Toward the end of the first half of the Rams-Cardinals game on Sunday, J.J. Watt appeared positioned for a scoop-and-score touchdown — if the officials called the play correctly. Rams quarterback John Wolford was hit and coughed up the ball, but a ref’s whistle blew it dead, ruling it an incomplete pass, before Watt could run the ball into the end zone.
The call was overturned on replay. It was deemed a fumble, Cardinals’ ball, but it couldn’t be advanced from where Watt picked it up.
JJ Watt is robbed of a scoop and score. pic.twitter.com/sEIC8plwlG
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) November 13, 2022
And while this missed opportunity for Watt didn’t end up having an effect on the outcome of the game — the Cards topped the Rams 27-17 — it did have a profound impact on at least one sportsbook user who had a three-leg parlay that included a Cardinals defensive score.
Twitter user JReyes192 — he goes by Joey Lays — is a 26-year-old Arizona Cardinals fan since “the day he can remember.” And he put down $27.77 on a same-game parlay on FanDuel Sunday that included the Cardinals moneyline, James Connor anytime touchdown, and the defensive score. (Side note: The editorial staff at US Bets retroactively finds this to be a pretty sharp wager for an SGP.)
The bet didn’t hit, but only because of the missed call. So Joey Lays did what any reasonable person would do: He tweeted at Watt.
they blew that play dead but you would’ve walked in the endzone…should’ve won $1000, wanna help a brotha out? 😂😅 pic.twitter.com/s0BHRUd3hQ
— JoeyLays (@JReyes192) November 14, 2022
“I was thinking he’s probably not going to reply, and of course he does, saying, ‘Send me your address, I got you,’” Lays told US Bets Monday night. “He just messaged me again about 30 minutes ago saying be on the lookout in the next few days.”
Yeah you got screwed. (we both did 😂)
I got you.
DM me your address. https://t.co/rbtNUWcSL7
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 14, 2022
Lays — who just started his own equipment rental business, Rocking L Rentals (why not give the kid a cheap plug, he just missed out on $1,000) — is also a huge sports memorabilia collector, and thinks a “signed jersey would be awesome” from Watt.
Watt to the rescue
Watt is no stranger to feel-good stories; he’s the president and founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, which provides after-school opportunities for children.
Additionally, in 2011, a trio of children lost their parents in an auto accident, and two of the children were confined to wheelchairs after the accident. Watt met them at a fundraiser and befriended them, and went on to perform a sack celebration — agreed upon well beforehand — in which he mimed being in a wheelchair.
Watt also raised over $37 million for victims of Hurricane Harvey, and he is also the recipient of the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
And while helping out a sports bettor who got burned by a bad call pales in comparison to Watt’s other works, it’s certainly an objectively cool move.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY
