A connection with a local family prompted J.J. Watt to alter his signature sack celebration Sunday.
After the Houston Texans star brought down Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne during the fourth quarter of a 43-37 overtime win, Watt mimed the motion of moving a wheelchair. He did it in honor of Willa, Aaron and Peter Berry, three children who were orphaned in July 2011, when a head-on collision killed their parents.
Jeremiah: More than support
Teams can't win behind a QB alone, Daniel Jeremiah says. They need studs at other positions, like Texans WR Andre Johnson.
Willa, who was then 6, was severely injured in the accident. Aaron, then 8, and Peter, then 9, were paralyzed from the waist down. Watt has developed a close relationship with the Houston-area children.
"I was eating dinner at their house on Friday night," Watt said, via the Houston Chronicle. "They said they're going to be watching the game. They said give us a signal. I said OK, when I get a sack, I'll do the wheelchair."
Watt and the children came up with the idea for the sack celebration while playing a game of wheelchair basketball last week. When Watt got his opportunity, he didn't disappoint.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
