Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper responded to the latest drama surrounding his quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
A new allegation against the Browns quarterback emerged on Monday. A woman alleges that Watson “roughly sexually assaulted” her in her apartment while she was getting ready for a date with him. The full details of the lawsuit can be viewed here.
Watson’s situation has created some unwanted buzz around the team but Cooper doesn’t believe it’s a distraction.
“You know, in life we all go through things. Like an old head veteran told me in my rookie year, whatever you’re going through off the field, once you cross those lines out there you just leave it at home,” Cooper said on Thursday, September 12. “You focus on football. I think the veterans on this team do a good job at that.”
Watson spoke to the media on Wednesday and expressed a similar sentiment.
“I focus on football. I focus on keeping the main thing the main thing,” Watson said. “And that’s when I walk into this building focusing on being the best quarterback I can be, on the game plan and trying to be better than we were last week so we can get a W.”
Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper Have to Get on Same Page
The Browns had a rough Week 1 showing and the lack of connection between Watson and Cooper was especially concerning. Cooper — a Pro Bowler last season — caught just two passes for 16 yards.
“Yeah, it’s always good, bad and ugly,” Cooper said. “When we executed, we made some plays. When we didn’t execute, we didn’t make plays. Obviously that’s the standard notion of why offenses struggle versus why they don’t. But it was what was true when I looked at the film.”
Cooper was visibly frustrated after the game and made an interesting statement about his quarterback.
“Deshaun is Deshaun,” Cooper said after the game. “He’s a playmaker at the end of the day. Obviously, the game didn’t go how we wanted it to go. We just have to execute better.”
The new-look Browns’ offense was mostly a dud outside of a few strong drives. Cleveland finished with 230 total yards. Watson was just 24 of 45 for 169 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
“It’s all about perspective,” Cooper said. “It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback that line you just mentioned. At the same time, if we went out there and won a game, you probably would be saying because we didn’t play and things like that, we were well-rested and we were ready to play for the game. So it’s all about perspective. I don’t think it necessarily had anything to do with how we performed.”
Production is especially important for Cooper this season. He’s in a contract year and will try to cash in during free agency next season.
Browns Add Kadarius Toney to Wide Receiver Room
The Browns signed former first-round pick Kadarius Toney to the mix this week. Toney made the rounds after being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs but decided on Cleveland as his next destination.
“Just felt like it’s a player that we can add to our practice squad,” Browns coach Stefanski said. “Potentially down the road somebody that could help us on offense and special teams.”
Last season, he caught 27 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown in 13 regular-season games. Toney’s most impactful performance in a Chiefs jersey came in the Super Bowl. He caught one pass for a touchdown and had a long punt return to help the Chiefs win the title.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
