Real Salt Lake has issued a groveling apology to JJ and Kealia Watt after the NFL legend accused the MLS team of disrespecting his wife in a furious outburst.
The couple – a former defensive end and soccer star, respectively – attended Real Salt Lake’s friendly against English side Burnley at America First Field on Wednesday.
The MLS team shared a photo of them 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, slammed the post for failing to recognize the achievements of his wife, a former USWNT player.
”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,’ the Houston Texans icon, 37, said. ‘Could probably be worth a mention, but idk [I don’t know].’
Following the backlash, Real Salt Lake said they were ‘sincerely sorry’ to JJ and Kealia Watt after making an ‘honest mistake.’
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
‘We should have recognized Kealia Watt for exactly who she is,’ the team wrote in a statement that included an exhaustive summary of the 34-year-old’s soccer career.
‘Kealia is a Utah native and one of the most decorated players to ever come out of this state. Kealia won four state championships with her club and four more in high school, and was a two-time Utah Gatorade Athlete of the Year.
‘She was a U.S. youth national teamer at 13. At the U-20 level, she scored the game-winning goal in the World Cup final.
‘She started four years at North Carolina, won a national title with the Tar Heels, then went No. 2 overall in the NWSL draft to the Houston Dash, and was the franchise’s first-ever college pick.
‘She then became their captain with 114 appearances and 28 goals. Kealia finished her career with the Chicago Stars (then known as the Red Stars) and is now a soccer analyst for Amazon Prime Video.’
Real Salt Lake added: ‘@KealiaOhai, @JJWatt — we are deeply sorry. Thank you for all you do for the sport.’
Kealia Watt scored 48 seconds after coming off the bench in a friendly against Switzerland, setting a record for the fastest goal in a US women’s national team debut.
After hanging her cleats up, Kealia became a contributor and sideline analyst for Amazon’s Prime Video broadcast of the NWSL in 2024.
They started dating in 2016 when Watt was with the Texans and Kealia was with the Dash
The couple are minority owners of EFL Championship side Burnley, who played Salt Lake
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.
Real Salt Lake beat Burnley 4-1 in Wednesday’s game, which came before the return of Major League Soccer this week following a break for the World Cup.
