Deshaun Watson’s parents are Deann Watson and Don Richardson, but the Cleveland Browns quarterback was raised almost entirely by his mother—a single parent who worked full-time, built the family’s first home through Habitat for Humanity, and survived stage-five tongue cancer while Watson was in high school.
The story of Watson’s parents is one of absence and resilience. His father, Don Richardson, was largely absent from his childhood, leaving Deann to raise four children on her own in government housing in Gainesville, Georgia. That upbringing shaped Watson’s public persona as much as any touchdown he has thrown, and it remains central to how he frames his career and his motivations.
Who Are Deshaun Watson’s Parents?
Watson was born Derrick Deshaun Watson on September 14, 1995, in Gainesville, Georgia. His mother is Deann Watson, and his biological father is Don Richardson. Reports indicate Watson is one of five children born to his parents.
Watson has spoken sparingly about his father. In a 2017 interview, he said he remembered seeing his father “maybe five, at the most” while growing up. “My mom was basically my mother and father, so I didn’t really pay too much attention to it,” Watson said. “My friends had fathers. But for me it was just kind of, ‘Hey, my mother is the one that I’m going to rely on and I’ll always focus on.’”
Watson adopted his mother’s surname rather than his father’s, a decision tied to the reality that Deann was the parent who raised him.
A Childhood in Gainesville’s Harrison Square
Before any of the fame or the NFL contracts, Watson’s early life was defined by instability. He spent his first 11 years at 815 Harrison Square, a government-subsidized housing complex in Gainesville that Watson has described as an environment with drug dealers and regular violence.
Deann Watson worked full-time while raising Watson, his older brother Derrick, and younger siblings. Money was tight enough that moving out of the projects seemed impossible for years.
The turning point came through a Halloween church event when Watson was nine. He brought home a piece of candy that contained a pamphlet for Habitat for Humanity. Deann applied, and over the next several years she completed more than 200 hours of volunteer service—building homes for others before building her own.
In 2006, when Watson was 11, the family received the keys to a four-bedroom Habitat home. Former NFL running back Warrick Dunn, through his foundation, helped furnish it. Watson later had the old address, 815, tattooed on his arms as a reminder of where he came from.
Deann Watson’s Cancer Battle
The family’s stability was tested again when Watson was a high school sophomore. Deann was diagnosed with tongue cancer after initially thinking she had strep throat. The diagnosis was severe—reported as stage-five—and required months of treatment at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Surgeons removed her tongue, and she underwent chemotherapy and radiation. She had to relearn how to speak and could no longer eat solid foods.
During her treatment, Watson, then 15, took on responsibilities far beyond his years. He worked four jobs to help support the family—as an Atlanta Falcons ball boy, a tax assessor, an accountant assistant, and a real estate assistant—while also playing football and basketball and helping care for his younger siblings.
“I was taking care of them and making sure that the household was steady,” Watson said.
Deann survived the cancer and remained a fixture at Watson’s games throughout his college career at Clemson. Watson has called her an inspiration and has repeatedly said his primary goal in turning professional was to take care of her financially.
Don Richardson’s Death in 2024
Watson announced in September 2024 that his father had died, two days before the Browns’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The announcement came via an Instagram post.
Watson did not share additional details about his father’s death publicly. The news arrived against the backdrop of a life in which Richardson had never been a consistent presence, making the moment a complicated one for Watson to navigate publicly.
The Family That Raised Him
While Deann was the central figure in Watson’s upbringing, extended family filled in during her illness. His aunt Sonia Watson and an uncle helped care for Watson and his siblings while Deann was hospitalized in Atlanta. Watson moved in with Sonia during that period.
Watson has credited his entire family—not just his mother—for his path to the NFL. “Everyone had their part,” he said in 2017. “Everyone had their part of raising me up and supporting me. My whole family has been the biggest part.”
Why the Story Still Matters
Watson’s upbringing is more than backstory. It is the lens through which he has consistently framed his career, his charitable work with Habitat for Humanity, and his public comments about perseverance. As he navigates the 2026 NFL season with the Browns, the story of Deann Watson’s sacrifices and Don Richardson’s absence remains a defining chapter in how Watson presents himself to the world.
For a quarterback whose career has been marked by both extraordinary highs and significant adversity, the foundation laid by his parents—and the parent who stayed—is the part of his biography he has never stopped talking about.
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