‘Probably Be Worth a Mention’ – NFL Legend J.J. Watt Calls Out MLS Club for Disrespecting Wife Kealia Ohai
· Yahoo Sports
J.J. Watt and his wife, Kealia Ohai Watt, spent Wednesday watching Real Salt Lake face Burnley FC, the EFL club in which they own a minority stake. Soon after, Real Salt Lake uploaded a photo of the family with the caption, “Welcome to the Riot, JJ Watt and fam.”
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The message did not mention Kealia by name, despite her deep ties to Utah soccer. And Watt wasted little time addressing the omission, making it clear why he believed the club had overlooked someone who deserved recognition in her home state.
J.J. Watt Hits Out at Real Salt Lake
Watt backed up his point by highlighting everything his wife accomplished long before becoming an NFL legend’s spouse.
“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.” he wrote on X. “Could probably be worth a mention, but idk.”
The resume Watt referenced speaks for itself. Born in Draper, Utah, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City, Kealia developed her game with the Utah Avalanche from the U-11 level through college.
During that stretch, she helped the club capture four state titles. She also won four straight Utah high school state championships and represented the United States in youth national teams beginning at age 13.
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At the U-20 level, Kealia helped the United States win the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup by scoring the game-winning goal in the 44th minute of the final.
Kealia started all four seasons at North Carolina and helped the Tar Heels capture a national championship. And that milestone covers only part of her career.
As the backlash grew, Real Salt Lake released a public apology to both J.J. and Kealia on Thursday.
“We made an honest mistake yesterday, and we are sincerely sorry for that. When we welcomed the Watt family to America First Field, we should have recognized Kealia Watt for exactly who she is,” the team wrote on X.
Her NWSL journey started when the Houston Dash selected Kealia with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014. She quickly became a key part of the team and was appointed as the captain by the middle of the 2016 season.
Over six seasons, Kealia appeared in 114 matches and scored 28 goals before the Dash traded her to the Chicago Red Stars in 2020.
With a resume like that, Watt believed leaving her name out of Real Salt Lake’s post simply did not make sense.
In their post, the club eventually acknowledged the mistake and publicly apologized.
“Kealia Ohai, JJ Watt, we are deeply sorry. Thank you for all you do for the sport,” they wrote in the post.
Watt welcomed the response and chose to end the exchange on a positive note.
“Respect and appreciate taking ownership of it. Best of luck the rest of your season.”
In 2021, she stepped away from the pitch to focus on her family and personal ventures. Since then, Kealia has been working as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video’s NWSL broadcasts.