HOUSTON – Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Monday called on fans who had planned a protest on his behalf to cancel the event “for the safety of the citizenry.”
“While I am humiliated, I ask that anyone who organizes the march cancel for public safety reasons,” Watson said in a tweet. “Covid is spreading at a high rate and I don’t want any fans to be unnecessarily exposed to the infection.”
I am feeling that today there is a planned march on my behalf in Houston. Although I am humiliated, I ask that everyone who organizes the march cancel for public safety. Covid is spreading at a high rate and I don’t want any fan to be unnecessarily exposed to the infection.
– Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) January 18, 2021
The protest appears to be related to Watson’s dissatisfaction with the team after the process he used to hire general manager Nick Caserio.
The event was hosted on Saturday night by a fan of jeans who he tweeted“I’m leaving on Monday. I’m going to protest in front of NRG. If we get enough people to do these things, changes could happen.”
The event, first marketed as a protest but later turned into a “rally,” was scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. local time. The plan was for fans of the jeans to eat at Lefty’s, the cheesesteak franchise owned by Watson in the minority, and then walk half a mile to NRG Stadium for a “peaceful protest.”