JJ Watt: The Right Thing
Categories: American Grit Stories
Look, we know all of you guys are boycotting the NFL, we get it. However, one man should be recognized as far as great Americans go, is J.J. Watt. Whatever your opinions on the NFL are, they can take a massive sidestep when we talk about the things J.J. Watt has done for his community and for the people around him.
He is one man who we know for sure through the continuity of his actions, the absolute consistency in his message and how he lives his life, with cameras rolling or not, he does the right thing.
Drafted 11th in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft, J.J. Watt immediately made an impact playing for the Houston Texans. That much is known, in contention for the MVP of the NFL as a defensive player, and earning Defensive Player of the Year 3 times in his first 5 seasons. The man was a beast on the field. However what is inspiring is how he lives off the field.
Addressing the kneeling issue, J.J. never kneeled. Instead, where others were reactive, Watt was proactive.
Upon seeing kids practicing on his way home from practice, Watt pulled into and gave an impromptu talk to the Houston area kids. He wanted to inspire, he wanted to be a positive role model.
More than we’ve seen anyone else, J.J. reaches out to the victims of tragedy, trying to impact them in a positive way.
Then Hurricane Harvey hit, and J.J. Watt raised over $37 million to help the city of Houston.
Then the shooting in Santa Fe occurred, and J.J. is paying for the funerals of all the victims.
He’s just a football player, he plays a game for a living. We get it. We know and understand he’s not a warrior on the front lines, but…He is a good man, with a kind heart, and that my friends, is something to be celebrated.
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A good man in many ways. But let’s remember there are many among us who take those same steps in their communities every day of every week. The vast majority don’t have the celebrity resources Watt has, (and that’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact), yet they have a similar impact on a smaller number of people.
These good people are all around us, in every community, of every ethnic, racial, spiritual and gender-identity group. If we, as Americans, could start to see that in each other, and ignore the differences, maybe we could all be a J.J. Watt.
You should read more of our American Grit Stories. That’s what we do here. We highlight people that do good for others whether famous or not, resources or not.