NFL legend JJ Watt furiously defended his wife after he claimed an MLS club disrespected her.
The former defensive end, 37, and soccer star Kealia Watt, 34, attended Real Salt Lake‘s friendly against English side Burnley at America First Field ahead of the season returning after the World Cup break.
The couple attended the game with their eldest son, Koa, three, as their youngest, Niko, one, was too young to stay up past the 7.30pm kickoff.
Real Salt Lake shared a photo of the family walking down the stadium tunnel to social media, captioning it: ‘Welcome to the Riot, @JJWatt and fam.’
However, Watt, who is a part owner of Championship side Burnley, took the post as a slight to his wife, a former USWNT player.
The Houston Texans icon hit out at the soccer team for failing to acknowledge Kealia by name and her own achievements in the sport.
NFL legend JJ Watt (left) furiously defended his wife, former USWNT player Kealia Watt (right), after he believed an MLS club disrespected her
Watt hit back after Real Salt Lake failed to acknowledge Kealia by name in a social media post
He quote-tweeted the post, writing: ‘The woman in the photo grew up literally down the road, won 4 Utah state championships (1 in this exact stadium), Gatorade Player of the Year twice, National Player of the Year, scored the fastest first goal in USWNT history…
‘Could probably be worth a mention, but idk.’
Kealia is a former USA international, Houston Dash captain, and in the 2016 NWSL season tied with Lynn Williams for the Golden Boot.
The forward was a four-year starter for the UNC Tar Heels from 2010 to 2013 and was a member of the 2012 championship-winning team.
After being a member of the USA’s youth teams – winning the U20 Women’s World Cup in 2012 – she made her senior team debut in October 2016.
Kealia scored 48 seconds after coming off the bench in the friendly against Switzerland, setting a record for the fastest goal in a US women’s national team debut.
She joined the Chicago Red Stars in 2020, playing the last three years of her career there before retiring after the 2022 season.
Kealia is a former USA international and former captain for the NWSL’s Houston Dash
The couple started dating in 2016 when Watt was with the Houston Texans and Kealia was with the Dash
The couple are minority owners of EFL Championship side Burnley, who played Salt Lake
After hanging her cleats up, Kealia became a contributor and sideline analyst for Amazon’s Prime Video broadcast of the NWSL in 2024.
She is also a minority owner of Burnley alongside her husband, keeping a hand in the soccer world.
JJ and Kealia started dating in October 2016 when he was with the Houston Texans and she played for the NWSL’s Dash.
The couple became engaged in May 2019 and were married in 2020 in the Bahamas.
