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Now J.J. Watt is Simply Trolling NFL Fans: TRAINA THOUGHTS

With NFL fans hanging on his every word, free agent J.J. Watt tweets about mitochondria.

Jimmy Traina

1. J.J. Watt’s tweets during his free agency have led to some great content. Fans are hanging on Watt’s every tweet, looking for any sign he may be leaning toward joining a certain team. Five days after parting ways with the Texans, Watt shared his very concise thoughts on being in demand.

Last week, NFL fans went wild with conspiracy theories after J.J. shared video of his brother, T.J., shoveling snow. And over the weekend, Watt amusingly explained why his free-agency decision might take some time.

That brings us to Tuesday morning. Watt is now clearly playing along with all this ridiculousness. He knows anything he says will get blown up, so he’s decided to screw with us. That can be the only explanation for this tweet.

“Mitochondria” ended up trending on Twitter after Watt hit send on his tweet. Everyone who Googled the word saw Wikipedia’s definition: The mitochondria is a double membrane-bound organelle found in most eukaryotic organisms.

I have no idea what the hell that means or how it relates to NFL free agency and I’m sure that’s just how J.J. wanted it.

It will be a sad day when the future Hall of Famer finally signs with a new team because his current run on Twitter is highly entertaining. 

2. Monday's Traina Thoughts covered the negotiations between the NFL and ESPN for Monday Night Football. We told you the NFL reportedly wanted a 100% rights fee increase, which didn't go over well with Disney.

Sports Business Journal's John Ourand has shared more details on the contract talks. According to Ourand, "The gap between the initial offers from Disney and the NFL is around $1 billion per year—a difference so vast that some ESPNers have suggested the network could be better served by walking away from the deal."

More from Ourand: "Sources say that the NFL’s initial plan was to have ESPN sign a long-term deal that would be worth an average of $3.5 billion—around a 75% increase over the $2 billion average ESPN currently pays."

I know the NFL can pretty much do whatever it wants, but it's still stunning that the league would raise the cost of Monday Night Football from $1.9 billion per year to $3.5 billion per year.

3. This video of Cam Newton telling a story about former teammate, Percy Harvin, made the rounds Monday. 

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My takeaway after watching had nothing to do with Harvin. I was captivated with the way Newton told the story. Cam should definitely get into TV when he is done playing.

4. Actress Shailene Woodley confirmed she is engaged to Aaron Rodgers on Monday's episode of The Tonight Show. 

Rodgers dropped the news of his engagement during his speech after winning the MVP award. I'm only posting this because I wasn't really familiar with Woodley's work and decided to do some research. (Research = Go on IMDB.) I was blown away to see Woodley played Kaitlin Cooper on The OC. However, she played her in the early years of the show and the role was recast in later seasons.

5. Is this REALLY a Hall of Fame-worthy artifact?

6. If you're into the current trading cards craze, or if you just want to get educated on the trading cards boom, you will enjoy the latest SI Media Podcast that features an interview with Darren Rovell.

The main focus of the episode is the explosion in the trading cards business. From why the boom happened and whether it will last to the process of getting cards graded and selling them for profit, Rovell goes in-depth on explaining many of the aspects of this phenomenon. He also explains that people are buying and selling more than cards. Game tickets, VCR tapes and checks are also in high demand. In addition to discussing the trading card world we also talk about the Super Bowl streaker who claims he won $375,000 on a $50,000 bet and the possibility of Twitter adding a pay service

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1985, Indiana coach Bobby Knight threw a chair across the court in what is a classic, "Imagine if Twitter were around for this" moment.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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