In a recent article by ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Justin Watson, the Buccaneers 2018 fifth-round pick, opens up about his older brother, Tommy, who has cerebral palsy; a neurological disorder that affects up to 4 per 1,000 live births.
He opened up about remembering how much pain he was in after football practice the summer before starting his Senior year, and how he complained to his father about it while they were on the way to visit Tommy, who has lived in an independent-living facility about 15 miles from the family’s home in Pennsylvania since he was 21, only to walk into the facilities activity room to see his brothers smiling face, despite being confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, however he can smile, frown, cry and is “pretty responsive with his face”, Justin explained.
“He was just looking at me as if to say, ‘If I had just one day in your shoes, I’d run all day long’.” “From that moment on, he’s been my inspiration, whenever it gets tough and whenever I have a bad day, I would just realize my brother would find a way to smile every single day.” Justin said. He also added, “He’s the toughest kid that I know, he’s battling every day. If my legs are burning on the last set of squats, that’s nothing compared to what he goes through.”
Justin went on to say that he thought every family had a brother or a family member with special needs, because his parents, Doug and Terri Watson worked hard to make life as normal as possible for him and his siblings. “I don’t think I fully appreciated what a sacrifice it was at first for my parents.” he said. Adding that he didn’t realize it until he got to college and thought, ‘Man my parents were working 12 hour days for me, I better be putting in at least 12 hours a day myself to say thank you to them.’
His former Penn football coach, Ray Priore, spoke highly of the Watson family, “He is a special young man, he showed up to practice every day, as if it was a work day; I think that goes back to a great upbringing.” he said.
Buccaneers general manager, Justin Licht, seems equally impressed, saying, “he’s a blue collar kid who, one of his inspirations is his older brother who has cerebral palsy. It’s just a great story.” Also adding, “The way he’s wired, is just exactly how you want them; he just loves the game.”
All in all, Justin seems like an all around great guy, with a lot of heart, and a great family backing him up, and it shows in the way he talks about his brother and his family as a whole. That heart carries over to his performance on the field, as well.
When talking more about his brother, Justin said, “I wish more than anything he didn’t have to go through what he has to go through; he truly is a blessing. If someone who has cerebral palsy, like my brother, can find a way to smile, we can all find a way to smile.”
