line decisions:

“The fact is if the NFL didn't put the mandate down that prohibited any team from signing him, 13 to 14 teams were lined up, ready to sign up. So, what's Haslam supposed to do? Under those situations? You can bring your morality and you're not wrong. And there are some people that will say under no circumstances would we take this, but in a world of professional sports, with millions upon millions at stake for a billion-dollar conglomerate. These decisions are made every day where morality is shoved aside in favor of the bottom-line traditions.”

Deshaun Watson and the Browns' offseason

Watson at Cleveland's Offseason Workout

Cleveland traded for the Houston Texans quarterback and later signed him to a five-year, $230 million contract. However, the quarterback faces 24 civil lawsuits claiming inappropriate conduct and sexual assault.

In a New York Times report, the quarterback interacted with at least 66 women for massages over 17 months.

He had assistance from the Houston Texans, including nondisclosure agreements, in setting up massage therapy sessions. The attorney representing the 24 women suing the quarterback said he is adding the Texans as defendants in the lawsuits.

We'll see if Watson will even take a snap under center for Cleveland this upcoming season as he faces a possible suspension from the league for violating their personal conduct policy.