J.J. Watt Says He Could Have Lost His Leg Due to Staph Infection

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt suffered a previously undisclosed staph infection during the 2015 season that could have resulted in the amputation of his leg.

Watt, who was limited to three games this season due to a back injury, wrote about the harrowing situation in a Players Tribune article published Tuesday. 

"One Friday night last season, I noticed some weird bumps on my knee," Watt wrote. "I thought it was a rash, so I went and asked our trainer if he had any cream. He looked at my knee and said, 'That looks really bad. We have to get you to the hospital right now.'"

Watt was diagnosed with a staph infection at the hospital and put on antibiotics. The Texans played the Jacksonville Jaguars that Sunday with Watt in the lineup, where he recorded two tackles and one pass defended. The team's injury report listed him as questionable with an illness.

Watt revealed the true severity of the situation: 

"

I thought he was joking at first. But then I could see in his face that he was serious and actually a bit panicked. As it turned out, he saved me in a big way. At the hospital, they immediately put me on three hours of the strongest antibiotic IVs. I went straight from the hospital to the team plane and we flew to Jacksonville. Once we landed, there were two more hours of antibiotics that night and two more the next morning before the game. The medicine had completely drained me, but I played - and we won.

"

Watt said he collapsed after the game due to exhaustion and was placed on an IV. A team doctor later informed Watt he could have lost his leg had the situation progressed further.

It's unclear if any other members of the Texans suffered from staph infections last season. The dangerous ailment can be contagious and spread quickly if not contained. Multiple members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came down with staph infections during the 2013 season. Guard Carl Nicks and Lawrence Tynes both left the sport after complications of MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection with staph similarities.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.