J.J. Watt, star defensive player for the Houston Texans, is having nothing short of an MVP season. With a league-leading 20.5 sacks, a league-leading 36 tackles-for-loss, a league-leading 15 batted passes, and four forced fumbles, Watt–in just his second season–is a villain to offensive coordinators everywhere. But the 6’5″, 300-pound behemoth is also becoming a local hero for his efforts on and off the field.
Prior to his first season in Houston last year, Watt paid a visit to a Houston hospital to visit Aaron and Peter Berry, two of the three Berry children who were orphaned after their parents died in a car accident that summer. Both boys were also paralyzed in the accident. Over the past year and a half, Watt has become a fixture in the lives of the Berry children, texting with them daily, sneaking them out of school for a Texans practice, squiring them away to a Justin Bieber concert, and even saluting them on national television after making a sack.
ESPN put together a great video feature about Watt and the Berry children, who have not only become a major focus of the Jewish communities across Texas, but who have also captivated one of Texas’ biggest and newest stars.
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.