Whoever is running public relations for the nation of Saudi Arabia and Browns QB Deshaun Watson should probably be fired.
On Tuesday, Watson posted a message on X effusively praising Saudi Arabian culture and society in an effort to bring football to the Kingdom at some point in the near future.
“I had a nice time visiting Saudi Arabia and learned a lot about the original Saudi culture and society,” the Browns quarterback wrote on Twitter Tuesday night. “And I enjoyed watching Al-Nassar, Al-Al-Wali and Al-Hilal, Al-Zaim, and I heard a lot about the singing of Al-Ahly fans and Al-Ittihad. Special thanks to His Royal Highness Prince @Saudi49er for the hospitality and generosity And God willing, we will see the [football emoji] in Saudi Arabia soon. May peace be with you!”
The union of Watson – who was accused of two dozen instances of various degrees of sexual assault of Houston-area massage therapists. And Saudi Arabia, a nation notorious for its lack of women’s rights, made the post ripe for mockery by NFL fans.
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Watson disabled replies to the post. So, perhaps the tremendous irony and cringe-worthiness of the post was not lost on Watson.
The cringe of Watson’s trip and post aside, the likelihood of Saudi Arabia becoming intricately involved in the NFL in the near future remains high. The Kingdom has vast wealth, and as we saw in the LIV Golf episode, there is no shortage of players and league officials willing to sell out for a buck.