Deshaun Watson spoke for the first time since returning from his 11-game suspension on Thursday. However, the Browns quarterback kept all of his responses focused on the field and not on the last three months. “First off, I just want to say I am excited to be back," Watson said in his first public comments since Aug. 18. "I am excited to be back around my teammates. I also want to thank the Browns organization, the ownership, my teammates in that locker room and all of the coaching staff for all of the support that they had for me, especially my time away. … I also want to thank all of the Cleveland fans and the City of Cleveland for embracing me but also helping me adapt to the community. It has been awesome and it has been great being out, going to dinners and to social places being able to hang out with some of the fans and interact with them. "I also just want to thank everyone that has been sending out some positive energy towards my way. I understand you guys have a lot of questions, but with my legal team and my clinical team, there is only football questions that I can really address at this time."

The personal conduct policy suspension stemmed from allegations through the legal system by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments. A total of 26 lawsuits — 23 of which have been settled — were filed against Watson, all of them involving incidents that occurred in 2020 and early 2021 while he was still the quarterback of the Houston Texans. One lawsuit was dropped shortly after being filed in March 2021. Watson last talked to the media on the same day he and the NFL reached a settlement on his suspension length. Part of that agreement included going through a clinical evaluation, and then to follow any advised treatment. Watson would not answer the question when he was asked what he learned about himself through the treatment process. He also dodged a question about his message to those who don't believe he should be the face of a franchise in light of the allegations against him.

Watson was originally handed a six-game suspension on Aug. 1 by disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson. That suspension would've made his return to the field the Browns' Oct. 23 trip to Baltimore. The NFL appealed that suspension to commissioner Roger Goodell, who appointed former New Jersey attorney general Peter C. Harvey to hear the appeal. Before Harvey issued a ruling, though, the two sides came to a settlement of 11 games. The fact the settlement made Watson's return to Houston also his return to the field has been something that many have found odd. He reiterated what he had said at the time of the settlement, which is that he left the process in the hands of his advisers and didn't have a specific date or opponent in mind for his comeback.

Now, the offense that Brissett led to those heights is handed over to a player who, when he last played nearly two years ago, was considered among the game's best quarterbacks. However, it'll be exactly 700 days since the last time Watson played a regular-season game, meaning there's been plenty of time for rust to accumulate. The only game action of any kind Watson has had since Jan. 3, 2021, was in the Browns' preseason opener at Jacksonville on Aug. 12. He played three series that night, completing 1 of 5 passes for 7 yards. Watson has been practicing with the Browns since Nov. 16. That's not the same, though, as playing in games, which is why he knows questions about rust are inevitable.

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