JJ Watt

JJ Watt absolutely fries Zach Ertz over first pitch at Phillies game

The sports world — including recently retired NFL edge rusher JJ Watt — collectively learned Saturday night that Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is not a dual-sport athlete.

Ertz and his wife, Angel City FC midfielder Julie Ertz, threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies’ home tilt against the Boston Red Sox. For one of the Ertz’s, it went well. For the other, however, it did not.

In case you were wondering which Ertz didn’t get their desired first pitch, Watt was there to remind you. A former Cardinals teammate of Zach Ertz, Watt roasted the 32-year-old on Twitter for his subpar first pitch.

“We have to get this scrubbed from the internet ASAP @ZERTZ_86,” Watt wrote. “We cannot have people with lots of followers retweeting and sharing this. Have you ever thrown a baseball before?!”

Ertz will happily go back to catching passes for a living — something he does very well. A three-time Pro Bowler, Ertz hauled in 47 receptions for 406 yards and four scores in 10 games this past season.

As for Watt, it’s been four months since he suited up in his final game after 12 seasons in the NFL. The 34-year-old has had plenty of time since then to ponder his future, and has come to terms on two things: He has zero regrets about making the 2022 campaign his last and has no interest of returning to the NFL.

JJ Watt sounds incredibly relieved to be retired, doesn’t plan on returning to the NFL

“I sit here, and I watch these [offseason] practices that these guys are going back to and I see the Instagram posts that these teams are putting out of them running through the bags and them doing the drills, and all I think to myself is, ‘I’m so glad I don’t have to be out there chasing those guys around and catch them,’” Watt told SiriusXM NFL Radio Wednesday, via Pro Football Talk. “Haven’t run since the final game of the season, so that San Francisco game was the last time that I’ve run. I still lift… Still workout. But cardio has kind of taken a bit of a backseat. So, I don’t think I’m going to have any problems because it’s more of a matter of physically being able to do it and wanting to do it, and I don’t.

“I’m very at peace with my decision… Very at peace with how it all went down and how it all ended, and I don’t think I’m going to have any because I physically won’t be able to. I’m a guy who if I’m going to do it, I’m going to go out there to try and be the absolute best, and I know now that I’m not training that way; I’m not treating my body that way. So, I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to look like a fool either.”