Texans’ J.J. Watt speaks out over devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey

As the Houston Texans prepare for the 2017 regular season, their home city has been hit big time by the massive Hurricane Harvey.

The photos, stories and videos coming from the Houston area tell us a story of a region that will never be the same again. It’s a tragic reminder that football itself pales in comparison to real-life situations. Situations that can lead to lives being altered forever and tragedy on a scale few of us could scarcely imagine.

In talking about the situation in his adopted home city, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt opens up in an extremely direct manner. He does so while making sure he will play a role in what promises to be a long-term project to rebuild Houston.

“I’m sitting here watching the news and checking the internet and seeing everything that’s going on with Hurricane Harvey and the damage it’s causing back home. And it’s very difficult,” Watt said, via his official Twitter account. “It’s very difficult, not only because we have family and friends back there … some guys have young kids, some guys have wives and families. But that’s our city. It’s very tough to watch your city get hit by such a bad storm.”

Watt went on to talk about how hard it is to not be there as the city looks to weather the remainder of the storm and rebound from the widespread devastation.

And keeping with the sense of community Watt has shown since joining the Texans, he also announced a fundraiser to help those impacted the most.

Here’s a link if you would like to donate.

As of early Sunday evening, Watt had already raised north of $125,000.

That’s what football itself can mean to communities around the United States. If the teams and players take it upon themselves to show altruism in the face of tragedy, the community in which they exist will remain forever strong. Watt and Co. showed that big time on Sunday.