Tipsheet

Football Star Raises Over $2 Million for Houston UPDATE: Now Over $4 Million

Christine Rousselle
Christine Rousselle  |  August 29, 2017 3:10 PM

UPDATE: Holy cow. In the five hours since this piece was published, JJ Watt's fundraiser has now raised more than $4 million for the city of Houston.

---Original Post---

JJ Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans, may be a native of Wisconsin, but he truly loves his adopted hometown of Houston. Shortly after Hurricane Harvey touched down, Watt set up a fundraiser to benefit the city and to assist with the recovery efforts. Watt urged people to donate whatever they could in order to help put a dent in what will certainly be a "massive" recovery. 

Originally, the goal was to raise $200,000, which was hit within a matter of hours. The goal was then raised to $500,000.

On Monday, the fundraiser reached over $1 million. Watt assured donors that the money would go directly to the people of Houston, not administrative fees. 

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And on Tuesday, about 17 hours after reaching $1 million, and about three hours after hitting the $1.5 million milestone, over $2 million had been donated for the people of Houston. Watt said the amount of money raised was "literally unbelievable" and again raised the goal to $3 million.

Good on Watt for using his fame and football skills for good. The NFL (and sports in general) needs more people like him.