Arizona Cardinals’ J.J. Watt will be playing in his final NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18. Among the tributes that continue to roll in, is a post by Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek and linebacker T.J. Watt, J.J.’s brothers.
In the tribute, the two were seen wearing J.J.’s No. 99 Cardinals jersey to honor him. J.J., who is the oldest of the Watt brothers, was left speechless after seeing the tribute. He shared the post on Twitter.
It is natural that JJ cannot control his emotions now that the final game of both the regular season and his career is here.
Watt announced his retirement in late December, saying that he was going to finish out the season before withdrawing from the NFL. It left fans shocked as many consider him to be one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time.
The 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient explained why he made the decision to retire. According to him, timing and mental stress played a factor in his decision.
“I’ve known for a little while. It’s the right time. It feels like the right time. I’ve put so much into the game and the wins and the losses, the mental stress and passion that comes with it, it just weighs on you. It’s heavy, I mean it’s really heavy,” he said.
He added: “The losses are very tough to take. You live with the highs and the lows, and I’ve always said that I’d way rather live with the highs and the lows than never know in the middle. I’ve got a son now. Obviously, I had a heart scare in the middle of the year, so there’s certainly some of that that played into it. But I’m very happy and am very at peace with it.”
