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J.J. Watt releases 'authentic' new shoe inspired by U.S. Navy SEALs

Watt's shoes were inspired by a visit with Navy SEAL widows.

JJ Watt Twitter

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt just released a pair of shoes this holiday season, with the money going toward a good cause. Watt met a group of Navy SEAL widows in 2012, whom he says have become lifelong friends, and he wanted to do something to honor them.

Watt posted to social media saying he wanted to create a shoe to honor the Navy SEAL community and do it as "authentically as possible," so he brought in a Navy SEAL to help design the shoe. It's called the JJ II Valor edition.

"This is what we came up with. As you see, it's nothing flashy, nothing crazy. It's just what he wanted and there's many details of this shoe that are special to me," said Watt in an Instagram video.

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This pair is special. For so many reasons. For starters, for every pair purchased this holiday season, a pair of JJ’s will be donated to The Navy SEAL Foundation. In addition, all of my personal proceeds from this shoe will go to directly to The Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Foundation. In 2012 while attending a Memorial Day event, I met a group of Navy SEAL widows who have now become lifelong friends. They have since introduced me to many incredible people within the SEAL community and beyond. I wanted to create a shoe to honor that community and do it as authentically as possible. The best way I knew how to do that was to invite a Navy SEAL to work hand in hand with me on designing the shoe. If you watch the video, you’ll see all of the details and thought that went into creating this shoe. I am extremely excited about this shoe and I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much as I do. Thank you and all the best!! It will be available Tonight at midnight on Reebok.com

A post shared by JJ Watt (@jjwatt) on

Dec 11, 2018 at 6:18pm PST

Watt said all of the proceeds from the sale of the shoes are going to the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Foundation. And for every pair of JJ II Valor shoes purchased on Reebok's website, the shoe company will be donating a pair of the JJ II training shoes to the Navy SEAL Foundation.

You can find a pair for around $100 on the Reebok website.

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For more on this story, including video, visit our content partner ABC13.

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FIFA fan policies

FIFA to allow disposable water bottles in Houston Stadium for World Cup

Photo by Peter Dazely Getty Images

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In a change of policy, FIFA will now allow fans to bring their own water bottles to some stadiums during the World Cup, including Reliant Stadium, called "Houston Stadium" during the tournament.

FIFA's decision adjusted a policy that had barred spectators from bringing refillable water bottles into the tournament’s 16 stadiums across North America, including some with limited or no shade from the sun.

FIFA in a social media post said fans will be permitted to bring one, soft, plastic, 20-ounce, factory-sealed, disposable water bottle into any match taking place in the United States or Canada.

Swell stainless steel water bottles Reusable water bottles are a no for World Cup. Greenhead.com

In a video released by FIFA, Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said fans will still not be permitted to bring in hard sided, reusable water bottles “due to safety and security reasons.”

FIFA stated, “for the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”

FIFA’s stadium rules had stated that fans could bring in a transparent, reusable bottle up to one liter, or 33.8 ounces capacity. On Thursday, June 4, the “Stadium Code of Conduct” update was criticized by an English fan group, which argued FIFA had given assurances on carrying empty plastic bottles to fill with freely available water at a tournament where heat and extreme weather are expected to be a factor.

Seven FIFA World Cup matches will be played in Houston. AT&T Stadium in Arlington. They includes Germany vs. Curaçao (June 14), Portugal vs. Congo DR (June 17), Netherlands vs. Sweden (June 20), Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (June 23), and Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (June 26)

The stadium will also host a Round of 32 match (June 29) and one Round of 16 match (July 4).

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