Why JJ Watt made a quick NFL return after ’emotional’ health scare

He returned to the field.

JJ Wattthree-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, faced a health scare last week when his heart went into atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular and often very fast heartbeat, according to Cleveland Clinic. 33-year-old tweeted that doctors returned his heart to a normal rhythm on Thursday. Three days later, he took the field for his 138th consecutive NFL game.

During his postgame press conference, Watt reflected on his tough week. “Obviously it’s been a very emotional week for my family, for my wife, for myself,” he said, appearing to fight back tears. “So I’m very happy with today’s victory. Obviously I had a lot of emotions, but I learned to appreciate the little things even more, so it’s nice to win today.”

There is more to Watt than his storied career. He and his wife, a professional football player Kealia Ohaiexpecting their first child son, this month. “We’ve been looking at our son’s ultrasound for months, and then on Thursday we had an ultrasound on my heart,” the Arizona Cardinals defensive end said during a news conference. “It was very difficult.”