Watt took to Twitter and Instagram in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which has decimated Houston in a manner that some are saying has even surpassed what Katrina did to New Orleans in 2005. Watt began his fundraiser on Sunday, after the storm made landfall a week ago today. The storm has caused 39 deaths, with the toll likely not having capped out yet (38 in the United States and one in Guyana).
In a week, Watt’s plight has netted $13 million in donations, which he will not profit a single cent of. Watt originally began donating $100,000 of his own money, and asked for another $200,000 worth of donations. Talk show host Ellen Degeneres, Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, and Walmart donated $1 million each towards Watt’s efforts. Watt admitted he stopped setting goals to reach, because of the astronomical total the fundraiser reaches when he wakes up each morning.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Jay Bruce announced he will also be donating up to $100K of his own money. Bruce was recently being acquired from the New York Mets, and is a native of Houston. Bruce has partnered with Cleveland Indians Charities where he will match dollar-for-dollar until September 10.
With this weekend being Labor Day, it usually signals firefighters and police asking you to “Fill The Boot” in partnering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. You may see a couple of extra boots/buckets to help with disaster relief in Texas this weekend.
Watt, 28, is widely considered one of the most likeable players in the NFL. His commercials are funny, and he proved he is just as normal as the rest of us when he gushed over meeting “dreamgirl” Jennifer Aniston in the summer of 2015. His Yahoo! Fantasy Football “Shut You Down” tagline is routinely spouted throughout the football season. His younger brothers T.J. (LB - Pittsburgh) and Derek (FB - LA Chargers) were drafted over the past few seasons, and have latched onto their respective rosters.
He hosts a charity softball game that grew so large, that it had to be moved to Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros in 2014.
Speaking of said Astros, shame on the Texas Rangers for refusing to switch their schedule to accommodate the Astros earlier this week. The Rangers are a game below .500, whereas the Astros are 27 games above .500. The Rangers are four games out of the wild card in the American League. The Astros have the best record in the American League. When the Saints were displaced after Katrina, they ended up playing in San Antonio for the season. The Astros were only asking to switch this series for the end of September. When Jerry Jones and the Cowboys gave $1 million to disaster relief, and the Rangers cannot swap three baseball games that were not even sold out, it’s a bad, bad look.
Unfortunately, with Hurricane Irma picking up steam, and on the horizon for next week, much of this disaster relief could be in vain.
In the meantime, I hope “Red Grange” gets a few million more for his fundraiser. Hopefully the success of the Texans and Astros can be a welcome distraction for the ongoing flooding.
-JC24