J.J. Watt Fulfills Lifelong Dream, Buys Mother Car for Her Birthday

Most people would love to be able to give back to their parents in order to thank them for raising them. When a professional athlete signs a contract, one of the first things that he or she usually does is buy something nice for mom and/or dad.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt signed a six-year, $100 million extension with the Houston Texans earlier this year. Watt admitted that he didn't know what rich people typically buy, but he knew he would be able to get his mom, Connie, a new car—and a Twitter shoutout—for her birthday. 

Doing this was apparently something Watt has been wanting to do for some time. He explained to ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli what gave him the idea for the present.

\"Growing up, on TV I saw all the commercials with cars with red bows on them at Christmas time. I always thought to myself, 'Who can do that? Who can just buy a whole car for somebody’s birthday or for Christmas and put a bow on it and drive it? Could you imagine if you could do that for somebody how awesome that would be?\"

Watt made sure that his mom got the car in style—with the red bow on it.

Watt was very grateful for his parents' support while pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL. Here's what he said on giving back to his parents, per Ganguli:

\"My whole life my parents have made sacrifices for me. they’ve done everything. They’ve made it so my brothers have had opportunities for success. To be able to give back to her and to surprise her like that, and to see my brother got me a nice video of her when she first saw it, there’s really no better feeling in the world than that to be able to take care of your family, take care of those closest to you. There’s no better way to spend my money than that.\"

While some athletes may blow their newfound wealth on ridiculous things, the 25-year-old Watt is making sure he does everything he can to thank his parents for all they have done for him.