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Texas

More than 70,000 sign petition to rename Houston highway after JJ Watt

By Ryan Gaydos , Fox News
Published | Updated
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J.J. Watt begins fundraiser for Harvey victims Video

J.J. Watt begins fundraiser for Harvey victims

Houston Texans star makes $100,000 donation; for more information visit youcaring.com

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition to rename a Texas highway after Houston Texans star  J.J. Watt due to his efforts in raising millions for Hurricane Harvey victims.

The petition, which was created on Change.org Friday, calls on Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to rename State Highway 99 the J.J. Watt Parkway.

Lindsay Duke, a Houston native and petition creator, says on the website that the goal is to thank Watt for his fundraising efforts for those who had been affected by the storm, according to Click 2 Houston.

“JJ Watt has been an exemplary humanitarian and Houstonian,” the petition states. “He has given to our great city more than we could ever have asked for! As a token of our appreciation not only should (State Highway) 99 bear his number but also his name!"

The star defensive end has raised more than $18 million for Harvey victims since creating the fundraiser last weekend. In a tweet Sunday, Watt showed what his group was distributing to the people of Houston.

According to the fundraising page, hosted by crowdfunding site YouCaring, the millions of dollars raised for victims of Harvey as part of Watt's fundraiser have donated by more than 170,000 donors.

Watt said that he couldn't help but want to help in the recovery process.

“It's very tough to watch our city get hit by such a bad storm and not be there to help, not be there to help with the recovery, not be there to help with the process. It's very tough so what I do want to do is start a fundraiser," Watt said in a video.

"Humanity is incredible, the positive vibes are unbelievable," Watt said. "Houston, we're all thinking of you. The whole world is wishing you the best. Stay strong, we all got your back."

The petition hopes to gain 75,000 signatures before being delivered to Turner and Abbott.

Ryan Gaydos is a homepage editor for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanGaydos.