By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is to undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder, according to a team statement Wednesday.
The Browns announced that the 28-year-old suffered a “displaced fracture” in his right shoulder following Sunday’s win over their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, and is now set for “immediate surgical repair to avoid further structural damage.”
The team also revealed Watson suffered a “high-ankle sprain” during a different play in the same game.
“Deshaun Watson underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Monday on two injuries sustained on different plays in the first half of Sunday’s 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Imaging on his left ankle revealed a high-ankle sprain,” the statement read.
“In addition, postgame, Deshaun notified our medical staff of a new discomfort in his right shoulder that he felt after a hit in the first half.”
The team added: “Deshaun will be placed on season-ending injured reserve and a full recovery is expected for the start of the 2024 season.”
Despite his injuries, Watson still led the Browns to an impressive victory against the Ravens, which took Cleveland to 6-3 on the season.
The three-time Pro Bowler is in his second year with the team after his high-profile trade from Houston Texans.
In 2022, the Browns traded three first-round picks for Watson and then signed him to a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract, the most guaranteed money in NFL history at the time.
Last year, however, the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to suspend Watson for 11 regular season games without pay and fine him $5 million after he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women.
“I’m moving on with my career and my life, and I’m going to continue to stand on my innocence,” Watson said at the time.
“Just because settlements and things like that happen, doesn’t mean that person is guilty for anything.”
This year, injuries have limited Watson to just six games with the Browns and it now appears, after Week 10, that his season is done.
The-CNN-Wire
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