New home a game changer for Deshaun Watson

MAULDIN – There are moments in life when fate steps into the picture and changes things entirely, for better or worse.

For Deshaun Watson, that watershed moment — for the better — arrived inconspicuously when he was 9 years old.

He had no idea that the Habitat for Humanity information card he discovered in the bottom of the trick-or-treat basket he’d received at a local church Halloween festival would alter his life’s course, but it did.

Young Deshaun took the card home to his mother, DeAnn, who took the next step.

“My mom decided to fill out the papers, then she went to a meeting, and that’s when everything started,” Deshaun said.

It started at the right time.

“Growing up, I was in a government apartment,” Deshaun said. “I was a little kid running around the neighborhood, hanging out with all kinds of people.”

Not all of whom had Deshaun’s best interests in mind.

“It wasn’t the best place,” Deshaun said.

When DeAnn informed her sister-in-law, Sonia, that they’d been approved for a Habitat for Humanity home and that she’d be contributing 300 work hours toward the project, Sonia was skeptical.

“DeAnn was a single parent and she wanted to have a home for her children,” Sonia said. “She always worked and wanted what was best for her kids.

“But I said, ‘You don’t know nothing about building no house, girl!’ And she said, ‘Yes, I do.’ ”

Even if she didn’t, DeAnn learned in a hurry. She hammered nails and painted and cleaned up and did whatever she was instructed to do.

“She was working for hours and hours after her (regular) work hours,” Deshaun said.

Deshaun, who even as a youngster had informed his mother on a daily basis that someday he’d “put her in a house,” suddenly found the tables turned.

“No, I’m gonna put you in a house,” his mother said.

And that she did, with considerable assistance from Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing “simple, decent and affordable” housing for low-income families.

It was the best investment of time and effort that DeAnn ever made, because as the foundation was poured and the framework of a home rose skyward, so, too, did Deshaun’s outlook.

“I took a different approach to my schoolwork and the game of football,” Deshaun said.

When the home was completed, it was time for Warrick Dunn to add the final touches. Dunn, a former All-America football player at Florida State and All-Pro with the Atlanta Falcons, is a longtime supporter of Habitat for Humanity projects.

Dunn was there, in fact, on that chilly yet special day in the winter of 2006, handing the Watsons the key to their new home.

“It was so exciting,” Sonia said. “Warrick, he furnished that whole house — the beds, the furniture, the spreads, all the kitchen stuff, everything. It was beautiful.”

With beautiful results.

“Once I moved into that Habitat home, my life changed,” Deshaun said. “I was able to go to school and come home to a happy place and not have to worry about something happening with the cops around or drug dealers walking around. Coming home safe, and with a smile on my face, was something special.”

That was the crux of Deshaun’s message Thursday night as he shared his story with more than 200 people who gathered for a special Habitat for Humanity event at the First Baptist Church of Mauldin.

He left, after signing autographs for one and all, with at least 200 new fans.

“It’s great to be able to give back and share my story about what I went through in my younger ages,” Deshaun said. “I want it to be an inspiration for these young kids and show them that anything is possible.”

Deshaun was 11 years old when the family moved into their new home, and years later, it’s still home for DeAnn as well as Deshaun’s younger twin siblings, Tyreke and Tinisha.

Deshaun, of course, now spends most of his days and nights in his Clemson University on-campus apartment rather than the white-siding, four-bedroom home on the south side of Gainesville, Georgia, but his heart and mind still reside there.

“That place was a blessing,” Deshaun said. “It’s very special when you have a foundation and a home that you can go to. Ever since we moved into that house, my life has been at a peak, and each year seems to get better and better and better.”

At Clemson, he’s already gained a widespread reputation as a pretty good quarterback and an even better person.

Deshaun is humble to a fault, but perhaps that’s what endears him to fans.

And mom.

“It’s about the team,” DeAnn said. “He knows it’s not all about him.”

Before he addressed the crowd Thursday night, Deshaun Watson paused to acknowledge his mother, presenting her with a kiss, a hug and a bouquet of flowers.

She hugged back and smiled, swelling with pride.

And at that moment, it was hard to image Deshaun Watson’s life getting any better.