HOUSTON -- Kareem Jackson started grinning as J.J. Watt explained the shirtless photo he posted on Instagram.
The Houston Texans cornerback hadn't seen the photo yet.
"I was trying to get abs like you, K-Jack," Watt said, turning to Jackson who sat watching his news conference.
Watt stumbled through the explanation, feigning embarrassment and drawing laughs.
"You know when like the light catches you at the right angle and you’re looking like – I was like, 'OK, well that has to go out,'" Watt said. "You don’t look like that every day. When it’s out, it’s out. It just happened to catch -- I don’t know, I was in the right light. I had something close to abs. Doesn’t happen that often. I like food too much."
From the side, Jackson noted that Watt was practically naked. As he took the podium he muttered, "I'm glad I didn't see that yesterday. I would've given him hell."
Teasing Watt about his social media activity has become part of the Texans' locker-room culture. During a recent radio interview, linebacker Brian Cushing revealed some of the players have a texting group dedicated to such jokes. Watt's Instagram and Snapchat accounts are often rife with opportunity for them. It's a more good-natured sort of teasing than the external criticisms, to which Watt has reacted defensively.
Although it looks like it, this particular photo wasn't from a photo shoot. Watt said it just came from a pool day. Asked what the craziest response to the photo was, the shy demeanor returned.
"You can’t say that in a press conference," Watt said. "I’m not allowed to say. People are wild on social media, they will literally say almost anything. It’s getting hot up here."