Simone Biles faced some backlash from fans and haters alike after sporting a Green Bay Packers jacket to her husband Jonathan Owens’ Chicago Bears game over the weekend.
People reported that the Olympic gymnast was advised against wearing the jacket by a friend during the Tuesday, August 20 episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears. The jacket displayed Owens’ No. 34 from his time with the Packers, a choice that raised eyebrows considering the intense rivalry between the Packers and 29-year-old Owens’ current team, the Bears.
Ignoring the warning, Biles, 27, went ahead with her outfit choice, sparking quite the uproar on social media. “I would be taking that jacket off if I were you,” her friend warned in the episode, but Biles chose to keep the jacket on during the game – the decision leading to a lot of criticism on social media
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles enters the field prior to an NFL preseason football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field on August 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Biles recently received some backlash as she wore a Packers jersey to her husband, Jonathan Owen’s NFL game with the Bears, which she was apparently warned against doing.
Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
“Simone Biles should be stripped of all her medals after wearing Packers gear while cheering for the Bears. Yeah yeah I get it, her husband played for the packers and it’s an Owens themed jacket, but this is just wrong,” one user boldly declared on X (formerly known as Twitter). “This is almost as bad as wearing the opposing teams jersey to throw the first pitch!” noted another.
Simone Biles should be stripped of all her medals after wearing Packers gear while cheering for the Bears. Yeah yeah I get it, her husband played for the packers and it’s an Owens themed jacket, but this is just wrong. pic.twitter.com/2mAh0ZNIDa
— MikeyBets (@RealMikeyBets) August 17, 2024
Biles actually posted a photo of her in the jacket at the game on Sunday, August 18, to her Instagram with the caption, “🗣️ “bear down.” While some fans criticized the move, saying things like, “Simone. You’re the GOAT. You can do anything. But you can’t wear that jacket to Soldier Field while your husband plays for the Bears,” and “Time to get a bears version of that jacket now 🐻,” others seemed to not be bothered by her fashion choice. “Cutest coat in the stadium!!!😉,” said one fan. “Yesss girl…and wear any jacket you want! Let em talk 🗣️,” another encouraged.
Despite the negative feedback, Biles seemed unbothered and even participated in a lighthearted video for NBC Sports for their social media, cheerfully saying, “What’s up, Chicago? Go Bears.” Interestingly, in that clip, she had strategically pushed the jacket off her shoulders.
Correction 8/22/24 1:06 p.m. ET: This article’s headline was updated to properly reflect that Biles was wearing a Packers jacket, not jersey.
