Anyone paying attention to JJ Watt‘s Twitter feed on Wednesday learned that trash-talking him is a risky proposition.
During the Arizona Cardinals mini-camp, Watt took to Twitter to post a picture of himself throwing a pass. DraftKings responded, saying “Intercepted.”
Intercepted https://t.co/P71aPeDZTN
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) June 15, 2022
It was a fairly soft early jab from DraftKings but not bad. We see this kind of thing in boxing matches all the time. The fighters spend a few of the early rounds measuring things out before going for the bigger punches in the middle and late rounds.
But the purpose of those soft jabs is to not only feel out your opponent but also to keep yourself protected from a big counter-punch. DraftKings did not do that and Watt, who was not interested in a long fight, took full advantage.
He went for — and landed — an absolute haymaker on DraftKings in response.
you might want to think about intercepting some profits sometime soon… https://t.co/HiGkq6A1X0 pic.twitter.com/N68BXLZe8u
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 15, 2022
To fire that response in only two minutes, we have to wonder if Watt was preparing for that. If so, this man did his homework.
The NFL world was quick to chime in on the one-sided exchange.
Tweet of the Day https://t.co/wvlhdr7Vq0
— Neal Coolong (@NealCoolong) June 15, 2022
I had not witnessed a murder until now. https://t.co/xR5xfKl0Rc
— Rob Pizzola (@robpizzola) June 16, 2022
Dear god… 💀💀💀 https://t.co/7bkjV3C0Tl
— Caserio SZN (@JoshBeardRadio) June 16, 2022
https://t.co/cPvNgO4ogZ pic.twitter.com/vaER4YpRI2
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) June 15, 2022
These are always great when they involve someone else. https://t.co/wnofKngq5O
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 15, 2022
Their tweet was rather harmless and he put them in a body bag for it 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/R4jrbGQ695
— 49ersSpin (@49ersSpin) June 15, 2022
https://t.co/rQ8DOJBGoA pic.twitter.com/OaU13BHcv0
— Football (@BostonConnr) June 16, 2022
You come for the king you best not miss… #JJswat https://t.co/IgIB5VALfw
— Cesar Cornejo (@cesar_wx) June 16, 2022
If that’s not a knockout, it’s the kind of knockdown that takes a fighter a long time to recover from. The next several tweets from DraftKings were all about other topics. So, we’re guessing that the DraftKings corner simply threw in the towel. In all honesty, it’s probably the best move. We all have to take losses sometimes.
For the rest of us, this should be a learning experience. If a trick play ever comes around and Watt throws a pass that doesn’t go well, the heckling should probably be kept to a minimum.