While the NFL was in shock over Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s freak season-ending knee injury in practice Thursday, Watson himself offered a positive message.

Watson, who tore his other ACL in college, tweeted for the first time on Friday afternoon, marking his first comments since the injury.

Here’s the text:

They say you never miss it until it’s gone and even though it’s not gone for long, I already miss it. Yesterday I felt like I let down my teammates, my fans and my family down. However, as a child of God, I understand that everything happens for a reason. He DON’T make mistakes!

Today, the journey back seems far but I’ve been here before and will conquer it once again. I want to thank each and every one of my teammates for their unwavering support. My NFL brothers, thanks for the prayers. To my fans, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your relentless encouragement. To the countless others who have reached out, I am humbled and can only say thank you from the depths of my heart. I play this game for you all, and I am grateful for the love you have shown me, not only over the past 24 hours, but throughout this entire season.

I promise that I will continue to work diligently so that this team can one day bring a championship to Houston, and when I return, I will be better, stronger and more focused than ever before! Now the grind begins…. #815 #Memo GODSPEED

– A small thing to a GIANT

Perhaps the most amazing part of the aftermath of Watson’s injury was the outpouring of support for him by NFL players. You won’t see that often for a rookie, but Watson is a special rookie. He clearly had gained the respect of his opponents before the injury. It was fitting that he thanked them for “all the prayers.”

Watson should be good to return next season, and having been through ACL rehabilitation should help with the process. Less than 24 hours after suffering the injury, it sounds like Watson is ready to start the road back.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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