J.J. Watt to continue wearing elbow brace

Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt on the red carpet prior to the Super Bowl XLVII NFL Honors award show at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

This is breaking news; you better brace yourself!

Reports out of training camp say Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will continue to wear the elbow brace he sported last year. Watt injured his left elbow before the 2012 season started and has dealt with lingering soreness ever since.

(The brace clearly hindered his play; he only recorded a mere 20.5 sacks in 2012 and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.)

Watt spoke about the brace and his elbow to ESPN:

"Cosmetically, I’m just not a huge fan of the way it looks but it never really bothered me from a playing standpoint so I don’t see it being an issue whatsoever. It’s just something I have to play with and that’s it. I just want to be smart with it. I put [it] through a lot of work over the last week. It’s done a lot of work without the brace for the first time in a long time, so I’m bringing the brace back just as kind of a security measure, you know, to make sure it stays secure and it stays safe."

Come on, J.J. We all know you’re bringing the brace back because it’s imbued with magical powers.

[Source: ESPN]

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