Canadian rookie Jesse Luketa receives signed J.J. Watt jersey after hilarious post-op interaction

Photo courtesy: Jesse Luketa on Twitter

After a little public embarrassment, Jesse Luketa finally has the signed J.J. Watt jersey he’s always wanted.

The Arizona Cardinals’ rookie Canadian linebacker shared a picture of his new memento on Twitter Friday morning, bringing to a close one of the funniest stories of the 2022 NFL season.

After announcing his retirement on Tuesday, Watt addressed the media on Wednesday and the future Hall of Famer had those in attendance buckled over with laughter when he revealed that Luketa attempted to FaceTime him while “high off his ass” after having his wisdom teeth removed.

According to the hilarious story, a confused Watt declined the initial FaceTime, only to be sent a picture and voice memo from the “incoherent” Luketa, asking Watt for a jersey before his final game. The two then got on a FaceTime call that had Watt “dying laughing,” before Luketa was forced to sheepishly apologize several hours later after the anesthesia wore off.

The Cardinals released audio of the interaction on Thursday and Watt stayed true to his promise to the doped-up Luketa, delivering him a personalized jersey.

The jersey’s personalized message reads: “Jesse, your story inspires me brother. I appreciate you! (And thanks for the laughs!)”

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Luketa was drafted by the Cardinals with the 256th pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft following an outstanding collegiate career at Penn State. He made the team’s practice squad out of training camp but was elevated to the active roster in Week 4. Luketa has since taken snaps in five games, making one tackle.

Watt has played in 149 career games over 12 NFL seasons with Arizona and Houston, amassing 580 tackles, 111.5 sacks, 27 forced fumbles, two interceptions, and six total touchdowns. The seven-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year steps away from the game already well-established as one of the most dominant defenders in NFL history and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The interaction between the two players is certain to be one they never forget and the jersey will ensure that Luketa will be telling his side of the story for a long time to come.