Bret Bielema coached J.J. Watt back in college, at the University of Wisconsin.

He knows both the character and ambition of the now star of the Houston Texans. He knows a kid who was overlooked as a high school recruit, began his college career as a tight end, and willed his way to becoming a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He knows that despite having his fame and bank account change, Watt didn’t.

He knows J.J.’s father, John, a longtime firefighter in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, as a man who provided for his family by providing for the community. He knows J.J.’s mother, Connie, who tried to keep J.J. focused on academics as a kid by giving him homework in the summer and now oversees her son’s charitable foundation.

View photos J.J. Watt is using his star power to help storm victims in Houston. (AP) More

He knows J.J.’s two younger brothers, who didn’t shy away from following their brother’s considerable footsteps and bulldozed their way into the NFL as well, Derek with the Los Angeles Chargers, T.J. in Pittsburgh.

“It doesn’t happen by chance,” Bielema, now the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks said. “That family is all about the bigger picture.”

So when Bielema was scrolling through Twitter the other day and saw Watt post a short video in an effort to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, only one thing surprised him. The goal was just $200,000.

“I know he has a lot of fans,” Bielema said.

The old coach was right. Watt blew through the $200,000 mark in two hours flat and then immediately rose it to $500,000. That was cleared within a day. Then it was upped to $1 million. Then $1.5 million. Then $2 million, $3 million, $5 million, $6 million and on towards $10 million.

And no one really thinks it will end there.

“Everything is bigger in Texas,” Watt said in his latest video posted on his social media accounts. “Please keep sharing. Please keep donating. Every little bit helps.”

Watt, 28, is a dominating force with the Texans but he’s proving to be far more valuable to the Houston community here in its most desperate hours.

Like on the field, he didn’t sit back and wait for direction or inspiration, he rushed this problem from the snap, going with a simple approach by setting up an account at YouCaring.com/JJWatt.

He decided he’d figure out the details later.

And the donors trusted Watt implicitly with their cash.

The money is just a part of it. Watt has found volunteers to help on the ground and truck drivers willing to donate their equipment, skills and time to ship things into Houston and the surrounding areas. He has inspired high school teams near and far to run their own goods and donation drives – his alma mater, Pewaukee High, overloaded their cafeteria. He has enlisted his teammates to help, the Texans eagerly following their leaders.

His foundation is dealing with logistics, but the best part is the speed in which he promises a donation can become a difference. This is a hand-to-hand operation, with Watt’s serious face delivering updates as often as possible to rally support and maintain transparency.

“Your money … is going directly to the people,” Watt said. “Water, generators, food, clothing, cleaning supplies. We are going to set up shop in a few locations around Houston and my teammates are going to help distribute items directly to the people.”

So, yeah, this is J.J. Watt and as Bielema notes, this is what he does. But he didn’t have to do this much. He didn’t have to become the point person for an operation this immense. He could have cut a sizeable check to any number of organizations and gone back to concentrating on football. He could have used his platform to express hope and motivation, but not gone the next step. He could have done an afternoon of handing out supplies, with the cameras running. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Every little bit matters. Every bit.

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