Glendale, AZ- Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt offered to help cover the costs of a funeral for a Houston Texans fan.
When discussing the Arizona Cardinals, the largest news is that Thursday morning, the team announced the signing of quarterback Kyler Murray to a contract with $160 million guaranteed. However, that was not the only news to come from the Cardinals franchise this week.
Who is JJ Watt
Since being drafted with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Texans, Watt has had an amazing career so far.
Watt’s resume speaks volumes as he has had an extremely decorated career. Watt will likely be in Canton after having accolades such as a three-time defensive player of the year, a five-time pro bowler, a seven-time all-pro member, and a two-time NFL sacks leader.
Watt also was named to the NFL 2010 All-Decade team and achieved all this as a member of the Texans.
Off the Field Work
While Watt has been terrific on the field, his off-the-field work is just as impressive. In 2017 Watt was named the NFL Walter Peyton Man of the year.
He earned this honor after raising $37 million for the people affected by Hurricane Harvey. Even when receiving the honor, Watt still made sure to remain humble and thank those around him.
“None of this would have been possible without your generosity. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on the beauty of the human spirit,” Watt stated per Sports Illustrated.
An Issue Arises
In 2020, Watt parted ways with the Texans to join the Cardinals franchise. However, despite having a new team, his charitable habits off the field never changed.
On Wednesday night in a Twitter post, a Houston resident Jennifer Simpson advertised a tweet that would soon change her life.
Simpson had recently lost her grandfather and was trying to raise money for the funeral. By doing this, she offered to sell her JJ Watt women’s jersey and JJ Watt sneakers on Twitter.
Simpson stated that she was only selling the items specifically for funeral costs and not for personal profit.
Per the Houston Chronicle, the Simpson family had been going through tougher times and have been trying to raise money for the funeral since June 20th.
Watt Saves the Day
Having been tagged in the post, the Simpsons tweet eventually gained Watt’s attention. The NFL superstar went above and beyond to help his fan by offering to help with the funeral.
With charitable acts such as this, the NFL community is lucky to have a person with as large an impact as Watt on and off the field.
