Skip to main content

NFL Player J.J. Watt Donates 10K to Family of Firefighter Killed in Horrible Accident

Share This article

American football player J.J. Watt donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign in support of the family of a Wisconsin firefighter who was killed in an explosion.

Prairie Fire Department Captain Cory Barr left behind by his wife and two young daughters when a gas leak went terribly wrong. Community members quickly set up a GoFundMe account to help his family cope with his tragic death.

One of Watt's fans reached out to him on Twitter in hopes of getting him involved.

"JJ Watt please do what you can for Cory Barr's family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another!" the fan wrote.

The story hit close to home for the footballer, whose own father served as a firefighter.

It wasn't long before Watt donated $10,000 to the family, helping surpass the GoFundMe's $75,000 goal.

This isn't the first time he has publicly helped those in need.

Watt raised more than $37 million after Hurricane Harvey brought devastation to Texas.

Although he is still recovering from an injury, Watt was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year

Share This article

About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle