Written by: Tania Ganguli
What appeared to be a departure from his usual sack celebration meant a lot more to Texans defensive end J.J. Watt on Sunday.
It was a nod to the Berry children, with whom Watt has grown close.
“I was eating dinner at their house on Friday night,” Watt said. “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.”
Willa, Aaron and Peter Berry were orphaned July 2, 2011, when a head-on collision on U.S. 285 killed their parents. The accident severely injured Willa, who was then 6, and paralyzed Aaron, then 8, and Peter, then 9, from the waist down.
The children’s story caught the attention of people and organizations locally and nationally. They got visits from athletes and donations from teams and other celebrities.
Watt befriended the children beyond the occasional fundraiser. He played wheelchair basketball with them last week, which gave him...
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