You might notice a handwritten note in a couple of those photos. That’s from Watt himself, and here’s what it says:
HFD & HPD,
I just wanted to send y’all a small token of my appreciation for everything you do. My Dad & uncle were both firefighters, so I spent a lot of time around the firehouse when I was younger and gained a great deal of respect for both firefighters and the police force along the way. Y’all show up day & day out, never knowing what the day might hold and never getting enough thanks for what you do, yet you still continue to put others before yourselves and save lives because of it. As athletes, we often get the headlines and big crowds, but just like the men & women in our military, y’all are the ones who truly deserve the credit, appreciation & admiration. I know it’s not much, but please enjoy lunch on me today. Thank you for all that you do!
Very nice words and a terrific gesture. Watt was already hugely popular, of course, in the Houston area, but this surely earned him a bunch more fans.
Just one tiny thing: The pizzas everyone got came from Papa John’s, with which Watt has an endorsement deal (hence, of course, his image on the boxes). Thus I’m fighting a cynical urge to view this as a savvy viral marketing campaign.
That said, there’s no doubt that the cops and firemen who got a few unexpected slices don’t really care what the reason may have been behind it, they were just happy that someone did something nice for them. And if it was a marketing move of some sort, then hey, maybe more marketing should involve hooking up hard-working folks with free lunches.
