Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens said he is “unbothered” following online criticism for saying he was the “catch” in his marriage to Simone Biles and that he did not know who she was before they started dating.
Owens, 28, seemingly responded to the backlash Thursday, sharing photographs of the couple at their second wedding in Mexico in May.
“Unbothered,” he wrote in the caption. “Just know we locked in over here.”
“For life,” responded Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history who was recently named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the third time.
The backlash stemmed from a Dec. 19 interview Owens gave on “The Pivot” podcast when co-host Channing Crowder asked him, “How in the h— did you pull Simone Biles?”
“It’s really how she pulled me,” Owens responded.
He then recounted how he matched with Biles on the dating app Raya in 2020. Owens told the hosts that he “didn’t know who she was at the time” and that he didn’t really “pay attention” to gymnastics.
“I had some likes on my Instagram. I’m like, OK, so I see what’s up. So I still waited. … And then I come back to my phone and she messaged me on the app,” he said. “I didn’t know who she was at the time. But the first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers, so in my mind I’m like, ‘OK she got to be good.’”
Owens, who played for the Texans at the time, went on to say that after a few days of texting back and forth, the pair hung out.
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“She came through, down to Houston,” he said, noting that they couldn’t do much because of Covid. “She lived in the suburbs, so she had to drive about 45 minutes to me. Then the rest is history.”
When co-host Ryan Clark asked Owens if he was “really the catch,” the NFL safety responded, “I always say the men are the catch.”
Owens told the hosts that he was afraid to commit to Biles at first but that quickly changed.
The Olympic gold medalist, who accompanied Owens, laughed as her husband recounted their romance. But many people on social media seemed bothered by his remarks, often referring to him as “Simone Biles’ husband” in posts criticizing the NFL athlete. On Saturday, “Mr. Biles” began trending on X.
“I love how we as a collective unit decided to cyber jump Simone Biles’ husband,” one user wrote on X. “Mr. Biles needs to learn to not speak such nonsense.”
“You’re married to Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history but you think you’re the catch,” another wrote.
“Would you have believed Serena’s husband if he said he didn’t know who she was when they started dating,” one user wrote, referring to Serena Williams. “That’s how egregious this lie is. WE DON’T BELIEVE YOU, MR. BILES.”
“Simone Biles is THE supreme catch, everyday and all days,” another wrote on X. “I have complete respect and admiration for her. Mr biles needs to learn some humility.”
Biles seemingly defended her husband on Thursday. She shared an Instagram photo of the couple at their wedding, writing in the caption: “mood.”
