In a viral Wisconsin Badger moment this week, Pat McAfee is interviewing the former Badger legend about all things: Being an NFL analyst, his ownership stake in Spanish soccer, and even Wisconsin football. The clip that went viral is when Watt was visibly uncomfortable about a line of questions from McAfee about helping the Wisconsin football team out. Watt even basically said, "I tried but it failed."
The moment was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, which McAfee is famous for, but it became a bit more serious when Watt didn't know how to respond. McAfee joked with him about how he should sell his Spanish soccer teams and instead "own the Wisconsin football team." McAfee said, "Have you thought about [investing directly in Wisconsin?" Watt didn't know what to say, so he landed on, "Yes, we need to play better."
McAfee replied, "Why don't you give a speech?" And Watt was much quicker this time, "I did, it didn't work." McAfee proceeds to crack up, realizes he created an uncomfortable moment, and moves on. Watch it below:
Pat McAfee ask JJ Watt to invest in Wisconsin - Watt dodges the question, saying they need to “play better”. pic.twitter.com/xS9bm8QOeG
— Badger Barstool (@badgerbarstool) November 6, 2025
Pat McAfee rattles JJ Watt by imploring him to help fix Wisconsin football
Related: Wisconsin's latest recruiting loss flips to Michigan as Luke Fickell's woes continue
This is not the first time that someone has asked Watt to help the Wisconsin football program. Fans have been mentioning this for a while, pointing out that his net worth is north of $70 million. However, it's something Watt is clearly uncomfortable about, and who knows the back story there.
He clearly still loves Wisconsin football, and like he said, came to speak to the team in the offseason. It was a cool moment when players took pictures with him and posted about what he said. However, like Watt said, it didn't work.
Wisconsin is 2-6 and may not have another win on its schedule. Luke Fickell is a sitting duck, but the athletic director, Chris McIntosh, is sticking by his guy, and Wisconsin football is unraveling around that decision. Watt seems to know it and doesn't know what to do about it.