JJ Watt

[Tackler49]

JJ Watt interview on BBC 5 Live Sport Wednesday Night Mark Chapman said JJ as big opinions might be worth a listen!

[IanMcL]

H

[bumba]

Can you post a link or tell us what was said?

[NewClaret]

Can you post a link or tell us what was said?

It’s not until tonight bumba.

You can listen in online or on the radio if we can find out what time it’s on.

[Poulton-le-Claret]

BBC News - JJ Watt: NFL star and Burnley investor on life at Turf Moor - BBC Sport

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cdjym33j4mdo

[HurstGrangeClaret]

This guy is a class act. Think we’re very lucky to have him and can’t think of a single negative having him attached to our club. My son managed to get a photo taken with him going to a game last season and was as pleased as punch.
Carry on doing what you’re doing JJ.

[Indecisive]

100% there’s ultimately some financial motivations for him.

Often I’m pretty cynical about PR and always take what people in JJ’s position say with a pinch of salt.

But if it is mainly PR, he is an absolute master at it, because he consistently comes across well, and very genuine.

He talks about his unique strength over the other board members being his ability to relate to, and influence the players ‘in the locker room’. You can genuinely see that he would have a positive impact on the players.

He’s definitely someone I’m happy to have associated with the club.

Would be interesting to hear the views on JJ, of some other of the more sceptical members of the message board, who clearly have issues with how the club is operated under Pace?

Maybe I’m a sucker for his PR, but i just can’t help it

[Lord_Bob]

Not an alternative view Indecisive, but I was at University of Wisconsin and followed JJ since his college days. The guy is genuine. If you were to choose any NFL player to be associated with your club, he would be the one. Absolute diamond of a bloke.

[IanMcL]

Everything I have seen and read about JJ Watt is positive about Burnley. He was obviously a huge star in USA. I had never heard of him, however, I have now.

Great for us in every way.

[bumba]

I don't follow the NFL so I'd genuinely never heard of him when he joined, I asked a few friends who follow the sport and said he's a great guy.
I've not seen anything from the bloke to be negative about he's an absolute credit to the football club and his family.
Some people say they don't want foreign people in their clubs because they don't get it but this guy definitely gets it and wants to understand the town and it's people.
Keep up the good work JJ and stick with the clarets, your one of us now.

[Goliath]

He's excellent. I suspect from his regular comments about wanting to learn and develop in his role that he wants to take a bigger role in the club one day.

[NewClaret]

Is that it? Just a one minute interview or is there more to come?

[Goliath]

Is that it? Just a one minute interview or is there more to come?

Strangely the written bit seems to be longer than the video interview. You'd think it'd be the other way around.

[NewClaret]

Strangely the written bit seems to be longer than the video interview. You'd think it'd be the other way around.

Ah worked it out, that’s just an excerpt. There’s a 30 minute interview due to be published tonight after the episode has aired. Accessible via the link at the bottom.

[willsclarets]

Can't help but like this guy. Is some of it PR and/or financially motivated? Sure, but I don't doubt he adds some value too both in terms of exposure and as a mentor to players. He was a hell of a defensive end; balls of steel and a top athlete.

[Holtyclaret]

Can't help but like this guy. Is some of it PR and/or financially motivated? Sure, but I don't doubt he adds some value too both in terms of exposure and as a mentor to players. He was a hell of a defensive end; balls of steel and a top athlete.

JJ invested somewhere between £6 -9 million as a minor investor. I believe he sees it as a longer term investment rather than a quick in and out.

[Quickenthetempo]

JJ invested somewhere between £6 -9 million as a minor investor. I believe he sees it as a longer term investment rather than a quick in and out.

Do you know where he invested that?
With Alk I presume and not a share holder of our club?

[Holtyclaret]

Do you know where he invested that?
With Alk I presume and not a share holder of our club?

Not sure, there’s plenty on here that know a lot more.

When Pace started with us he wanted a group of 20 minor investors, dude perfect are another.

Also not sure how many of those 20 slots are taken.

[wilks_bfc]

Not sure, there’s plenty on here that know a lot more.

When Pace started with us he wanted a group of 20 minor investors, dude perfect are another.

Also not sure how many of those 20 slots are taken.

Malcolm Jenkins was another investor

[claretdj]

Half hour interview on @ 10pm tonight on 5 live.

[Vegas Claret]

it's on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzWLy6JVLxU

[CharlieinNewMexico]

Malcolm Jenkins was another investor

So one of Malcolm Jenkins’ ventures is Disrupt Sports Partners, which invested the money in ALK. Disrupt Sports Partners aims to get athletes into sports operations and investment as a longer term business strategy. And hey presto, a year or so after the Watts invested in Burnley.

Not a conclusive connection but you could potentially see how that might have transpired

[Indecisive]

it's on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzWLy6JVLxU

Watched it. Jesus, he is just genuinely very likeable. Would defy any Burnley fan to pick holes in anything he’s said and done whilst representing us (actually I’ll maybe allow questioning the number of references to bene n hot in the early days).

[Lip]

JJ is a top man,wish we had another hundred like him..

[NewClaret]

So one of Malcolm Jenkins’ ventures is Disrupt Sports Partners, which invested the money in ALK. Disrupt Sports Partners aims to get athletes into sports operations and investment as a longer term business strategy. And hey presto, a year or so after the Watts invested in Burnley.

Not a conclusive connection but you could potentially see how that might have transpired

The whole Malcolm Jenkins thing, and to a certain extent Dude Perfect, is very strange to me.

Both have huge platforms where they could promote the BFC brand globally and help support their investment, but don’t really use them.

Malcolm Jenkins has a much smaller reach but probably a very different demographic to JJ yet on instagram he never posts a thing about the club unless he visits. If he were trying to a) promote investment in BFC, and b) help his clients make a profit, I’d have expected him to put some effort in to brand building.

Dude Perfect have 12m followers or something, but barely even wear any of the merchandise any more. One of the guys was over recently and even that was only publicised by him rather than the Dude Perfect account. There’s so many tie ups or collaborations they could do but there’s been nothing.

Almost seems as though those guys have no interest in making money at all, or at least contributing

JJ seems to pick up all the work for them, which is probably because he’s a much bigger investor and has more $ on the line, but given the minimal effort it would take to also promote the club from guys with bigger reach than him, I would be expecting them to do at least some of the lifting if I were him. Great guy though and the best possible high profile ambassador we could’ve had for the club.

[CrosspoolClarets]

JJ strikes me as someone who is a hyper sports addict, when pros stop playing that transition can be really hard for their mental health. He is on CBS every week talking NFL and / or BFC, he is on that comedy sports show, he is invested in the Clarets - financially he doesn't need to do any of those things, mentally he may need to.

So I view him as nothing but positive. A good guy, a working class guy made good who is desperate not to forget his roots. OK, he may take private jets everywhere, but he doesn’t walk to the ground with fans and believes, as he jokes, that being so big nobody would mess with him. He does it because he feels he is one of them, more than he is the rich elite. I bet he does similar in Houstom.

A top guy, and if I become so rich (I wish), I hope I can be as grounded.

[wilks_bfc]

Like a lot of fans I have no interest in NFL and had never heard of JJ until 2yrs ago, but my god I feel like I’ve always known him just by listening to his interviews.

He really does “get us”

At the last game of the 22/23 season saw him walking back down HPW when it was chucking it down and positioned his brolly above an oblivious dad & young child so they weren’t getting wet through

[Down_Rover]

I think he is always right

[TheFamilyCat]

Good listen and he comes across as a genuine good guy all round.

[MDWat]

Find it hard to see any negatives with JJ Watt. Comes across as a top person who gets the club.

[Swizzlestick]

A really good, positive ambassador for the club.

[Fretters]

Like a lot of fans I have no interest in NFL and had never heard of JJ until 2yrs ago, but my god I feel like I’ve always known him just by listening to his interviews.

He really does “get us”

At the last game of the 22/23 season saw him walking back down HPW when it was chucking it down and positioned his brolly above an oblivious dad & young child so they weren’t getting wet through

That's brilliant.

[TheOriginalLongsider]

The video is 11 mins long. The full interview of 30+ minutes can be listened to here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0029kk3