As the saying goes, a lie makes it halfway around the world before the truth can put its pants on. When social media gets involved, a mischaracterization does, too.
At a time when a feeding frenzy has emerged regarding the not-as-tenuous-as-it-would-be-anywhere-else status of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, the mischaracterization of a moment during Sunday’s game against the Commanders has become the latest bucket of chum — even if the dead fish are bait not for sharks but engagement.
The video was perceived as Watson refusing to stay on the field for a fourth-down play. Watson walked off as his teammates remained. Cut to coach Kevin Stefanski, who looked exasperated by the turn of events. Which was seen as Stefanski becoming flummoxed by Watson apparently quitting on the drive.
Enter the truth. Which has been chasing the falsehood for more than 24 hours.
As Stefanski explained it after the game, the Browns had too many men in the huddle, prompting the decision to kick a field goal. After a delay of game penalty, fourth and goal from the 8 became fourth and goal from the 13, further cementing the decision to take three points.
Currently, plenty of valid reasons exist for questioning Cleveland’s decision to stick with Watson. His albatross of a contract has, by all appearances, kept the organization from making a change. Still, as the external voices calling for Watson’s benching intensify, the notion that he refused to run a fourth-down play shouldn’t be added to the list of tangible reasons for Jameis Winston to be given a chance to turn things around.
When fans and media (especially media) see circumstances like those in the video, the fact that they defy common sense requires an effort to see if that’s what actually happened. Given that Stefanski is available to reporters after every game, it made sense to see what he had to say before passing judgment.
This doesn’t mean coaches always tell the truth about these situations. For something so unusual as a player basically quitting on a drive (or quitting on anything) when his teammates are ready to proceed and when his coach expects him to, we should all expect something far more clear than a snippet that can potentially be viewed in a way that fans the flames of extreme dysfunction before regarding it as a true and accurate interpretation of the events.
This also doesn’t mean the Browns have no problems at the present time. They have plenty. But this isn’t one of them.