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ROBIN LUNDBERG: Robin Lundberg here with NFL legend J.J. Watt, who is investing in the Burnley Football club along with his wife Kelly. And, you know, J.J., you said it was due to boredom, but there's got to be more than that, right?
J.J. WATT: There's a little more to that. I mean, we played it up a little bit, but I've been very interested in the Premier League since 2010, 2011, and obviously my wife being a professional soccer player, there's a lot of connections there. And so we wanted to get into ownership and we've been looking for a long time for the right fit and Burnley turned out to be the right fit and we're very excited to be on board.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: What do you think that entails for you behind the scenes?
J.J. WATT: It's going to be a lot about sharing Burnley’s story with the world. Burnley is an old mill town. The club was founded in 1882 and the people there are so invested in the club and they live and die with every single match. So we want to help tell that story to the world and show the world why Burnley is so special.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: When you first got into the NFL, did anybody give you advice on how to apply, you know, the new money that you had made and just general advice going forward?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, I mean, I think the NFL does do a good job of giving guys advice. I mean, it's something it all depends on if you're willing to listen or not. I think that's the big thing, is anybody can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. And so they teach us all these things. But it really comes down to- even myself sometimes. I didn't apply myself as much as I should have early on because you're young and you're excited to be in the NFL. But I had plenty of people teach me to be extremely smart and diligent with my money because it doesn't last forever. That's the number one most important thing about the NFL is that it will not last forever. And you have to find a way to save and be smart with your money. And over the years, I've just learned and learned and learned and I've thoroughly enjoyed the investing and business aspect of things.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: Is there something you would do over if you could?
J.J. WATT: I mean, it's fascinating because from an investing standpoint, I don't want to say that I would start earlier because I wasn't smart enough to start earlier. I had to learn first to be able to then understand what I'm doing. But then on the flip side of that, I do like learning along the way. And I do think that hard knocks is kind of the best way to learn. So maybe I would start investing earlier, much smaller and make my mistakes along the way.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: Is that the advice that you would pass on or is there-
J.J. WATT: No, do not invest earlier. I would, so let your financial advisor handle everything. That's what I did early on. Just put your money in the market, be smart with it, look for modest returns. And then as you go, start to understand the risks that are out there, and then if you're willing to accept the consequences of those risks, should they not work out, then go ahead and invest. But no, definitely let the smart people handle it first.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: What was the first big purchase you made?
J.J. WATT: The first big purchase I made was a house down in Texas. I got it, I never forget the day that I closed. I signed the paperwork and then I went to the house and opened the front door, went straight to the back door, opened the back door and jumped in the pool. And I was just like, this is my house. I can do whatever I want, so I'm going to jump in the pool.
ROBIN LUNDBERG: Hey, you might as well, right?
J.J WATT: It was the best.
