“Just because you have a name doesn’t mean you’ll get the advantages,” Jonathan Owens declared with a blend of defiance and reality. As an NFL safety for the Chicago Bears and being married to the most decorated gymnast, Simone Biles, Owens has faced a fair share of flak from the sports world. Critics have taken issue with his apparent lack of knowledge about his wife’s sport and his controversial remarks.

On “The Pivot” podcast, Owens stirred the pot with comments saying that “the men are the catch” and expressing how he did not know Simone Biles when they first met on the dating app, Raya. This evoked a firestorm of hate for him, with many calling him out, trolling him online, backtracking his tweets from 2012 wherein Owens congratulated Gabby Thomas on her all-around gold win at the London Games, and some even telling Simone to “divorce him.” 

The Bears’ safety didn’t respond to the backlash that went on for months. But despite the backlash, Simone Biles has been a steadfast defender of her husband. On April 17, Biles had to literally put her foot down on the Call Her Daddy podcast, “Talk about me all you want, but don’t come for my family—never.” It now looks like the tides have changed for the better for the husband, especially after the Paris Olympics.

In a hilariously self-aware Threads post, Simone Biles shared, “My husband—‘man I hate wolf turns,’” poking fun at the irony of an NFL player criticizing moves he doesn’t even have to execute. The comments section lit up with playful support, with one enthusiastic user quipping, “He’s not wrong! Mr. Owens, you’ve got taste!” But this isn’t Jonathan Owens’s first foray into wolf-turn commentary.

During the debut episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears, Jonathan couldn’t hide his amazement at Simone’s gymnastic prowess. This didn’t go unnoticed but what specifically was shown on the Aug 13 episode that put Owens back into the good books of the online community?

 

Post by @simonebiles

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The episode, which was focused on showing the behind-the-scenes from the Soldier Field, first took a detour to show Owens speaking about watching his wife at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As coach Matt Eberflus presented pictures of Biles on a video screen, “Just got back off my flight, man,” Biles told the Bears camp. Owens took over from there.

“I had the honor of watching my wife get three gold medals. So, she’s the most-decorated American gymnast in history. I got to see her make history. I’m blessed and ready to get back to work.” He added,

“In that world, because it’s an individual sport, it’s kind of like how Serena was, because you just dominate, you’re expected to come out and dominate and you keep doing it.” But there’s more.

The episode also featured a quick on-field moment from Aug 10 at the Highmark Stadium wherein Owens was approached by a referee during a play in the preseason game against the Bills. The referee was awestruck, and said, “Man, she killed it, huh? Amazing to see, man.”

This isn’t Jonathan Owens’ first foray into Biles’ dedicated community. During the Paris Olympics, he showed clear signs of transforming into a full-fledged gymnastics fan. He was spotted amidst the cheering crowd, sitting alongside Biles’ parents, Nellie and Ronald Biles. Sporting a t-shirt emblazoned with his wife’s picture, Owens was seen taking notes during her performance, a gesture that warmed the hearts of many and further endeared him to the gymnastics world.

After Paris with three gold medals and one silver, bringing her total to seven golds and 11 Olympic medals, plus 30 World Championship medals, Simone Biles was crowned as the most decorated gymnast of all time. Jonathan beamed, “Overjoyed for her. All of her accomplishments that she’s made. Just being a face for gymnastics, man. She became the most decorated American gymnast ever. So, it was amazing that I was able to be there and witness that for her.”

It’s clear Jonathan’s still in awe of Simone’s gymnastics magic, going from a red flag to a full-blown green light in fans’ eyes. Meanwhile, Simone’s latest reveal about her husband’s wolf-turn complaints shows the gymternet’s all in on his side rather than sparring over it!

Gymternet rebrands Jonathan Owens: “Jonathan is one of us”

One fan chimed in below Simone Biles’ post, “Wolf turns were not a thing when I was a gymnast (70’s-80’s). They’re in all the routines now, and they look so difficult. We hate them for you!” The move is no walk in the park. The gymnast spins in a squat position, extends one foot on the beam, and uses her arms for balance, creating a mesmerizing spin that’s tougher than it looks. Judges give wolf turns a higher difficulty rating than a regular turn, though it’s a bit easier than a pirouette due to the lower center of gravity.

In the gymnastics scoring system, moves are rated from A to H based on their difficulty. Double and triple wolf turns are rated D and E, respectively. And Simone Biles? She’s the queen of the wolf turn, pulling off a jaw-dropping six-turn routine. She built her skills one turn at a time, earning her GOAT status. Simone even shared a video of her epic feat in 2021, quipping, “Having the spins are the worst,” echoing Jonathan Owens’ sentiments.

Another fan humorously compared, “Wolf turns are the Biellman spin of gymnastics,” referencing the notoriously tricky Biellmann spin in figure skating, where skaters pull their heel behind their head in a full split. It’s a move that requires supreme strength and flexibility. And speaking of Jonathan, one fan asked, “Has he been practicing them too?” During an episode of ‘Simone vs. Herself’ on Facebook Watch, Jonathan took on Simone in a rope challenge. Spoiler: he didn’t win, but it gave him a dose of reality about gymnastics.

Owens admitted, “I thought I was athletic until I came and tried to do this. And they said I couldn’t do the basic things, so I said, ‘Oh Okay.’” Lastly, it’s evident the gymnastics world is embracing him back! As one fan even declared, “Gymternet: ‘Jonathan is one of us!’” showing that Owens is winning over the community with his genuine admiration for Simone. What was your take on the gymnastics community agreeing with Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles’ strong support and love for the NFL hunk? Share in the comments below!