24 hours after suffering a season-ending injury, Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson has released a statement regarding the injury, as well as what fans can expect from him as he rehabs the injury.
Watson, who tore his ACL at practice yesterday afternoon, explained that he feels like he let his teammates, fans and family down, but he is confident that "everything happens for a reason." The 22-year old QB also promised to work his ass off to bring a Super Bowl trophy to Houston, and has vowed to return better, stronger and more focused than ever before.
The full message, which was shared on Watson's social media accounts today, reads,
"They say you never miss it until it's gone and even though it's not gone for long, I already miss it," Watson said in a statement posted to Twitter on Friday. "Yesterday, I felt like I let my teammates, my fans and my family down. However, as a child of God, I understand that everything happens for a reason. He DON'T make mistakes!
"Today, the journey back seems far but I've been here before and will conquer it once again. I want to thank each and every one of my teammates for their unwavering support. My NFL brothers, thanks for all the prayers. To my fans, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your relentless encouragement. To the countless others who have reach out, I am humbled and can only say thank you from the depths of my heart. I play this game for you all, and I am grateful for the love you have shown me, not only over the past 24 hours, but throughout this entire season.
"I promise that I will continue to work diligently so that this team can one day bring a championship to Houston, and when I return, I will be better, stronger and more focused than ever before! Now the grind begins.... #815 #Memo GODSPEED. A small thing to a GIANT."
The Texans, 3-4, are right in the hunt for the top spot in the AFC south and head coach Bill O'Brien expects his team to rally in Watson's absence. At the very least, they're going to show up and fight.
"We're not going to give in to what's out there," O'Brien said, per NFL.com. "That the demise of the Houston Texans is upon us. I mean, like, that's ridiculous. We're going to show up and fight and play."
Houston, with Tom Savage starting at quarterback, will host the 2-6 Indianapolis Colts this weekend. The Texans also went out and signed Matt McGloin and TJ Yates in the wake of Watson's injury thought it is expected that Savage will be their starter moving forward.
During seven games this season, Deshaun Watson threw for for 1,699 yards and an NFL-leading 19 touchdowns. Not to mention, he has also rushed for 269 yards and two touchdowns. The 12th overall pick in the draft started every game for the Texans this season and nearly led the team to upset victories against the Patriots and Seahawks on the road.