Houston Texans star JJ Watt is paying tribute to his grandfather, a Korean War veteran, and saluting all military personnel with a new line of shoes he introduced Monday morning.
The men's Reebok JJ III Valor is selling for $100, and the boys' version costs $75. Watt said "100%" of his personal proceeds from the shoes will go to the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization that flies veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit military memorials and monuments, KPRC reported.
Reebok said it would donate $5 to the Honor Flight Network for every pair of shoes sold, up to $25,000, the television station reported.
In a video posted on Twitter, Watt described the shoes and talked about his late grandfather, James Watt. The tribute to his grandfather is etched on every pair of shoes, KTRK reported.
"The best part of the shoe is right here, in my opinion. Intertwined in the shoe it has James Watt, which is my grandpa's name," Watt says in the video. "It has his division, his battalion, his regimen, so it's a really, really, special shoe," Watt said.
Watt introduced the first line of Valor shoes last year, with proceeds benefiting the Navy SEAL Foundation, KHOU reported.
Watt's brother, T.J., who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, mentioned the latest line of shoes Sunday, noting that he wore them before Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"Missing you everyday, Grandpa," he wrote on Twitter.
James Watt died in February 2014.
About the Author
