J.J. Watt Donates $10K to Family of Firefighter Cory Barr Killed in Explosion

Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt donated $10,000 to help the family of Cory Barr, a Wisconsin fire captain from the Sun Prairie Fire Department who was killed Tuesday after a natural gas leak led to an explosion.

The Associated Press reported GoFundMe spokesperson Kate Cichy confirmed Watt's donation.

A GoFundMe page that was started to support Barr's family noted he was a 15-year veteran of the department and a well-known member of the community as the owner of the Barr House Tavern, which was one of the local businesses destroyed in the fire.

The charity drive began with a $75,000 goal and has received over $112,000 in donations as of Thursday morning.

Watt, a Wisconsin native who played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, was presented with the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work helping raise money for Houston following Hurricane Harvey.