NFL Drafts are always a tense affair. It is imperative for teams to pick the right player, both in terms of raw talent and PR suitability. This is why sometimes, they tend to act a little weird while interviewing potential recruits for their team. Former Cleveland Browns tight end Benjamin Watson recalls the time when he went through a similarly odd interview with the then-Browns team.
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In a Tweet, Watson tells his followers the details of his interview with the Browns during the NFL Combine. According to him, the interviewer asked him if he smoked weed. The use of marijuana and other drugs was a serious issue back then, so the question was a natural one. However, the interviewer’s reaction to Watson’s response is definitely odd.
17-year NFL veteran, Ben Watson, recently shared that the #Browns asked him if he ever smoked weed. Once he said no, the interviewer grabbed his wrist to feel his pulse and asked him again louder.
"Worst job interview."
Watson is a SB champion and a Bart Starr award winner. pic.twitter.com/apIDbsNbf7
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 25, 2023
When Watson replied in the negative, the interviewer grabbed Watson’s wrist. While checking for his pulse, the interviewer asked Watson the same question, only louder. The setting of the interview was weird too. He was in a dark room with a single spotlight. What’s more terrifying, was that the GM was standing in the room too, lurking in the shadows. As Watson calls it, truly “mob” style.
Benjamin Watson is not the only one to be asked strange interview questions
It would certainly be unfair to claim that only the Browns had the idea for such an interview setting. In fact, there have been multiple instances where NFL teams have asked weird and unsettling questions to a bunch of teenagers. The list is rather interesting, although not every player is as brave as Watson to reveal which team asked them.
Back in 2019, current Minnesota Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd had a weird encounter. During an interview with an unknown team, the interviewer suddenly asked Boyd if he still had 2 testicles. Another question that has come up during interviews is if the player finds their mother attractive. Or what weapon they’d use to murder someone. The best one? “What color is chocolate?”
Fortunately for Benjamin Watson, he doesn’t have to go through this ever again. Although the team he sat down with is not the same Browns he played for later on in his career, it still paints the franchise in a bad light.
Watson, a Super Bowl winner in his rookie year, played in the NFL for 16 years, before retiring. A staunch activist against racial discrimination and abortion, he won the Bart Starr Award in 2018. In 2021, Watson started a career as a football studio analyst for ESPN’s SEC Network.
