Fans have responded in a big way to J.J. Watt's request to aid Houston

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

J.J. Watt started with a goal of raising $200,000 for Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He must have had no idea the impact his plea would have on fans. Two days after first asking for donations, people had given more than $3.25 million.

“It’s unbelievable,” Watt said on “Good Morning America.” “The biggest part of it all is being able to see the power of what can happen when people come together.”

Once the contributions reached $200,000 in less than two hours, Watt said the new goal was $500,000. That came in less than 24 hours. Then the goal was $1 million. And $1.5 million. It just kept growing, and on Tuesday evening Watt said he is hoping to reach $4 million.

UPDATE: Just a few hours later, donations passed $4 million and Watt posted a new video with a new goal.

When Watt asks, people apparently listen. To contribute, the site is YouCaring.com/JJWatt.

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Help has come from all around. Watt said new Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul’s $50,000 donation put the contributions over $500,000. Then the Texans’ division rival made a huge contribution:

After the Titans’ donation the contributions were up to $3.25 million, so Watt set his new goal of $4 million.

Watt was already one of the most popular players in the league, after winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. After his latest efforts, that popularity should grow.

J.J. Watt has helped raise more than $2 million for recovery efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. (AP)
J.J. Watt has helped raise more than $2 million for recovery efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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