Deshaun Watson Explains What Doctors Said About Playing Through Injury

Deshaun Watson’s season is officially over, as the quarterback needs to undergo surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing shoulder. The veteran suffered the injury in the Browns’ win over the Ravens on Sunday, and was able to finish the game before getting checked by doctors.

In his first comments since the team announced the surgery, Watson said that he wanted to play through the injury, but doctors advised him against that idea.

“I pushed very hard for it, to the point where all the experts and doctors were the ones that told me there’s no chance,” Watson said, via ProFootballTalk. “I pushed as far as I possibly could to get back out there and just try to play and push it toward after the season. I think the best situation for longevity and my career is to get immediate surgery. That’s what all the experts said, so I gotta follow their footsteps and go from there.”

Watson was also dealing with an ankle injury, and he dealt with a different shoulder injury earlier in the season that kept him out of three games. However, this current injury is too serious for him to play through without jeopardizing his long-term future.

In six total games this season, Watson ends the year with 1,115 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Cleveland has 5–1 record in games that Watson played, although the quarterback didn’t finish all of those games as he tried playing through his various injuries.