Browns new running back Terrell Watson came to Cleveland after spending his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, long before ever making it to the NFL he tried to trade in his athletic talent.
“I remember sitting down one day and telling God ‘Take away my football ability. I don’t want to play football. All I want to do is know how to read and be good in school,’” Watson told NewsChannel5’s Lauren Brill.
As a child Watson was diagnosed with a learning disability. Those around him helped him find his way from the very beginning. He was adopted by his maternal grandparents as an infant, after his birth mother put him on a doorstep and left.
The running back has tattoos inked on his wrists that read, “Clear eyes, full heart.”
“I put clear eyes, full heart. I feel like in life if I do everything with clear eyes and a full heart, knowing what I am chasing, I can see what I am chasing and I do it with a full heart, no regrets, I know I am on the right path,” Watson explained.
First he put his heart into his education. He ultimately discovered he is a visual learner, which allowed him to excel in school and football.
“We could have a 20-play series and I could go back and tell a coach what the defense did from play one to play 20,” he explained. "It helps a lot especially as a running back. It helps me know where holes potentially could be at and where big plays could actually come from.”
At Division 2 Azusa Pacific, Watson, who was on the Bengals practice squad last season, broke countless school records including most all-time rushing yards. However, he doesn’t see it as a personal achievement.
“It’s not just a credit to me. I got to play with great guys,” he said. “I definitely had one of the best offensive linemen in college football and some great coaches and a great team all around.”
With a knack for visuals, he naturally became interested in photography.
“A lot of times we miss moments,” Watson explained. “Pictures are a way you can capture moments and embrace it.”
The California native has brought all of his talents to Cleveland.
“Just know I am going to work hard and I am going to give everything for this city and this team,” said Watson.
Originally bullies made him want to trade in his gift for the game. Now it is all the love around him that gives him clear eyes and a full heart to chase winning.
“I heard a great quote that says a warrior never fights because he hates the person in front of him but he fights because he loves the people around him and behind him,” Watson recalled.
“You play for your family, your coaches, your team, everyone who believed in you,” he added. "That is why I play football."
