Simone Biles is bigger than the preseason games.
The Chicago Bears will give Biles’ husband, safety Jonathan Owens, time off from July 29 to Aug. 3 so he can watch Biles compete at the Paris Olympics. This is even though the Bears will play in the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans on Aug. 1, the team Owens was playing for when he met Biles. Owens will also miss four training camp practices, from July 29-31 and on Aug. 3.
“We respect the Olympics. This is a big thing,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “He’s cheering on the person he loves the most. I think it’s great that he can do that and we welcome it and it’s going to be great.”
“Good luck, USA,” Eberflus added, drawing laughter.
This will be Owens’ seventh season in the NFL, and many teams will release veteran players during the preseason. Plus, as Eberflus said, there’s a good reason why Owens could be out.
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Owens will be able to watch Biles compete in the team final on July 30, where the U.S. women are the favorites to win the gold medal, and in the individual all-around final on Aug. 1, where she has a chance to become just the third skater in history to win two Olympic gold medals and the first since Vera Caslavska in 1968.
Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all time, with 37 World Championship and Olympic medals. As a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Biles is tied with Shannon Miller for the most medals ever won by a U.S. gymnast. In addition to her four gold medals, she has also won one silver and two bronze medals.
“It’s just fun for me to be able to witness how great (my wife) is,” Owens told USA Today Sports in June about watching his wife compete.
“I love watching her thrive in her environment. Her focus is just incredible,” he said. “She goes out there every single time and gets it done. She goes above and beyond what she has to do, and that’s amazing.”
Biles had actually let slip about Owens going to Paris, saying the Bears were planning to give Owens some time off after the Olympic Trials earlier this month.
“Yes, he’s there,” she said, “just for a little while.”
“We’re really excited to be able to cheer each other on whenever we can because our schedules don’t line up that much,” Biles added, “so whenever our schedules line up, it’s really important that we can cheer each other on.”
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Owens has attended all of Biles’ events this summer, but this is his first time seeing her compete internationally. The two met in March 2020, but strict COVID-19 precautions meant friends and family were not allowed to attend the postponed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Biles didn’t compete internationally until the World Championships in late September and early October last year during the NFL regular season.
Biles also frequently attended Owens’ games, both with the Texans and last season with the Green Bay Packers.