Getty Jilly Anais and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
Deshaun Watson’s girlfriend Jilly Anais posted some rare photos with the Cleveland Browns quarterback from a night out on the town at a Cavaliers game.
The duo attended the Cavs’ Game 2 clash against the New York Knicks, which Cleveland won 107-90. Anais took to Instagram to recap the night, including some photos with Watson.
“A night out in the Land!” Anais captioned the post.
Anais is a model, singer and influencer. She has a hefty following of 2.4 million on Instagram but doesn’t routinely post photos with Watson on her social media channel. But when she does, it draws out quite the reaction in the comment section, mostly due to Watson’s off-field troubles.
Watson spent nearly two full years away from football due to sexual assault allegations. There are two pending civil suits against Watson and he previously settled claims with two dozen women who accused him of being “sexually inappropriate during massage therapy sessions,” per The Associated Press.
To get back on the field, Watson settled with the NFL on his punishment, agreeing to an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine last season. Some of the comments on the post alluded to Watson’s off-field issues.
“She rather have money and be cheated on 100x over than be single and broke,” one comment read.
“Did Deshaun make you give him a massage?” another comment read.
Anais previously showed some support for Watson ahead of his home debut with the Browns.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Ready to Prove Doubters Wrong
Watson didn’t have the smoothest campaign last season after returning to the Browns’ lineup for the final six games. He completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions, per Pro Football Reference.
Watson has been in the crosshairs of some criticism this offseason but the former passing leader isn’t letting it phase him.
“I don’t say anything. That’s their own opinions,” Watson said on Tuesday, April 18. “I know who I am, this organization knows who I am and the guys that I play with know who I am. Everyone has their own opinions of what they want to say or how they want to–just the fact of last year. At the end of the day, I have an opportunity to go out there and prove what I need to prove in 2023. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m not focused on what anybody else has to say.”
Deshaun Watson Says This Year Feels Different With Browns
Watson cashed in following the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Browns with a massive guaranteed deal. But his season was very much bogged down by his off-field issues and feels more at home in Cleveland heading into the new year.
“It’s night and day. Last year, I had only been to Cleveland twice–when I came on a pre-visit and when we played,” Watson said. “Outside of that, it was my first time up here with everything going on. All of that is in the past, like I said before, and I’m looking to move forward with my life and my career, just being able to really plant myself in this community, this city and also in this organization for a very long time. Win a whole bunch of games.”
Watson has been hard at work this offseason trying to find his form. He had been working out with some of the Browns receivers in Texas and has embraced the offseason program.