J.J. Watt salutes Hall of Famer Andre Johnson: ‘Deserves it. Consummate professional. Damn good friend. I love Andre’

CANTON, Ohio – J.J. Watt will walk into Canton one day as a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection

On Saturday, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year saluted his teammate and friend.

Andre Johnson becomes the first Texan to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And Watt couldn’t be prouder of the retired All-Pro wide receiver.

“It’s incredible,” Watt told a small group of Houston reporters by the stage of the induction ceremonies at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. “Andre deserves it. Such a special weekend, such a special honor. For me, knowing Andre so well, knowing he’s such a humble soft-spoken guy, to see him be showered with love and affection and know he has to accept it, it’s awesome. He deserves every single ounce of energy that the fans are throwing his way and the whole football world is throwing his way.

‘Just the way he went about every single day, Andre was the same guy every single day. A consummate professional, always giving everything he had but also he was a big, strong badass. He didn’t always show it. We all know the moment he really let it shine, but the best moment was he just didn’t have to let you know in that way, but if he wanted to he could.”

Of course, Watt was referencing Johnson’s epic beatdown of Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan. That was one of the only times the low-key Johnson lost his temper.

Johnson was a quiet storm and one of the best offensive players in NFL history.

“How to be a pro, every single day,” Watt said. “If you wanted to give a guy a blueprint for how to be a professional athlete, it was Andre. He put in the work. He put in the time. He was disciplined. He went about everything the right way. He’s also a damn good friend and a damn good person. I love Andre. This is special.”

Johnson is a man of few words. Like E.F. Hutton, when Johnson spoke, people listened

“If Andre whispered, the whole locker room shut the hell up and listened,” Watt said. “That’s what he means. That’s who he is. He led by example 99 percent of the time, but the times he spoke you listened.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.