It looks like J.J. Watt is no longer retired. The former NFL defensive lineman announced on Monday that he and his wife, soccer star Kealia Ohai Watt, are investing in the English Soccer team Burnley FC. This comes after J.J. Watt finished his 12th NFL season and announced his retirement from the league.
In the video Watt said he’s “officially retired from retirement” despite only being retired for four months. “We don’t have ‘buy an entire European football club’ kind of money,” Watt said. “We’re more along the lines of minority investment but massive emotional investment.”
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Burnley FC said the Watts spent time at the club and within the local community earlier in the season when they attended its 3-0 victory over Wigan Athletic. “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome JJ and Kealia into the Clarets family. This is a conversation that has been happening for some time and over the course of this season we’ve been hugely impressed by their passion and interest in both the club and the Burnley community. I am very much looking forward to working with them,” Alan Pace, chairman of Burnley FC, said in a statement.
J.J. and Kealia are excited to be part of the club that has been champions of England twice. “When you invest in a club that’s been around since 1882, you must have great respect for its history and tradition. We understand that not only are we investing in the squad and manager, we’re investing in the town and its people. We take that responsibility very seriously and intend to work hard in earning their trust and support.”
“We have such great respect for what has been built here by Alan, Vincent and the entire organization and are looking forward to working with them. We believe that Burnley is a special club with incredible supporters and we want to help continue to elevate its global profile on its return to the Premier League.”
J.J. Watt, 34, is on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In his NFL career, Watt was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, the All-Pro Team seven times and named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. Kealia Ohai Watt, 31, played for the U.S. Women’s National Team as well as the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League. In her club career, Watt scored 35 goals in 142 appearances.
