Watt's hurricane relief fundraiser ends with more than $37million raised

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt began the Hurricane Harvey relief effort with a goal of raising $200,000. He raised more than $37million.

Watt closed his fundraising effort on Friday, overwhelmed by the generosity of those who donated to assist the victims of the devastating storm that made landfall around Houston on August 25.

"There are not enough words to thank you all for your generosity," Watt wrote on his crowdfunding site.

"If there is one thing that I have taken away from these last few weeks, it is the reassurance of how much good is out there in our world. 

"When times are the toughest, humanity stands at its strongest and you have all helped to prove that emphatically... There are many places you could have donated your hard-earned money and I'm honoured you have chosen to join this effort to support the people who were affected most by Hurricane Harvey. Please keep this spirit of helping one another alive. The world is a better place when we all take care of each other."

Watt helped lead the Texans to a 13-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, capping the NFL victory with a bone-crushing tackle on the final play of the game.