The second that J.J. Watt announced his retirement, speculation immediately began swirling as to what the next chapter in life would entail for the future Hall of Famer. With a newborn son, obviously there would be significant focus on his growing family, but any athlete will tell you, when they retire, the hardest thing to do is fill the competitive void.
Well, we got our answer as to what Watt’s first big public endeavor will be in retirement, and it actually involves his family and competitive sports, as Watt and his wife, Kealia, a former Houston Dash soccer star, announced on social media on Tuesday that they will be purchasing a minority stake in there Burnley soccer club in the English Premier League.
Here was their very clever announcement:
In a statement released by the club, Watt said the following:
“When you invest in a club that’s been around since 1882, you must have great respect for its history and tradition. We understand that not only are we investing in the squad and manager, we’re investing in the town and its people. We take that responsibility very seriously and intend to work hard in earning their trust and support.”
The timing is ideal for the Watts, both personally and from a business standpoint, as Burnley is preparing for their promotion up to the Premier League, after they finished at the top of the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, with 98 points.
The franchise broke an EFL record after by securing promotion with seven matches remaining in the season and tied a league record by winning 10 league matches in a row. The Clarets are managed by former Manchester City and Belgium national team star Vincent Kompany, and their stadium is located four hours northwest of London.
Part of the reason the Watts want to invest in a European soccer team, aside from their collective love of the sport, is to help raise the profile of the sport in the United States. Also, Burnley is a very active part of its community, and we all know in Houston how big a part of the Watt brand community service is.
This has been a transformative year for Watt and his wife, as the three time NFL Defensive Player of the Year announced his retirement from the NFL with a couple weeks remaining in the 2022 season. Watt, of course, spent a decade with the Houston Texans before finishing his career with two seasons in Arizona. Meanwhile, Kealia played in the NWSL from 2014 to 2021 with the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars, and played for the United States Women’s National Team in 2016. The couple got married in February 2020, and welcomed their son, Koa, this past October.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
