AKRON, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has spent the last year slowly getting acclimated to and involved in the community. On Tuesday, Watson hosted his biggest event since arriving in Northeast Ohio — a 7-on-7 tournament with more than a dozen high school football teams from across the area.
The tournament, held at Archbishop Hoban's Dowed Field, brought together 16 Northeast Ohio football programs for some friendly but heated competition.
Akron Buchtel, Austintown Fitch, Glenville, Maple Heights, Akron East, Brush, John Hay, Olmsted Falls, Archbishop Hoban, Bedford, Kirtland, Strongsville, Aurora, Cleveland Heights, Lutheran West and Youngstown Chaney all participated.
Watson's event started with pool play between different teams, followed by lunch and then a championship tournament and award ceremony.
The football competition hosted by Watson was an ode to his youth. When Watson was in high school, he attended something similar, which has since inspired him to pay it forward.
"This is something that I've always dreamed about doing because this is where I started. I was in the same position with these high school kids when I was in high school. Cam Newton, when he did his first annual 7-on-7 camp in Atlanta, Georgia, I was one of the first ones, and I was his first quarterback for his first All-Star team. And then the history is after that, we stayed in touch. Still, to this day, I call him my big bro," Watson recalled. "So you never know, one of these kids might be the same guy I keep in touch with for the next decade and watch their career kind of prosper and get to the professional level too."
Watson moved around the fields, observing each team playing against each other. He talked to coaches and kids, took pictures, and at one point during a team's break, held a QB skills session on a separate field. There, Watson worked with the small group, having them run routes as he did some footwork and passing drills.
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson held a 7-on-7 camp at Hoban for local HS football teams to come out at compete against each other.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) July 11, 2023
During one of the breaks, Watson ran through drills with one group of kids, showing them some QB skills while having them run routes and catch his passes. pic.twitter.com/rBOtUGIOSw
The day was important for Watson to get local kids working together and with players they might not have worked with without Tuesday's event.
"Just an opportunity for everyone to come out here and compete, work, have fun, meet each other. Some of these teams never even played or heard of each other. Well, now they might see each other a year from now and talk about this day," Watson said.
Bedford football head coach Zac Toth had his players working hard on the fields during Watson's event. For him and other coaches, having an NFL player not only seeing the work they put in but getting to know the community was extra meaningful.
"It's our first 7-on-7 of the year. Being able to compete against a bunch of good teams like this and being at Hoban, which is a great facility, was just really an awesome experience for everyone," Toth said. "The fact that Deshaun is playing for the Browns, being a high caliber player that he is, and finally seeing what Northeast Ohio football is all about is really, really exciting for the area, for us coaches, for all the teams in the area."
Watson has said since arriving in Cleveland, and amid the lawsuits and suspension against him last year, that he was hopeful to show people in Cleveland his true colors and give back to the community the way he did with the Houston Texans. Tuesday's 7-on-7 event was the first major step towards that goal, one that he hopes to continue and expand in Northeast Ohio for years to come.
"This is only 16 teams. There were a lot of teams that wanted to be a part of it," Watson said. We want to continue to spread it, and hopefully, next year [it'll] be 32 to 48 teams. And that's the key," Watson said.
"We'll definitely be back next year if they have it," Toth said.
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