It’s no secret how Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time, feels about criticism of her husband, Jonathan Owens. She’s quick to come to his defense and serves as his biggest supporter on the sidelines when she’s not competing or training.
Biles was seen at Solider Field on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2024, supporting the Chicago Bears player and the team during Owen’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite nursing a calf injury she endured at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 27-year-old showed up in full supportive wife mode, sporting an oversized black and white jacket featuring images of her footballer husband. Unfortunately, the gymnast’s fashion choice was a little out of date.
Biles’ jacket featured images of her husband from his 2023 season with the Green Bay Packers, the NFC North division rival to his current team, the Chicago Bears.
She accessorized the jacket with a pair of reflective silver shades, a black Prada bucket hat and a Balenciaga purse.
While Biles is fresh from Paris, adding four more Olympic medals to her trophy case, some fans thought that was no excuse for her to know how deep the Packers-Bears rivalry goes.
“She’s obviously supporting her husband Jonathan Owens and she’s one of the greatest Olympians so she gets a pass…but it’s still one of the oldest rivalries in all of football & she’s rocking #GoPackGo logos lol” wrote one person on X.
Another said, “The jacket is cute, her man was traded and she hasn’t quite caught on to the rules of football. Hopefully if her husband is not traded again she will learn the Bears Only rules lol.”
Wow. Wearing a Packers jacket on the sidelines at Soldier Field takes some huge nuts. pic.twitter.com/ACVp3PC050
— Jcoydenreports (@jaycoyden) August 18, 2024
A third joked, “Maybe she can bring some of her success to the team…”
One person felt Biles’ husband should be in his feelings about her fashion choice, writing, “It’s ridiculously unaware of your surroundings and insulting to her husband.”
That same follower went as far as to question the Olympian’s intelligence. “She’s an extremely low IQ individual. So it’s hard to blame her for what she can’t control. And she has certain characteristics that make me believe that she never had a chance in that department.”
One follower joked that the jacket was grounds to cut Owens. “Cut him, LOL. Seriously, though, the Bears let him leave practice to watch her in the Olympics, and she repays them by wearing a Packers coat?”
One final commentator said, “Someone finally told her to ditch that Packer jacket. WTF was she thinking.”
The majority of the comments cut Biles slack for being focused on bigger and better things than team gear, pointing out that she herself even admitted that she is getting familiar with how the NFL works.
On Aug. 18, Biles responded to the social media backlash with a simple request that everyone give her a break.
“It’s okay to let up off my neck every once in a while,” she wrote on her Threads account.
“Haters gonna hate! You just keep Winning baby girl! Keep your head held High and continue doing YOU!! The ones who matter love you,” a fan replied.
“I hope you are not giving those haters any of your energy,” wrote another. “You must know when you are the GOAT, the haters will hate. Beloved, you are black girl magic…You are living on uour purpose and inspiring us all..Thank you.”
The bigger concern for many fans was how the Bears seemed to drop the ball and not have a care package waiting for “The GOAT.”
After her Olympic win, Biles let her “entire” family try on her gold medal. Yet her husband was the only person who faced criticism for uploading an image of himself wearing it around his neck while standing next to his wife.
Owens faced the most social media scrutiny early this year after a podcast interview emerged of him claiming not to know who the now-three-time Olympic gymnast was before they met.
Biles slid in his DMs via a dating app. Once he responded, the two began conversing and even met in person. They dated for nearly three years before tying the knot in April 2023, with two separate ceremonies in Houston, Texas, and Mexico.
