Safety Jonathan Owens, who signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears in March 2024, found a lighter moment during the team’s organized team activities on Thursday. So here’s the scoop. Jonathan Owens, the NFL star and husband of gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles, made some eyebrow-raising comments about the Olympics—and fans are losing it.
Let’s break this down. The Olympics aren’t just a big deal; they’re the deal in the world of athletics. For most athletes, it’s the pinnacle of their careers. And for someone like Biles—who’s battled pressure, injury, and mental health struggles just to compete—it hits different.
When Owens said he “didn’t really know” who Simone was when they first met and that he didn’t grow up watching the Olympics, it added fuel to the fire. Was he being honest? Sure. But was it tone-deaf? Kinda. During a casual conversation on a podcast, Owens suggested that the Olympics weren’t “that big of a deal” to him. Yeah, you read that right. To the average person, that might sound innocent. But when your wife is Simone freaking Biles, and she’s brought home Olympic golds like it’s a casual Tuesday, the internet’s gonna talk.
In a reel posted by the Bears and reshared by Owens on his personal Instagram story, Owens and several teammates were asked, “Who on the team should be on the Olympic flag football team?” After a brief pause, Owens pointed to his water bottle, labeled with a makeshift paper label reading “JO,” and declared, “I’m bringing another gold medal to the family.”
Owens is married to Simone Biles, widely regarded as the GOAT of gymnastics with seven Olympic gold medals, including four at Rio 2016 and three at Paris 2024, and a record six world all-around titles, the most in women’s gymnastics history. The Chicago Bears closed out the 2024 regular season with a 5-12 record, placing fourth in the NFC North and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Midway through the campaign, the organization fired head coach Matt Eberflus after a 4-8 start and appointed offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as interim coach. Despite flashes of promise, Chicago struggled on both sides of the ball, culminating in a ten-game losing streak before a season-ending win over Green Bay. Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, following its approval by the International Olympic Committee in October.
In May, NFL owners unanimously voted to allow players to represent their countries in the event, with each franchise permitted to send one athlete to the six men’s and six women’s teams of ten players each, competing in five-on-five matches. Whether Simone ever directly responds to Jonathan Owens’ comments or not, her silence is powerful. It shows grace. It shows maturity. And maybe it shows she knows her value—Olympics or not. But if Owens is smart, he’ll realize that in the world of elite sports—and in love—words carry weight. Especially when you’re married to a legend.
