Deshaun Watson Has the Browns in First Place, and Fans Just Dug Up His Old Mia Khalifa Clip

Internet personality Mia Khalifa dunked on Deshaun Watson the same year he was drafted into the NFL. The nine-year-old clip, which features the Cleveland Browns quarterback blocking a dunk from Khalifa on a mini Nerf hoop, is back online as Watson finds himself in good form.

Khalifa, who went from adult films to internet persona, posted the video on September 14, 2017, the quarterback’s 22nd birthday. The clip was uploaded just hours ahead of Watson’s NFL debut with the Texans, in a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The video was shot a few months before that, in Khalifa’s Houston apartment.

In the clip, Khalifa goes for a dunk on the small hoop, and Watson blocks her. She captioned the post saying that she “didn’t wanna risk hurting you before game 1.”

The post fueled dating rumors, but Khalifa told TMZ Sports at the time that the relationship was purely platonic. She said that she lived near Watson and that their friendship developed after she invited him to a home-cooked meal to welcome him to Houston.

This week, the clip has been revived on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. The tweet targeting Watson’s later sexual misconduct allegations suggested that he was guilty of the claims. The replies ranged from crude jokes to people agreeing with the comment, with one saying, “He is exactly where he wants to be.”

Since 2021, over two dozen women, mainly massage therapists, have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, claiming sexual misconduct during massage sessions. The quarterback denied all claims, and two Texas grand juries decided not to indict him. Watson settled all but one suit and was suspended for 11 games in 2022 after the Texans traded him to Cleveland.

On the field, Watson has rarely looked better in a Browns uniform. Cleveland defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday night as Andre Szmyt kicked a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to win. This is the first time since 2021 that the Browns have won three of their first four games and put themselves atop the AFC North.

Watson finished 24 of 33 for 268 yards, throwing a touchdown and an interception against Pittsburgh, completing his third straight game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

In Week 2, he threw two touchdown passes in a 23-19 victory at Tampa Bay, a game delayed by two hours due to weather conditions. In the following game, he hit tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for a 14-yard score with 1:48 left, giving the Browns a 21-18 victory over Carolina in the home opener. After four games, Watson completed almost 70% of his passes and threw six touchdowns.

This is quite a turnaround for Watson, who missed the whole 2025 season after tearing his Achilles twice. The fans booed him in the preseason, and he beat Shedeur Sanders for the starting job under Todd Monken. Watson threw an interception on the opening drive of a 34-10 loss at Jacksonville.

It is the last year of Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million contract after the 2022 trade, one of the worst deals in NFL history.

This isn’t the first time the Nerf clip has been revived. It gained popularity in 2022 when Watson faced more and more legal trouble, and again in 2024 when he tore his Achilles.