J.J. Watt pays out fan’s parlay after blown call
TEMPE, Ariz. — Another day, another generous act by J.J. Watt.
On Monday morning, a fan tweeted a screenshot of a failed bet to Watt, showing him how the decision by referee Clete Blakeman to blow dead a play in which Watt was about to return a fumble unimpeded for a touchdown would have paid him $1,000 as part of a three-leg parlay.
“they blew that play dead but you would’ve walked in the endzone…should’ve won $1000, wanna help a brotha out?” the accompanying tweet read with two tears of joy emojis.
The man’s parlay included the Arizona Cardinals winning the moneyline, a James Conner touchdown and a defensive touchdown. He hit on the first two.
About a half-hour later, Watt responded, offering to send the man the grand.
Yeah you got screwed. (we both did 😂)
I got you.
DM me your address. https://t.co/rbtNUWcSL7
The play in question happened late in the second quarter. Cardinals linebacker Myjai Sanders sacked Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford, knocking the ball loose. Watt recovered the fumble and had open field between him and the end zone but Blakeman blew the play dead as an incomplete pass. A review overturned the play to a fumble, giving the Cardinals possession at the Rams’ 30, which they turned into a touchdown.
“He just said he screwed up,” Watt said of Blakeman. “He apologized and said there’s nothing he can do but say sorry.”
In the third quarter of the Cardinals’ 27-17 win, Watt was flagged for a delay of game penalty after spiking the ball following another play being called dead. He picked up a loose ball after one of Wolford’s passes was batted down and started taking off with it but Blakeman ruled the play an incomplete pass again.
“I don’t know what happened on the second one but I was just frustrated with the whole situation and there were a few holding calls that he wasn’t calling,” Watt said. “So, I mean, I like Clete. Clete’s a good referee.
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“But obviously [Sunday] was a frustrating one from that standpoint.”
On Monday, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said there was nothing the team could do after the fact about Blakeman’s call.
“No, it’s done,” he said. “I think Watt got to say what you wanted to say on the field, which is, you got to be careful there but Clete took care of him on that and only gave him a delay of game and not the big one. So kind of worked both ways.”