Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt is pacing for one of the best seasons of his otherworldly career this season. Already, the 29-year-old edge-rusher has piled up 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception through seven games this year. He’s also broken Pittsburgh’s franchise sack record.
The 2021 Defensive Player of the Year is on track for the second 20+ sack campaign of his career. If he can sustain his torrid opening pace through the remainder of the season, he’ll likely capture NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time in three years.
If Watt does manage to earn such honors, he’ll become the ninth multi-time winner in league history. He’ll also take a humongous step toward tying his brother, J.J. Watt, who earned three such awards during his standout career.
Stellar pro play isn’t the only thing the Watt brothers have in common. Both were tight end commits coming out of high school, and both practiced their trade collegiately with the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin runs deep for the whole Watt family, as the middle brother, and former pro fullback Derek Watt is also an alum.
Another prominent Wisconsin alum who’s closely affiliated with Watt is his wife, the former Dani Rhodes. This brings us to the question posed in the headline: Who is his T.J. Watt’s wife?
T.J. Watt and His Wife Dani Rhodes
Of course, Rhodes changed her name to Dani Watt after her marriage to the Steelers’ star in July of last year. Still, she managed to make quite a name for herself under her maiden name before that.
WHAT A GOAL!! 😱
Dani Rhodes finds the back of the net to give Wisconsin the late lead!#NCAASoccer | @BadgerWSoccer pic.twitter.com/P06nBNeDo7
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 23, 2019
She was a standout forward for the Badgers’ women’s soccer team around the same time T.J. Watt was tormenting quarterbacks for the football team. Of course, Dani Watt’s trophy case is full of honors. She garnered All-Big Ten honors in three of her four collegiate seasons, culminating with Big Ten Forward of the Year honors in 2019.
Watt scored 38 collegiate goals (including 17 game-winners) and added another 11 assists during her college career. The complete list of accolades she garnered in that time can be seen here on her Wisconsin player page.
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She parlayed her collegiate successes into a brief foray with professional soccer. Watt was a member of the Chicago Red Stars, of the National Women’s Soccer League, for the 2020 season. She made three appearances for the team before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to prematurely end its season.
She’d reprise her athletic career in 2021, making 10 appearances for an Icelandic women’s soccer club known as Throttur. Watt proved her feet were still as potent a weapon as ever, notching four goals in her brief stint overseas.
Steelers' T.J. Watt marries Dani Rhodes in gorgeous destination wedding https://t.co/ZQhcLmrqdo pic.twitter.com/fn3iI1vtE3
— New York Post (@nypost) July 11, 2022
The only kicking she’s done since then is probably in imitation of her husband’s signature sack celebration, but her own athletics feats prove that T.J. is far from the only athlete in the relationship.
If the couple ultimately decides to pursue parenthood, don’t be surprised to see another Watt terrorizing the NFL a few decades from now.
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