A slithering little critter on Saturday did what no behemoth NFL offensive tackle has never done: Made future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt feel like a wimp.
The Arizona Cardinals superstar defensive end made a frightening discovery in his bathroom, and took to Twitter seeking advice on what to do. A Wisconsin native living in the Grand Canyon State as NFL training camps are underway, Watt wasn’t ready for what he thought he saw.
“Alright Arizona, this is a new one for me…,” Watt tweeted. “I’ve got a baby rattlesnake in my bathroom. What do I do?”
Rattlesnake Update: pic.twitter.com/XhFAf7lKAk
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 13, 2022
The five-time All-Pro probably could’ve handled a grizzly bear himself, but for the snake, he called in an expert. The snake handler took care of the problem – and informed Watt he was never in danger.
“I call this guy, and he comes out to the house, takes a look at it, and he just picks it up with his bare hands,” Watt tweeted later. “And he goes, ‘Ah, that’s not a rattlesnake. It’s a long-nosed snake — completely harmless.’ And then he left. So, if you ever want to a feel like a wimp, that’s a way to do it.”
Watt is hoping to make a comeback this year after missing the team’s final 10 regular season games with a shoulder injury. The Cardinals went 7-0 before losing their star, then limped into the playoffs with an 11-6 record. They lost to eventual Super Bowl champs the Los Angeles Rams by a 34-11 score in the wild card round.
Watt, whose brother T.J. Watt is a standout defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, hails from Waukesha, Wisconsin, and is known as one of the NFL’s true good guys. After a maniac plowed through the city’s Christmas parade last November, killing six and injuring more than 20, Watt paid for the funerals of the dead.
Just last month, a Cardinals fan tweeted that she was selling a pair of lightly used tennis shoes and a J.J. Watt jersey to raise money for her grandfather’s funeral, and Watt stepped in.
“Don’t sell your shoes and jersey, we’ll help with the funeral,” Watt tweeted. “I’m sorry for your loss.”