Hour 3: Watson Interview Critique & Brayden Bell's Announcer Firing
The Carton Show with Craig Carton & Chris McMonigle
October 2, 2026
Carton and Big Mac evaluate the sympathetic portrayal of Deshaun Watson in a recent interview and the controversial firing of a Trail Blazers announcer. They also discuss Victor Wembanyama's stance on gambling ads and the New York Giants' quarterback concerns.
Speakers Craig Carton, Chris McMonigle
TopicsSports
Craig Carton (0:00)
Hey, hey, 343 Carton Show. Just out of curiosity, how did you guys do with your picks on last night's game as the Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson blow the lead late, and then come back and win it overtime with a 56-yard field goal to go to three and one in first place in the division?
Chris McMonigle (0:19)
We did not do one.
Craig Carton (0:19)
Everybody took...
Chris McMonigle (0:20)
No, not everybody.
Craig Carton (0:21)
You had Steelers.
Chris McMonigle (0:23)
No, yeah, I had Steelers.
SPEAKER_3 (0:24)
Pete, you had the Brownies? Yep. I did.
Craig Carton (0:25)
I see, that's a good pick.
Chris McMonigle (0:27)
It was a good pick. It was a... I'm frustrated myself with that pick.
Craig Carton (0:31)
Spread should have told you that kind of thing?
SPEAKER_3 (0:32)
Yeah.
Craig Carton (0:33)
You didn't read it?
Chris McMonigle (0:34)
Yeah, and I thought... And to be honest with you, the same thing with the Bears on Monday night.
SPEAKER_3 (0:37)
Yes, I agree with you. I agree with you. The Bears...
Chris McMonigle (0:39)
I knew it. I talked myself into the Eagles. The Bears were the pick the whole time. And so were the Browns.
Craig Carton (0:44)
Did you happen to watch any of the pregame?
Chris McMonigle (0:49)
No.
SPEAKER_3 (0:49)
Because you didn't get home in time.
Craig Carton (0:50)
Pete, did you watch the pregame?
SPEAKER_4 (0:52)
So...
Craig Carton (0:53)
I'm sorry. You were saying?
Chris McMonigle (0:54)
I was saying some of us worked on it.
Craig Carton (0:56)
Yeah, it's okay.
SPEAKER_4 (0:57)
But I thought you record everything.
Craig Carton (0:59)
Anyhow, so it was an interesting decision that Amazon made. They did an interview with Deshaun Watson. Obviously, I don't think Deshaun Watson has done a long-form interview since he got in trouble. And that's like four and a half, five years ago now, something like that, right? The reason I bring it up is that they are trying to turn Deshaun Watson now into a sympathetic figure. So Amazon decided, Taylor Rooks is their host, very good at what she does, very good host, very good on TV, and by most accounts, a very attractive woman, okay? Did you, do you think it's interesting that Amazon had a attractive woman sit down one-on-one with a guy that's being accused of being a serial sexual assaulter?
Twenty-four cases against him, none of them with criminal charges because two different grand juries did not indict him. That needs to be a part of the story. Absolutely. He settled twenty-four, I think it was the official number, civil suits against him for sexual harassment. Some of them bordering on rape, okay? You guys do know the story by now, okay? I thought it was interesting that A, they had Taylor Rooks do that interview. Now, you can make an argument, a woman should do that interview because of what he was accused of doing. That's an argument that could absolutely be made, so I want to be sensitive to that as well.
But as a woman doing that interview, how do you not bring that up at all, considering, to my knowledge, if I miss it, I'll take ownership of that, nobody has done that interview with Deshaun Watson since he got in trouble. He's done some press conferences here and there. I've not seen a one-on-one sit down with him.
Chris McMonigle (2:45)
Can't think of one.
Craig Carton (2:45)
And now he's doing it because they're a good football team.
SPEAKER_3 (2:49)
And he's playing much better.
Chris McMonigle (2:50)
And they're playing on third time.
Craig Carton (2:51)
And she asked him the question about his mental health in dealing with being booed by the Browns fans when first he was announced the starting quarterback and he did not play well in that week one loss. And people were like, we want Shider Sanders, we want someone else. And now all of a sudden, because he's winning, and now it's three consecutive games with him leading a fourth quarter touchdown drive or overtime drive to in the game.
It was just interesting to me that number one, you had a woman do it. And again, I can make that argument a woman should have done that interview because his alleged crimes or issues were against women, right?
SPEAKER_5 (3:27)
Right.
Craig Carton (3:28)
But number two, as you know, Mr. Second Chance.
Chris McMonigle (3:34)
You have to go into the, you have to go.
SPEAKER_3 (3:35)
I'm not saying he shouldn't be allowed to play or anything else.
SPEAKER_5 (3:38)
Yeah.
Craig Carton (3:38)
But I've been asked questions about what I did a million times and will be asked another million times that my issues are not his issues. I respect the totally different issues, but we're both public figures, right?
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