J.J. Watt publicly criticized Real Salt Lake on Wednesday after the MLS club’s social media account welcomed him and his family to a friendly against Burnley but failed to identify his wife, Kealia Ohai Watt. The post referred only to “@JJWatt and fam” as the couple and their children attended the match; the Watt family are minority investors in Burnley FC, the visiting club.
Kealia Ohai Watt is a former midfielder and forward who spent eight seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League with the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars, scoring 35 career goals. She netted the game-winning goal for the United States against Germany in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final and was part of the Dash side that won the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020.
The 2020 Challenge Cup final was played at the stadium formerly known as Rio Tinto Stadium — now America First Field — which serves as Real Salt Lake’s home venue. Ohai Watt is from Draper, Utah, located less than five miles from America First Field in Sandy.
Real Salt Lake’s account later issued an apology after Watt’s callout. The club posted that when welcoming the Watt family to America First Field it should have recognized Kealia Watt “for exactly who she is,” acknowledging the omission.
This was not the first time J.J. Watt has pushed back when his wife’s accomplishments were downplayed. In 2020 he criticized ABC13 Houston after the outlet ran a headline referring to Ohai Watt as “J.J. Watt’s fiancee” following her trade from the Dash to the Red Stars.
