The chance to see his wife compete in the Olympics this summer was so important to Bears safety Jonathan Owens that he asked the team about it in March, when he went into Halas Hall to sign his contract.
Owens is married to gymnast Simone Biles, widely considered the greatest of all time in her sport, and will get his first chance to see her in the Olympic Games when he flies to Paris next week. With the Bears’ blessing — coach Matt Eberflus enthusiastically announced it this week — he will leave after practice Monday and return Aug. 3.
“They were really cool about it — first-class organization,” Owens said Thursday. “I just want to thank them so much for even allowing me to go over and do that. I can’t wait to be able to support her, and I know my family and my wife — she really appreciates it.”
Owens will miss one regular practice, a walkthrough and the Hall of Fame Game against the Texans while in Paris. The Bears initially said they anticipated him being gone more than a week, but Owens clarified that it’ll be a shorter trip.
He said he’ll continue working out while overseas and get video recordings of every meeting.
His new teammates seem to be fine with him leaving.
“It’s like everyone’s a gymnastics fan now,” Owens said. “People are asking me questions because you might be walking around the building and see a commercial with her up there. It’s just crazy.
“Guys are just being super supportive, you know? It’s super dope. They’re asking me to bring some souvenirs back.”
Biles, 27, is a four-time gold medalist competing in her third Olympics. Owens, who began dating her in 2020, wasn’t able to attend the Games in 2021 because of coronavirus-related restrictions. Biles withdrew from those Olympics because of a mental-health issue.
She figures to be a fixture at Bears games this season, and Owens said the plan is for her to join him in Chicago after the Olympics. The couple’s primary residence is in Houston.
Owens acknowledged it’s nerve-racking watching Biles compete, but it’s also an incredibly rare opportunity.
“It’s amazing — words can’t even describe it,” he said. “I just think about how I got so lucky that this is my wife, and I get to see her — someone that’s literally at the pinnacle of their sport, and I get to call this my wife.”
