Fans of the Watt family were devastated on October 5th when beloved JJ Watt left the game in excruciating pain.
It would be revealed later that Watt suffered from a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg, which was immediately operated on when Watt was taken to the hospital, effectively ending his season.
Watt also suffered a back injury during the end of the 2015 season, which would keep him out of the 2016 season. Watt expressed to Graham Besinger that his complicated recovery after his back injury almost made him consider retiring in 2016.
With that in mind, our sports section discusses whether or not we think that this most recent injury will lead the eldest Watt brother to end his NFL career.
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Alex Fishkind:
While many football fans view Houston Texan’s defensive lineman JJ Watt as a god like creature, it is hard to fathom that he will be able to continue playing further after his second season ending surgery.
After fracturing his left tibia week six against the Kansas City Chiefs, Watt began what could be another long road to recovery. The question surrounds, will he finally hang up the pads and retire or will he persevere once more and return the following season?
Only a mere 28 years old, it is hard to imagine that one of the league’s best talents would just ride off into the sunset. With that being said however, Watt has become a civic leader for Houston, raising nearly 40 million dollars in relief funds for areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Watt has more than paid his dues, both for the league, and for his community, so if he decides to have an early retirement, who can really blame him?
Stephanie Browne:
Although JJ Watt will be on the sidelines with Texas linebacker Whitney Mercilus for the rest of the season, his football career can’t be over yet.
The defensive lineman made a comeback after the 2016 season when he only played three games due to back surgery. The season before that he herniated a disk twice, broke his hand and tore three adductors, among other injuries.
For someone who has had so many injuries, what’s one more for the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year? In the grand scheme of things, he is only 28 years old, and has time to recover and get back to it when he’s able to.
Injury after injury, JJ Watt seems untouchable in his commitment to football. It doesn’t look like he will be leaving the NFL anytime soon.
Kristen Larson:
In an ideal world, I would love to say that JJ Watt will just simply recover from his recent injury and get back to playing football, but I don’t think that is the world that we live in.
I remember seeing the interview with Besinger on YouTube and being appalled that Watt would consider retiring after a single injury, but then I continued watching. Watt stated that it was the time it took him to recover from his injury that made him contemplate retirement.
If he heals quickly, there is no doubt in my mind that Watt will be back for another year with the Texans. However, I don’t feel as though this will be an easy recovery for Watt, and that will most likely lead him to consider retiring this year.
I hope for his sake that Watt has a speedy recovery, but in the end it is about his health and he needs to make the best decision for him, not for his fans.
