J.J. Watt retired after the 2022 NFL season, but he’s stayed plenty busy.
He joined CBS Sports as an analyst, he and his wife, Kealia Watt, became minority investors in Burnley Football Club, an English association soccer club in Burnley, Lancashire, and surely — plenty of golf along the way.
After 12 seasons, five Pro Bowl selections, many Defensive Player of the Year Awards and the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, Watt was at peace with his decision.
To top it all off after hanging up the cleats, he gets to spend more time with his family.
With that, he was asked by The Battle Red Blog how he’d react if his son, Koa, were to take up football.
“If he wants to,” Watt said. “I’m definitely going to try and get him into hockey earlier, because I still believe that part of my development as an athlete; I started skating when I was three years old, I believe having to learn how to balance on such thin blades at a young age kind of helped teach me and develop my movement skills. So I’m going to try and get him out there and there’s not quite as much ice down here in Arizona as there is in Wisconsin where I grew up.”
Watt said Koa is very active in everything — hockey, basketball, soccer — all of it.
“But yeah, he’s a big boy,” Watt added. “So he’s probably gonna play some football at some point. And I’m looking forward to that. But it’s life changing, like you said, it is such a cool, crazy, beautiful experience. Just to watch him grow, to watch him figure the world out to see the world through his eyes and try and think about what he is thinking about. There is no greater feeling in the world than the unconditional love for your kid.”
