What started as $200,000
I’m a sports guy, always have been and I especially love football. High School, College, Pro and even a pop warner game from time to time.
Each week, for the past how many years I have written an NFL column. I love to write about the NFL and I follow several teams for my readers each week. Namely the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans.
Normally this first NFL column of the year is surrounded by the team cuts to 53 players, which are going on now, but this year an event has altered my focus for a first of the season column and that is Defensive End for the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt.
If you have read my column in the past you know I have written about Watt previously. He is a great DE for Houston having won defensive player of the year twice.
Watt was sidelined after back surgery for the 2016 season after a brief start, no surprise that he wanted to play given his character as an athlete which is well documented but even the strongest can succumb to an injury as debilitating as the lower back.
What was not injured is Watt’s heart and his love for his fellow Houstonians.
Hurricane Harvey left Houston devastated and Watt wasted no time in setting up a relief fund with the goal of $200,000.00. Little did the Houston Texan know was that his popularity would turn that goal of $200k into $18.5 million dollars.
Of Twitter, Watt has taken to updating those in need and those that have contributed releasing photos of volunteers distributing to ‚four different locations, 10 semi trucks and countless volunteers. He praises those that have donated, those that have shown up to help distribute including fellow teammates.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field.
While no one is talking about this, as the season ends the award will be presented and I wanted to toss my two cents in for J.J. Watt. No Texan has won the award and in 2006 Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints won the award for his efforts during Hurricane Katrina.
For the record three Cowboys have won the award, Roger Staubach in 1978, Troy Aikman in 1997 and Jason Witten in 2012.
My vote for 2018, J.J. Watt. What started as a humble attempt to help has turned into one of the best NFL stories for the 2017-2018 season and those that are helped through this effort will long remember the day a Houston Texan stood up to do his part.