J.J. Watt's $37 Million Harvey Relief Fund Has Built 1,100 Homes so Far

Houston Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt just revealed how much of an impact the money [...]

Houston Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt just revealed how much of an impact the money donated to the victims of Hurricane Harvey made. On Twitter, Watt shared where the money donated made two years ago went to and it helped repair and rebuild 1,183 homes in the Houston area. Also, 971 childcare centers were repaired and rebuilt while 239,000,000 meals have been distributed. Physical and mental health services were provided to 8,900 individuals and 337,000 prescriptions were distributed to low-income and uninsured patients.

When Watt started the campaign, all he wanted to do is raise $200,000. However, he got over 200,000 people to donate and that led to him raising over $37 million. His efforts led to him winning NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year back in 2018.

"I cannot express how humbled and honored that I am to be mentioned in the same sentence as Walter Payton, a man who did everything right not only on the field but off of it," Watt said in his acceptance speech via USA Today. "And I'm going to continue to try to live that legacy and make that family proud.

"This award is called The Man of the Year Award, but I promise you it is so much bigger than that. This award is about the inherent good that lies within humanity. It is about the city of Houston and its ability to overcome adversity at a time when it all seemed lost. It is about the hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country and all over the world that donated to a city they may never have been to, to people they may never meet. But they donated simply because they saw their fellow human going through a difficult time and they wanted to help out."

Watt was drafted by the Texans No. 11 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He had a solid rookie season, recording 48 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. However, Watt made a name for himself in 2012, finishing the year with 81 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks and 16 passes defended. His tackles for loss and sacks led the NFL that season and he was also named Defensive Player of the Year.

After playing in only eight games in 2016 and 2017 because of injuries, Watt came back in a big way in 2018, recording 61 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and a league-leading seven forced fumbles. In his career, Watt has been named to the Pro Bowl five times and he has been named to the All-Pro First Team five times.

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