Jonathan Owens Negotiated Going to Paris Olympics to See Simone Biles When He Signed with Chicago Bears
As Olympic fans gear up to watch Simone Biles add to her historic gold medal count, her husband, Jonathan Owens, already planned to watch her in person as part of his negotiations with the Chicago Bears.
Owens, the former safety for the Green Bay Packers, signed as a free agent with the Bears back in March, and the discussion around him taking time from training camp to support Biles was negotiated then, according to Yahoo! Sports.
On Thursday, July 25, Owens spoke about the situation after the Bears’ training camp practice. “Obviously the Olympics were coming up and you know who my wife is,” Owens, 29, said. “It was all respectful. We went to them and asked, ‘We’d really appreciate if he could go to support his wife.’
“I can’t wait to be able to support her,” he continued. “It’s the person you love most, man, and you see them out there in a position where someone could get hurt and you care. I’m just holding my breath and I have my little piece of paper right there ready calculating everything so I can’t wait.”
Owens added, “It’s always super nerve-wracking.”
Owens is set to leave for Paris on Monday, July 29, Yahoo! Sports reported. He’ll arrive just time to see Biles, 27, in the women’s gymnastics team finals on Tuesday, followed by the women’s all-around finals on Aug. 1.
During a press conference with reporters on Monday, July 22, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus explained why they’re allowing Owens to travel to France to support Biles who is making her anticipated return to the Summer Games.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Jonathan-Owens-12c7462de0664aa4823e74d362b94fa4.jpg)
“Just because we respect the Olympics,” Eberflus, 54, said, according to ESPN. “That is a big deal. And he’s just supporting the one he loves the most. And I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that.”
He added: “We welcome that, and it’s going to be awesome. Go USA.”
Owens told PEOPLE earlier this month about how he is looking forward to watching Biles compete in Paris — which will be his first visit to the French capital.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It’s super exciting just because I get a chance to see all the work that she puts in prior to, and you know what? Everything she goes through and dealing with the media and everything, and she still goes out there and does it,” the NFL star said.
“It’s just impressive and goes to her training mindset and consistency. That’s the biggest thing is how consistent,” he continued.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
