JJ Watt is hoping to avoid a reunion with fellow NFL great Tom Brady next season, with both Burnley and Birmingham City pushing for promotion in 2025.
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Clarets flying high in the ChampionshipBlues well clear at the top of League OneFamous investors being given plenty to cheerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Two icons from the world of American football are now involved with soccer clubs turning out in the EFL. Watt was the first to take on a surprising sporting venture a long way from home, as he invested in Burnley alongside former USWNT star wife Kealia.
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Seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady is now involved with Birmingham, which has allowed him to lock horns with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2024-25 – with the Blues competing alongside Wrexham in League One.
WHAT JJ WATT SAID
Birmingham have spent big in a bid to bounce back into the second tier of English football, while Burnley are looking to book an immediate return to the Premier League. With both teams aiming high, Watt has told of wanting to avoid another meeting with former gridiron rival Brady: "He’s got Birmingham, he’s got the [Las Vegas] Raiders, he’s got a lot going on. Looks like he’s on his way up to the Championship. I hope to not see him next year!"
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Watt has already experienced the highs and lows of promotion and relegation with Burnley and has explained how it is that rollercoaster of emotions that first drew him to English football. He added: "I love the people. I love the passion. I love what it means. I think that’s the whole reason I got into it in the first place. That’s what makes me so drawn to it."