JJ Watt was one of the best and most feared defensive players to ever step foot on the gridiron. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, tied for the most all-time. He also led the NFL in sacks twice and made the all-decade team for the 2010s.
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However, no matter how legendary the player gets … whether it’s Watt or even Tom Brady … their early-day photos are as embarrassing as they get. Especially those from college.
That’s why the CBS crew decided to surprise Watt this weekend by airing his photos from his college media day at Wisconsin on live TV. The former defensive end was actually working his new job as an NFL broadcaster when it all went down, and was caught completely off guard. His reaction was priceless.
“Oh my gosh. I was fat, and I had a weird facial hair situation going on,” Watt joked on the live broadcast on CBS. “I don’t know how to tie a tie, I have a chinstrap going on- that is a bad look.”
We all have memories of past looks we wish we could forget. They used to be called “phases” that we’d go through. For Watt, his phase was a chinstrap beard, which was very much in style back when he played in 2008.
Ian Eagle: “What exactly was going on here?”@JJWatt: “Oh my gosh” pic.twitter.com/sfv40A2rEA
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) October 12, 2025
Regardless, Watt hated the look. That’s why today, he tweeted advice to round-faced men out there who also have chinstrap beards.
“The chinstrap is never the right move. Oh, you have a round face? You should really accentuate that by having facial hair that perfectly frames the circle. Bonus feature: Draws your eye line straight to the double chin,” Watt tweeted.
It was a hilarious joke coming from the former All-Pro, one that got many fans in his comment section opening up about their own embarrassing chinstrap moments. It was self-deprecation central, and Watt was at the center of it all.
Here are some of the best reactions: “And every bigger guy does it at least once in his life. Self inflicted nut shot every time,” one wrote.
“We all fell victim to the chinstrap. You’re not alone brother,” another shared.
“Them chin strap MFs used to be the drunkest,” a third one joked.
We all fell victim to the chinstrap. You’re not alone brother
— Shea Patton (@shae_patton) October 13, 2025
All in all, it was a fun-filled comment section, with some fans even posting old photos from when they used to sport a chinstrap. In case you didn’t know, the chinstrap beard was a popular look in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
It consisted of facial hair that connected from the chin to the jawline, all the way up to the sideburns. Meanwhile, the mustache would be clean-shaven, giving the appearance of a chinstrap across the face.
Well, it sounds like Watt wishes he could go back and tell his old self not to try the look. But we all need to experiment with new styles to see what fits us. Watt just stuck with this one a little too long and ultimately paid the price by getting aired out on live TV. Nevertheless, it was all in good fun, and all he can do now is laugh at himself.
