Most Feared Defensive Lineman Speaks Out About Close Calls and Epinephrine (with Video)

On the football field, TJ Watt is an intimidating force, an absolute beast who gives quarterbacks nightmares. Although ruthless and fearsome on the gridiron, off the field, the All-Pro has a significant vulnerability he shares with 32 million average Americans: he has a severe food allergy. The condition, which can be triggered by just the slightest trace of a tree nut, shows that even the most formidable athletes often share the same weaknesses as everyone else.

Due to the severity of his tree nut allergy, Watt must carry epinephrine with him at all times and has had to use it on occasion. In an interview with Graham Bensinger [see excerpt below], he recalled one such instance, stating, “I’ve stabbed myself with the EpiPen.” He explained that this was the second time he had used an auto-injector, adding, “And the first time I used it, it worked right away.”

Watt shared a particularly frightening incident where his EpiPen failed to work. He and his wife had to rush to a hospital, only to find it was full and not admitting patients. In a moment of desperation, Watt called his team doctor. “I’m like, I need medicine right now. I just called my team doc. That’s where being in my situation is awesome, because I can call my team doc and he can talk to their doctors,” Watt said. The team doctor was able to convey the seriousness of the situation, and Watt finally received the medical attention he needed, which may have prevented a tragic outcome.

Watt also recounted a story about when his father jokingly threw a pecan at his face to test his allergy. His face “blew up,” he said, and he realized just how severe his allergy was. “That had never happened to me before, obviously. I’ve only ingested them. I’ve never had them touch my skin before. So, that was like. I didn’t realize how severe the allergy was until that moment.” Despite the scare, he said he never felt like he was going to die but understood the potential for things to “go south fast.”

Watt previously had to be rushed to the emergency room after unknowingly eating pasta dishes that contained tree nuts. During one of these instances, he was so affected that he had to use hand gestures to ask someone for help with his EpiPen.

Now, Watt has learned to manage his condition by being hyper-aware of what he eats and what comes into contact with his skin. He has accepted that living with the allergy is a matter of caution and awareness, and he makes sure to double-check everything before every meal and always has epinephrine with him.

See Watt describe his tree nut allergy and close calls with anaphylaxis in this recent interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger”:

We are grateful TJ has survived his ordeals and is outspoken about his food allergy and the need to have epinephrine on hand.

Don’t be blindsided… game plan like TJ: If you’ve been prescribed epinephrine, take two doses along everywhere, every time, and be sure to administer the first as soon as you first suspect anaphylaxis.