Christian Watson's father rips Packers fans for criticizing WR after ACL injury - "Piece of trash"

Christian Watson had been a crucial contributor to the Green Bay Packers' resurgence in the Jordan Love era, covering a career-best 620 yards from 29 catches and scoring two touchdowns in 14 starts in 2024 before tearing his ACL in the season finale against the Chicago Bears.

But a flurry of online insults were directed at Watson after his injury, and his father has blasted fans for their criticism.

On Monday, Tazim Wajid Wajed, who was born Tim Watson Jr. and formerly played safety in the NFL, posted the same group of words on his X.com account when quoting a pair of hecklers:

"PACKERS NATION - Here's another piece of trash!"

He had already addressed the matter on game day:

Meanwhile, former Super Bowl-winning offensive tackle Mark Tauscher thinks Watson's injury was not that big of a loss. Speaking on ESPN Milwaukee, he said:

“If you are swayed at all by what you saw yesterday, I’m not in your camp. I can’t help you. I’m not swayed... He hasn’t been healthy, he hasn’t been able to contribute.”

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Packers HC Matt LaFleur optimistic about Christian Watson's recovery after season-ending ACL tear

While the loss of Christian Watson represents a sizable blow for the Packers, head coach Matt LaFleur is confident that he can regain his form when he returns midway through 2025. Speaking to the press on Monday, he said:

"I'm hurt for him, obviously for our team, but more for him. Just because I know how much he's put into this thing... I know he'll attack (rehab) the right way. He'll handle the adversity. It'll be a bump in the road for him and I think he'll come back better. That's just how he is built, how he's wired."

Watson was initially listed as questionable ahead of Week 18, but an illness to Romeo Doubs meant that a hole had to be filled, hence his elevation. Looking back, LaFleur said:

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t even his knee that was bothering him, so it’s just an unfortunate circumstance that transpired and I never wanna blame one event on the other, but there was a lot of discussion... We were very aware of just having him on a limited basis and we didn’t even get to that really.”

The Packers' first game without him is in the Divisional Round at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.