Cleveland, Ohio - Deshaun Watson vowed to focus on football after deflecting questions on his suspension as he prepares for his first NFL game with the Cleveland Browns.

The quarterback was handed an 11-game suspension and a $5million fine following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. The 27-year-old has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and is facing no criminal charges.

He has now completed that ban, meaning he is set to play for the first time in 700 days on Sunday.

Watson will be taking on the Houston Texans, the team he represented at the time of his last NFL game.

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Watson made clear he was focusing on the game, rather than facing questions relating to his suspension.

"I understand that you guys have a lot of questions. But with my legal team and my clinical team, there's only football questions I can really address at this time," he told reporters.

Asked why he agreed to the suspension, he replied: "I was just trying whatever I could do to play football in 2022."

"Most of the settlement stuff with the NFL was mostly my agency and legal team. I had no control. My main focus was doing everything I needed to do to play this year."

A return to action in Houston could provide a fierce atmosphere for Watson to cope with, but that is not something he is thinking about.

"Like I said, I'm focusing on just being the starting quarterback and executing the game plan," he said. "That's my main focus."

The Browns traded for Watson in March before signing him to a fully guaranteed $230m five-year deal.