JJ Watt was extremely emotional about his week after playing in the Cardinals’ win over the Panthers on Sunday, just three days after he had his “heart shocked back into rhythm.”
Hours before Sunday’s game, Watt revealed he experienced atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat — on Wednesday. He mentioned “somebody leaked personal information” about him.
During the press conference, watt couldn’t contain his emotions.
“Obviously, it’s been a very emotional week for my family, for my wife, for myself,” said Watt, who at one point held back tears while speaking to reporters. “So, I’m very happy to get a win today. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of emotions, but I’ve learned to appreciate the little things even more, and so it’s nice to have a win today.”
The 33-year-old said he was “upset” about the news leaking because “the only people that knew were people I should trust.”
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While it was a terrifying experience, Watt said he was assured that it was safe for him to play.
“It’s tough,” Watt said, via ESPN. “My wife was by my side all the time. So, that helped a lot, and then, just, I didn’t know what else to do. I have been playing this game my whole life. They said I was fine. So, once my heart was reset, they said, ‘You’re fine. If you feel comfortable.’
“I’d probably be more uncomfortable sitting on my couch at home. You know, this is what I know. Right or wrong. Maybe that’s messed up, but if I was sitting at home watching the boys play and knowing that they said I was perfectly fine to play, I would have felt weird, so, I just did what I know.”
The 33-year-old, who is in his second season with the Cardinals, had three tackles and played in all but 10 defensive snaps.
