J.J. Watt isn't one to stay quiet when someone disrespects his family—especially when that someone is an MLS team overlooking his wife's remarkable soccer career. The former NFL star put Real Salt Lake on blast Wednesday night after the club's social media team posted a photo of the Watt family without mentioning Kealia Ohai Watt by name.
The photo, shared during a friendly between Real Salt Lake and Burnley F.C., simply read: “Welcome to the Riot, @JJWatt and fam.” But Watt wasn't having it. He fired back on X, pointing out just how legendary Kealia is in Utah soccer circles.
“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…” Watt wrote. “Could probably be worth a mention, but idk.”
Real Salt Lake didn't wait long to issue a full apology. In a detailed post, the club acknowledged the mistake and listed Kealia's staggering achievements: four state titles in high school, four more with her club, two-time Utah Gatorade Athlete of the Year, a U.S. youth national teamer at 13, and the game-winning goal in the U-20 World Cup final. She also starred at North Carolina, winning a national title before being drafted No. 2 overall in the NWSL by the Houston Dash, where she became captain with 114 appearances and 28 goals. She finished her career with the Chicago Stars and now works as a soccer analyst for Amazon Prime Video.
“We made an honest mistake yesterday and we are sincerely sorry for that,” Real Salt Lake wrote. “When we welcomed the Watt family to America First Field, we should have recognized Kealia Watt for exactly who she is.”
The Watts have deep ties to Burnley F.C., having invested in the English club in May 2023. J.J. joked at the time that they didn't have “buy an entire European football club” money but were making a “minority investment but massive emotional investment.”
Kealia's snub comes amid a broader pattern of sports figures calling out perceived disrespect. Just this week, Caitlin Clark blasted WNBA refs for a missed call, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slammed the narrative around Clark. It seems the sports world is increasingly ready to speak up when someone gets overlooked.
For J.J. Watt, the message was clear: his wife's legacy deserves recognition. And Real Salt Lake, to their credit, listened.
