JJ Watt offered to pay funeral costs so a fan wouldn't have to sell her shoes and jersey

JJ Watts offered to help a fan pay for a fan's grandfather's funeral after they tweeted they would have to sell a jersey and shoes from the player to afford funeral costs.

On Wednesday Jennifer Simpson tweeted asked if anyone would want to buy a pair of sneakers part of the Watt and Reebok collaboration and a Watt Texan's jersey in order to pay for her grandfather's funeral.

Simpson tweeted in late June telling followers she had lost her grandfather unexpectedly and funeral costs were high. She started a Facebook fundraiser for $10,000 hoping to raise money for the funeral but only raised approximately $600.

Every day on Twitter, Simpson pleaded for help so she could give her grandfather a proper burial. In one post, she said she was hosting a bake sale in Houston to help acquire funds.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

But after seeing her post about selling the shoes and Jersey, the Arizona Cardinals defensive end responded.

"Don't sell your shoes and jersey, we'll help with the funeral. I'm sorry for your loss."

Having played for the Houston Texans most of his career, Watt clearly felt taken with Simpson's plea.

Watt's tweet attracted attention racking up nearly 200k likes.

Simpson saw the tweet and responded to Watt, "I freaking love you man. It's been a hard year for me, and this last month has been hard since the death. I wish I could tell you my story."

She then attached a photo of several means to pay her, including her phone number to get in contact with Watt.

Immediately Watt was met with praise for stepping up to help Simpson cover the costs of her grandfather's funeral.

"JJ Watt, ladies and gentlemen. One of the greatest men who ever played a professional sport." A Twitter user wrote.

"Class……. JJ Watt is a prime example of what is right about not only being a professional athlete, but also a human being." Kyle tweeted.

"We in Wisconsin have know of the kindness that is JJ Watt well before the NFL, so offering to pay for a funeral is no surprise. JJ supported Colin Kaepernick in kneeling because he believed that there is inequality in the US with race & cultures. JJ Watt is one of the good ones", Laurie tweeted.

Watt is known for his philanthropic endeavors. His organization, Justin J. Watt Foundation provides after school athletic activities in communities across the country. He helped raise and donate to people affected by Hurricane Harvey, he offered to pay for funeral expenses of the children killed in the Santa Fe High School shooting, and more.

Celebrities paying for the funeral of their fans or people affected in their hometown is not uncommon. Most recently, Cardi B offered to pay the funeral expenses for those who died during a Bronx fire earlier this year.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.