JJ Watt was one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers over the past decade, and he is now retired after 12 seasons.
Often, pro athletes find themselves bored or anxious in retirement, but Watt has already found something to occupy his time.
He became a minority investor in Burnley, a British football team, and in order to get to know the team’s fans better, he said he did a pub crawl through the team’s hometown, and that in doing so he felt Had a lot of fun
Burnley’s latest investor, NFL legend JJ Watt, is a man of the people 😅🍻 pic.twitter.com/uMiir6C0r1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 9, 2023
Watt is married to Kelia Ohai, a former pro soccer player who represented the United States in international competition.
The couple are minority owners at Burnley, and Watt has recently said that a conversation with actor Ryan Reynolds, who co-owns Wrexham, prompted him to buy a stake in Burnley.
When Watt played the American version of football, he was a terror on the gridiron.
He led the NFL in sacks twice, made both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team five times, and was named Defensive Player of the Year on two occasions.
Watt was the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, and he immediately helped lead them from a fledgling expansion team to a playoff team.
In his 10 seasons in Houston, the team reached the post-season six times.
Watt played his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, and in 2021, his first season there, they went 11–6 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
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