Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt felt he got "screwed" last week against the Los Angeles Rams when referees ruined his chance at scoring a fumble return touchdown. He wasn't the only one upset, as a fan who placed a wager predicting an Arizona defensive touchdown as part of a three-leg parlay complained on social media that the missed call resulted in him missing out on $1,000.
"They blew that play dead but you would've walked in the endzone…should've won $1000, wanna help a brotha out?" the bettor wrote to Watt on Twitter.
Watt, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, understood how the bettor was feeling, so he decided to help him out.
"Yeah you got screwed. (we both did)," Watt wrote. "I got you. DM me your address."
The incident that sparked Watt's generous gift came during the second quarter against the Rams last Sunday, when Cardinals outside linebacker Myjai Sanders forced a fumble on quarterback John Wolford. Watt picked up the ball and had a real opportunity to score, but officials immediately ruled it an incomplete forward pass, prohibiting Watt from taking it to the house. The officials reviewed the play and eventually changed the call to a fumble, giving the Cardinals the ball at the spot of the recovery.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT MYJAI 😤@MyjaiSanders x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/iDDkBZtL8m
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 13, 2022
Arizona ended up winning that game 27-17, but an extra touchdown wouldn't have hurt.
Watt was under no obligation to compensate for the failed bet, but since he is known as one of the kindest players in the NFL, the bettor wasn't too shocked to hear from Watt on social media.
"Honestly, knowing the type of guy J.J. has been throughout the duration of his career, kinda did think he would respond," the bettor told Dan Worthington from Wave Sports & Entertainment. "I had actually turned on his tweet notifications, wrote out my message and had it copied all ready to go so that when he tweeted this morning I would be notified and could be the first one to comment to have a better chance of him seeing it haha."
To show his appreciation for Watt's gift, the fan said he donated $2,000 to the Justin J. Watt Foundation, Watt's charity.
So for everyone wondering, yes @JJWatt did indeed send me $1000. However, this was never about the $ for me & I never even expected this man to do what he did so to pay it back I went ahead & matched JJ’s $1000 and donated $2000 to @WattFoundation. Share your blessings! #BIRDGANG pic.twitter.com/nuej8SMjVk
— JoeyLays (@JReyes192) November 18, 2022
The Cardinals (4-6) will return to the field on Monday, when they play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City at 8:15 p.m. ET.
