Simone Biles learned the rules of the Packers-Bears rivalry the hard way last month when she wore a Green Bay jacket to a Bears preseason game against the Bengals. Now she’s making up for it.
Biles only wore the Packers jacket because she was there to support her husband, new Bears safety Jonathan Owens, who played for Green Bay last season. The jacket was a custom design with photos of Owens playing for the Packers. But the hardcore Bears fans didn’t care, and they didn’t relent. The Olympic gymnast was bombarded with posts from angry Bears fans that she wore the gear of their rival in their home stadium while supporting a Bears player.
The angry posts must have worked. On Friday, Biles said she had purchased more Bears gear in the aftermath of the controversy.
“Yes, I have plenty [of Bears gear] now,” she said while leaving the Global Summit on Women’s Mental Health, according to TMZ Sports. “So, don’t you worry, guys!”
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Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles watches the Chicago Bears warm up before a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals Aug. 17, 2024, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Biles initially seemed to double down on the choice of a Packers jacket after the initial backlash. Just days after she was originally seen wearing it, Biles posted a photo on X of her wearing the jacket standing next to Owens with the caption “Bear Down.”
Owens then shared his wife’s post to his Instagram stories and commented on her post with two hearts, one blue and one orange.
Owens signed a two-year deal with the Bears in March after a career season in Green Bay. Owens scored his first career touchdown and started 11 games for the Packers on defense last year, while helping lead the team to the playoffs and making his first postseason appearance. In the playoffs, Owens started both games in a win against the Dallas Cowboys and a close loss to the San Francisco 49ers, making seven tackles.
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Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles kisses husband Jonathan Owens of the Green Bay Packers before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field Dec. 3, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Owens is on the third team of his career and is looking to help lead a Bears turnaround after the team failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons.
Biles was there to support Owens at several Packers games last year, including the playoffs, and is expected to attend plenty of Bears games this year. Now that she has her Chicago gear, the Bears fans will have plenty of reasons to cheer her on whenever she is shown on the jumbotron at Solider Field.
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Gold medalist Simone Biles of the United States poses with a goat charm on her necklace during the artistic gymnastics women’s all-around final medal ceremony at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Biles won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics this summer, becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history. She did it all while being one of the oldest competitors in Olympics gymnastics history at 27. Her gold medals marked the completion of a dramatic comeback story for Biles, after she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a case of the twisties.
“Man, I’m super proud. Just because I see the work that she put in, and I saw what she went through,” Owens told Fox News Digital in July. “And just for her to be able to come back, no fear, continue to dominate the way that she has, man, is just amazing.
“It’s a testament to the person that she is and her confidence and training to the work that she puts in. I can’t wait to keep watching her dreams come true.”
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
