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Jonathan Owens has sparked outrage for posing with wife Simone Biles’ gold medal after her historic Olympics win.
The 29-year-old NFL star took to Instagram on July 30 to share a snap with his wife, after the US women’s gymnastics team won gold at the Olympics. Following the team’s all-around event, Biles also walked her way with her fifth Olympic gold medal.
In his Instagram photos, Owens had his arm wrapped around his wife, as he wore a white shirt with her last name and photos of her on it. He also had the gold medal – which his wife just won in Paris – around his neck and was holding it up with his hand.
Owens has now been hit with immense backlash in the comments, with fans criticizing him and questioning why he posed with his partner’s Olympic medal in the first place.
“That’s Simone’s gold medal you’re holding, not yours my guy,” one wrote, while another added: “Why he holding it like he won it.”
“But why are you wearing it? How odd,” a third agreed.
A fourth social media user wrote: “Give the medal back baby that’s not yours.”
However, other fans in the comments congratulated Biles and praised her husband for traveling to Paris to support her, as he’s in the midst of training for his upcoming season with the Chicago Bears.
“Congratulations! So happy you were able to negotiate with Chicago and go to Paris to support your wife! I’m in tears of joy! So excited for Simone and team! Love you!!” one wrote in the comments.
“You guys are the sweetest. I absolutely love your love. It’s the sweetest thing to watch! Give your girl a big hug from all of us here in the US. We’re so proud of her,” another wrote, while a third agreed: “I’m so glad you were able to see your wife make Olympic history!!”
In the initial caption of his post, Owens celebrated his wife’s historic win in Paris, which saw her become one of the most decorated gymnasts with eight Olympic medals.
“Witnessing history every time you step on the mat,” he wrote. “Congrats baby on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! Eight of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Owens and Biles for comment.
Owens has previously been hit with criticism for his remarks about his relationship. In December 2023, he claimed during an episode of The Pivot podcast that he “didn’t know” who Biles was when they first met on a membership-based dating app, Raya. When also asked if he believes he’s the “catch” in their relationship, Owens replied: “I always say that the men are the catch.” His remark about being a catch sparked the most criticism among fans, who pointed out that Owens’ wife was a successful Olympian.
Biles has since defended her husband, telling Alex Cooper during an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast in April that she found amusement in the viral reaction to her husband’s comments. However, she didn’t necessarily feel that way for long, as she then pointed out how hurt she was over the criticism.
“I thought it was hilarious at first, and then they hurt my feelings,” she said. “And then one night, I broke down and I’m like: ‘Why are you guys talking about my husband like this? Like, you don’t know him. You don’t know who he is. And if anybody’s met him, they know he’s the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody.’”
Biles added: “Because for me, it’s like: ‘Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family, never.’ Because I’ve been in the limelight long enough where I can brush things off, have my little powwow about it.’”
In May, she once again addressed the backlash directed towards her husband, after fans took to the comments of her Instagram photos with him and told her she was the “prize” in the relationship. They also alleged that Owens was “doing the bare minimum.”
“I’m going to quickly address this, the joke was never a joke! Y’all are blatantly being disrespectful to my relationship and my husband. So I’m gonna go ahead and say this one time. Respectfully, f*** off,” Biles replied to the backlash on her Instagram Story. “[And] if you keep commenting or tweeting at me I’m just going to block you. Simple as that. And no I don’t need to touch grass or whatever tf y’all suggest…”
