Houston Texans star JJ Watt received a hero’s welcome as he was introduced during his team’s season opening on Sunday night.
The defensive end entered NRG Stadium for the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars waving the Texas flag as he received uproarious cheers and deafening applause.
Watt has become an icon for Houston, raising $31million to help rebuild the city in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Houston Texans star JJ Watt received a hero’s welcome as he was introduced during his team’s season opening on Sunday night (pictured)
The defensive end entered NRG stadium for the team’s game against the Jaguars, waving the Texas flag as he received uproarious cheers and deafening applause (pictured)
Watt announced the fundraising page with a video on Twitter after Houston’s pre-season game against the New Orleans Saints in late August, with a goal of collecting $200,000.
As the donations continued to pour in, Watt continued to raise the goal, with almost 200,000 donors helping to raise the large amount of money.
The football star also worked with his foundation to fill 12 semi-trucks with supplies, which were brought to Houston and distributed in part by Watt and his teammates last week.
For his work, the NFL Player’s Association will contribute $10,000 to Watt’s foundation.
He also became a semifinalist for the Byron Whizzer White Award, given annually by the group to recognize charitable efforts of players.
Before the season-opening game, the Texans honored first responders who served during Harvey and held a moment of silence for those who lost their lives, according to ESPN.
Watt’s 99-year-old great-grandmother, Sophie Musial, sported a smile and Wats’s Number 99 jersey that read ‘GREAT GRANDMA’ as she went to church (above)
Watt (pictured, left, August 2017 with DJ Reader) has become an icon for Houston, raising $31million to help rebuild the city in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He announced his fundraising efforts on Twitter in late August, with an initial goal of $200,000
The football star also worked with his foundation to fill 12 semi-trucks with supplies, which were brought to Houston and distributed in part by Watt and his teammates (pictured)
And although the team lost against the Jaguars, his 99-year-old grandmother displayed her pride.
In a tweet shared by ESPN, Sophie Musial sported a smile and a Watt’s Number 99 jersey that read ‘GREAT GRANDMA’ as she went to church.
As of Sunday afternoon, the tweet had received more than 17,000 likes and more than 3,000 retweets.
Twitter users seemed to love the gesture, which occurred on National Grandparent’s Day.
‘This is one of the greatest pictures I’ve ever seen. Rock it grandma!’ wrote one user.
‘[A]wesome…go get em Grandma…JJ seems like an awesome guy…’ tweeted another.
Watt comes from a family of football players with his brother TJ playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
His other brother, Derek is a member of the Los Angeles Chargers and will be playing on Monday night against the Denver Broncos.