"I told my agent to put it in people's ear"- Simone Biles' husband Jonathan Owens explains how he managed to convince Chicago Bears for Olympics trip 

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Sep 13, 2024 12:54 GMT

Simone Biles's husband Jonathan Owens said that he spread the word about his wife's events in the Chicago Bears’ training camp through his agent, which eventually led to Owens being granted nearly a week off. Owens went on to attend multiple events at the Games and also witnessed Biles win a gold medal.

The NFL safety attended nearly all of Biles’ events in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics and watched her compete at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials as well. However, his training camp with Bears started on July 26, a day before the gymnast competed for the first time in Paris.

Owens didn't want to miss his wife winning gold medals, and on the first day of his training with the team, he got to work. During a conversation with Kevin Byard on Intercepted, Owens recalled how he spread the word about his wife's Olympic campaign so he would be allowed to take an off and watch her participate at the quadrennial Games. He said:

“I told my agent and I was like, just put it in people’s ear so you know you walk around with people in the building and like 'you know the Olympics', just kind of putting the bug in and then my agent, he was talking to somebody upstairs, just letting them know and having conversation,” Owens said (at 3:55).

The 29-year-old then spoke about how he was then asked what days he wanted to take off:

“They basically asked me what days did I want to miss and I gave them, I said the 29th or the 3rd (August). I said these are the two finals that I wanna be able to check out and they ended up like 'both dates are fine',” Owens added.

The Bears' safety ended up spending nearly a week in Paris, attending the team and all-around finals both of which saw Simone Biles winning the gold medal. He returned on 3rd August, the same day Biles won her third gold medal in the vault finals.

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Simone Biles’ work ethic was the first thing that caught Jonathan Owens’ attention

Los Angeles Chargers v Green Bay Packers - Simone Biles with husband Jonathan Owens (Source: Getty)

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens met via an online dating app, Raya, in 2020 and it was the Olympic gymnast who made the first move, messaging the NFL safety with a ‘hi’. But Owens had no idea who she was. Recalling his initial interaction with the Olympic gymnast during a 2021 interview with Texas Monthly, Owens said:

"I didn't know who she was. I just hadn't heard of her, and when I told her that, that's one of the things she liked," he said.

Speaking in an episode of Simone Biles' docuseries, Simone vs Herself, the NFL safety said that the American gymnast's work ethic was the first thing that caught his eye and drew him toward following gymnastics.

"Her work ethic was the first thing that caught my eye. I'd never watch gymnastics before, when I first met I honestly didn't know who she was ... The coolest thing for me is that I get to witness someone who is literally at the pinnacle of their sport, it's motivating just to see that and the impact that she has on people," he said (as quoted by PEOPLE magazine).

The couple eventually married in 2023 in two separate wedding ceremonies and are now building a lavish house in Texas.