Bear Digest

Jonathan Owens Leaves Monday to Watch Wife Simone Biles in Olympics

The Bears fully support backup safety leaving training camp until Aug. 3 for chance to see his wife compete for USA gymnastics at Paris.

Gene Chamberlain

Bears safety Jonathan Owens watches his wife, Simone Biles, win a spot on the USA Olympic team in June. Now it's on to Paris.
Bears safety Jonathan Owens watches his wife, Simone Biles, win a spot on the USA Olympic team in June. Now it's on to Paris. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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Jonathan Owens is taking five days away from Bears training camp to watch his wife, Simone Biles, compete in the Paris Olympics but no one at Halas Hall seems to mind.

It comes at a time when teammates are battling for jobs, but was all pre-arranged.

"It was something me and my agent talked about when we went in and I signed with the team," said Owens, who signed a two-year, $3.8 million deal after a year with Green Bay. "The Olympics coming up and who my wife is, that was just something we—it was all respectful. We went to them and just asked, 'We really appreciate it if he could go and support his wife,' and they were really cool about it."

They're not just cool about it. They're practically urging him to go.

"Just because we respect the Olympics," coach Matt Eberflus said. "That is a big deal. And 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 gonna be awesome. Go USA."

Owens will leave behind his job competition with Elijah Hicks, Tarvarius Moore and Quindell Johnson for a spot behind starters Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard following Monday's Bears practice. He'll fly to Paris and watch Biles' attempt to bring home gold.

"Man, it's crazy," Owens said. "It's like everyone's a gymnastics fan now. People are asking me questions, because you might be walking around the building and see a commercial with her up there, so it's just crazy."

Contrary to some earlier reports by national types without giving sources,  Owens will not miss a full week of Bears practices during camp. It's only five days. In some of those the Bears will not practice because they're playing the first preseason game at Canton, Ohio against Houston.

Part of the reason is they play a Thursday game during the week that he will miss, and there are a few days away from practice then. He is returning Aug. 3.

It's his first chance to see Biles complete in the Olympics because the 2020 Olympics were moved to 2021 due to the pandemic and even then there were no fans allowed at Tokyo venues.

"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.

Owens will be in touch with the Bears throughout his trip.

"The coaches are doing an amazing job," he said "So they're gonna make sure—every meeting is recorded, so I'll be getting all the meetings, all the installs and everything. So I won’t miss a beat. I'll make sure I'm working out over there and make sure I come back in good shape."

There apparently is no blow-back from teammates who are competing for jobs while Owens is allowed to leave.

"Guys are just being super supportive, you know?" Owens said. "It's super dope. They're asking, bring some souvenirs back. That's what they’re asking."

The couple has been apart for about three weeks while she trained and he went to training camp. Now, he's just thankful for the opportunity to see her again at a big moment.

"It’s amazing," Owens said. "Words can’t even describe it. I just think about how did I get so lucky that this is my wife and I get to see her, someone that’s literally at the pinnacle of their sport, and I get to call this my wife.

"It’s amazing. There’s no words to really describe it. Just blessed.”

He admits he'll feel a little helpless watching her in Paris.

"Oh absolutely, 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," he said. "Let's say I'm on the field and she sees me hit somebody, or take a hard hit, or something. It's like a gasp of air.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.