NFL star J.J. Watt offers to pay funeral expenses for Wisconsin parade victims

NFL star J.J. Watt is stepping up in a big way to help the victims in the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade tragedy.

Watt has offered to pay funeral expenses for the six people who died when an SUV drove into a crowd during the parade held Sunday.

The suspect in the crash, Darrell Brooks Jr., 39, is charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide. He is expected to face a sixth count after an 8-year-old boy died Tuesday. Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper has also said additional charges are likely.

Watt, a defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals, grew up in Wisconsin and played college football there. He's well known for his charitable causes, including when he played for the Houston Texans.

Watt and his foundation helped raise $37 million to rebuild more than 1,000 homes destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.

Note: The video in the media player above is from the Nov. 24, 2021, 6 p.m. newscast of Eyewitness News.