Mina Kimes is not holding back. The award-winning NFL analyst at ESPN took to Bluesky following the Cleveland Browns announcing Deshaun Watson had won their starting quarterback job over second-year contender Shedeur Sanders, blasting the organization for the decision.
In a video statement, Kimes commented on Watson’s poor play and animosity towards Browns fans, linking his behavior to Cleveland’s “enabling” of him as an organization. And she won’t let anyone forget about the 27 women who accused Watson of sexual assault and harassment, nor their “harrowing” accounts of his behavior.
It’s yet another example of Kimes cutting through the discourse expertly and being on the right side of history.
Mina Kimes on Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun WatsonGettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 15: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns heads down the tunnel after a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
“The Cleveland Browns announced this morning that Deshaun Watson is going to be their starting quarterback this season,” Kimes said on Bluesky. “This coming off of the heels of two fairly dismal preseason performances in which he did not really push the ball downfield at all, but also a week in which he was asked about the possibility of being booed, said ‘I don’t care,’ — and then when it did happen, when he was booed, called it disrespectful, said it was clearly about ‘personal’ and not football reasons.”
“Look, one might think that a guy after receiving $230 million guaranteed despite the fact that he had been accused not by one, not by two, but 27 different women of sexual assault and harassment, would have at least developed the ability to feign some form of growth or remorse or contrition over the years. But [that’s] not the case with Watson.”
“And frankly, who could blame him?” Kimes asked. “Because outside of the initial suspension from the NFL, he got [suspended for] 11 games back in 2022 — you can go back and read the arbiter’s report, she actually mentions his lack of remorse, or any of the harrowing accounts from women, some of whom did come forward publicly to derision and scrutiny — he has faced very little accountability from his actual organization, the Cleveland Browns. In fact, you could say he’s been enabled.”
Mina Kimes Slams Browns and QB Deshaun Watson for Treatment of FansGettyNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 07: Mina Kimes attends the GQ Bowl at Hotel Peter and Paul on February 07, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)
“I would also add this,” Kimes continued. “I think Watson is wrong. I don’t think he’s being booed for personal reasons. Maybe by some! There’s definitely fans who never got over it. But I think he’s being booed because he’s been bad at football.”
“As someone who covered this trade very closely, I firmly believe that if he had come back after that first season, he had played well and he had not gotten hurt, he would have been praised,” Kimes said, diplomatically referencing the public harassment she faced for calling out Watson and the Browns at the time of the trade. “The football media and many fans would have moved on.”
“But, alas, that is not what happened for Watson. The organization in doing this, in making this decision, by the way — has proven that despite the fact that they have one of the most loyal fanbases in sports, they are not aligned with their fans. They are aligned with their quarterback. Because, like what he said earlier this week, they simply do not care.”
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