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On Sunday, JJ Watt’s illustrious NFL career came to an end after the legendary defensive end played his final game just a couple of weeks after he unexpectedly revealed his plans to retire at the end of his 12th season. He went out about as well as he could, as he recorded two sacks in his last game before hanging up his cleats.
The man who spent the bulk of his career with the Houston Texans shouldn’t have any trouble punching his ticket to the Hall of Fame when he officially becomes eligible for induction in 2028. Watt not only left a storied legacy on the field but repeatedly proved he’s a fantastic human being off of the gridiron thanks to the work he did in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and the many other times he stepped up to help those in need.
Watt received a very unconventional retirement gift from a Wisconsin football fan in the week leading up to his swan song. There was also no shortage of supporters who made the trek to Levi’s Stadium to watch him do his thing one last time against the 49ers and try and express their gratitude when the contest wrapped up.
Unfortunately, dozens of supporters who were waiting for Watt in the tunnel into the locker room were faced to wait a little longer than necessary thanks to another notable name who’s once again gone viral for all of the wrong reasons: Darren Rovell.
Over the years, Rovell has mastered the art of cringe by doing things like posting an uncensored video of JFK’s assassination on Twitter on the anniversary of his death and pulling the “I have black friends” card after using Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an excuse to show off a piece from his memorabilia collection.
Now, he’s caught heat once again for a video he posted where he admitted he spent 18 minutes to earn the right to say he was the first person to congratulate Watt when the formidable lineman walked off of the field (the person who posted the clip criticized him for essentially cutting in line and consequently making some young fans with special needs wait longer than necessary to have a meet-and-greet with Watt, although it seems a bit much to accuse Rovell of having any malicious intent).
While the last thing I want to do is give the self-proclaimed betting expert more of the free publicity he craves, it appears the interaction was connected to another fairly painful video where Watt drank from a can of the adult beverage Rovell has been shilling with the help of the celebrity ambassadors he’s recruited to promote it.
Classic Darren.