Probably the most well-known brothers in NF history are T.J. and J.J. Watt. When J.J. appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, he talked of a terrifying experience he had in Italy when he believed his brother was going to die.
T.J. opted to eat a pesto dish for dinner with the Watt brothers, but because he is extremely allergic to tree nuts, he had a violent response to it.
“We were in Rome one time, my brothers and I, we did a little European vacation, just the three of us. And we’re idiots. We went to lunch, and TJ knows he has a severe tree nut allergy. And I do too but none of us were aware of the fact that pesto is made purely of tree nuts. So he ordered a massive pesto pasta dish, and literally stopped breathing at the table.”
"We were in Rome one time and @_TJWatt has a severe tree nut allergy..
He ordered a massive pesto pasta dish and literally stopped breathing at the table..
We had to get him to the Italian hospital and for about an hour we had no idea if he was gonna make it" ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/PqP0xApz9u
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 1, 2023
“And we had to get him to the Italian hospital. It was one of the scariest experiences of my entire life because they wouldn’t let me go back with him either. So they took him back there when he wasn’t breathing. And for about 45 minutes to an hour, Derek and I had no idea if he was going to make it.”
Fortunately, TJ would emerge from this unscathed. Watt would re-sign a five-year contract with the Steelers in 2021. A $112 million four-year agreement was signed, with a $35 million signing bonus and a three-year guarantee of $80 million.
JJ Watt was able to relive some of his former glory in his final season, accumulating 12.5 sacks, which was his greatest total in a number of years.
This season, the five-time first-team All-Pro was welcomed into the Texans Ring of Honor.
In his last season, Watt recorded 12.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and 56 pressures. Watt’s performance was at its peak since his final First Team All-Pro season in 2018. Even though he was a new father and desired to dedicate all of his time to his spouse and child, he could have easily played another season.
