Simone Biles broke her silence with a short and sweet message on social media Sunday – one day after incurring the wrath of NFL fans.
Still basking in the glory of her three Olympic gold medals from Paris, the gymnast sparked backlash with a controversial gameday fit at Soldier Field Saturday.
The 27-year-old showed out in support of her husband, Jonathan Owens, at the Chicago Bears’ preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, wearing a custom jacket with black-and-white printed images of Owens on it.
However, the Olympic legend made an NFL rookie error as the various snaps featured Owens in action for the Green Bay Packers – the Bears’ longstanding fierce rivals and his former team.
Despite flirting with football controversy, Biles, the Olympic all-around champion from the Paris Games, brushed off the backlash by making it known where her loyalties lie.
With just over two weeks until the 2024 NFL season kicks off, Biles pledged her support to Owens and Chicago by posting, ‘bear down,’ to X, formerly known as Twitter.
The gymnastic icon shared two photos of herself at the iconic stadium but ensured to keep any Packers logos on her jacket out of sight.
On Saturday, in addition to the photos of Owens suited up in Packers uniform, a large Green Bay logo on the shoulder pad had stood out in certain snaps and videos.
As she strolled the sidelines, Biles was also sporting a protective boot on her left foot from a calf injury she endured at the Olympics. She topped off the look with a pair of reflective silver shades, a black Prada bucket hat and a Balenciaga purse.
Her attempts to make a touching and supportive gesture towards Owens, landed Biles in the middle of one of the league’s fiercest rivalries and fans were far from impressed with one even claiming she should be ‘stripped of all her medals’ for her fashion fumble.
And some eagle-eyed social media users still managed to catch a glimpse of a Packers presence in her outfit, despite her best attempts to cover it up.
‘Saying that while wearing the Packers Jacket,’ one wrote in the replies, adding to side-eye emojis.
bear down pic.twitter.com/y8UbSLoydc
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 19, 2024
‘We know what you really mean. #GoPackGo,’ another posted, while one added, ‘Is that a Packers jacket?’
Owens played one season in Green Bay last year before making the move down Lake Michigan to Chicago earlier this year.
As his other half geared up for her quest for gold in Paris, the safety agreed a two-year deal with the Bears believed to be worth $4.5million in March.
The gymnast appeared elated with her partner’s move , celebrating the deal in a series of tweets.
‘CHICAGO HERE HE COMES’, she posted before appearing to reveal that she does not plan to make the permanent move with her man.
‘I’m so excited about not having a connecting flight to go and see my husband hahahaha’, she wrote in a follow-up message.
