“If he misses training he’ll either be cut or fined NFL fines the boys for everything,” Simone Biles said happily in 2023, alluding to Jonathan Owens while she was making her comeback at the U.S. Classic after grappling with twisties. Back then, Owens wasn’t there to support her. Luckily, that story is not going to repeat this time in Paris, as Simone will find her biggest cheerleader beside her. And Owens’ new team, the Chicago Bears, also extended their bit of support in making this possible.

The NFL is known for its tough love with hefty fines extolled for missed training. According to a report by CBS Sports, teams are supposed to fine players who aren’t on rookie contracts $50,000 per day for training camp absences. Players on rookie contracts are subject to a $40,000-per-day fine. It is this hefty loss that has kept Owens away from making an appearance in any of Simone’s competitions last year. But the Olympics are different. And the Bears recognized that.

According to the Bears’ website, the training camps are scheduled between July 26 to August 15. Jonathan has been granted to be absent from the practice from July 29 to August 3. This means he will only miss the July 30 session. Women’s gymnastics qualifying rounds in Paris begins on July 28. According to reports, missing that one practice session will cost nothing to Jonathan because of the heartwarming gesture from the Bears. The team even took to their social media to wish good luck to Simone.

“Wishing Simone Biles the best of luck in the Olympics! Your Bears family is rooting for you,” the Bears wrote, adding a blue heart emoji. The post featured a photo of Biles superimposed on the Eiffel Tower that read, “Good luck Simone Biles.” Alongside this, their head coach’s statement also adds another layer to it.

“Just because we respect the Olympics, that is a big deal. He’s just supporting the one he loves the most. And I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that. We welcome that and it’s going to be awesome. Go USA,” Matt Eberflus said about the decision. Notably, Simone had confirmed this after an interview during the Olympic trials.

“The Bears are actually giving him a couple of days off from training camp, so he’ll be there,” Simone had said to NBC. However, according to reports, the groundwork for this was laid right when Jonathan signed the contract with the Bears. During a July 25 press conference at the training camp, Jonathan Owens revealed to the reporters that this leave is something that he and his agents had talked out when Owens signed the Bears contract. So What was the Bears’ reaction to it?

According to Owens, they were “really cool” about it. “First-class organization. I just want to thank them so much 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.” As Owens revealed, his teammates have also been “super supportive” and they have been asking him to get some souvenirs back from Paris! Although this is Simone’s third Olympics, for Owens, it will be the first one. And he can not help but recall what happened during the Tokyo Olympics.

The 2020 games were postponed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then there were no fans allowed at Tokyo venues. Back then also, Jonathan was in training camp. So what did he do to see his then-girlfriend? “I was in training camp still, but I would wake up at like 4 or 5 in the morning before I had to go to practice so that I could see her events and everything,” Owens said. But this time also Owens has to wake up to sit in front of the television. Do you know why?

It is because he plans to watch the Bears in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1 at Canton, Ohio, against Houston. While remaining absent, Owens had all the praise for the coaches since, as Owens informed, they will be recording “all the meetings, all the installs and everything” so that he does not actually miss anything. Alongside, he also promised to keep working out while in Paris and come back in good shape. But now he is fully into the Olympic mode, excited to see his wife perform. But he did not hesitate to accept that he was nervous.

“Because it’s the person you love most and you see them up there in a position where someone could get hurt, and you know, you care about her, so it’s always super nerve-wracking,” Owens said. So like many, he will also be holding his breath while Simone flips, turns, or jumps. But it seems Biles already knew the Chicago Bears would allow Owens to take a break from training.

Simone Biles and the Bears return the favor to each other

Earlier this year in a segment of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Simone Biles shared her hopes and excitement about Jonathan Owens’ presence at the upcoming Olympics. She mentioned, “Hopefully he gets to go because that’s usually like their training camp. And he’s working on a new contract, so hopefully, he’ll work it into his new contract. At least like two days. Yeah. Like even if it’s like…personal day.”

She even praised the iron-clad Chicago Bears for their unabashed support, noting, “Some teams are really, really nice about working with their family relations; some are more family-oriented than others. So fingers crossed we’ll get to see him in the stands.” The Chicago Bears have indeed shown a supportive and family-friendly attitude since the beginning. Remember how they welcomed Biles?

Right after Jonathan signed the contract in March, Simone took to social media to voice her excitement. Comments like “I just love the city of Chicago” from Simone surely did not skip the eyes of the franchisee. Incidentally, that was also Simone’s birthday month. So the Bears took that occasion to give their flowers to Simone.

The Bears wished and welcomed Biles into the fold writing, “Happy birthday to the newest Bears fan.” With support from his new team, this year, Owens has been constantly present at Biles’ events, from the U.S. Classic to the Xfinity Championship and the Olympic Trials. He is not ready to miss Biles’s biggest moments like he did last year. It seems things are finally looking up for them, with distance not being a hindering factor anymore.