Former NFL star JJ Watt publicly criticized Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake on Wednesday for failing to acknowledge his wife, Kealia Watt, during a recent visit to the team's stadium. Real Salt Lake had posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter, welcoming the Watt family, but the caption focused solely on JJ Watt.
In response, JJ Watt highlighted his wife's extensive soccer achievements, noting that she is a native of Draper, Utah, and grew up less than 20 minutes from the stadium. He pointed out that Kealia Watt won four state championships at Alta High School, was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, a high school All-American, and later played collegiately at North Carolina. She also had a professional career spanning eight years with the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars, and made three appearances for the U.S. Women's National Team.
The team's initial social media post, which included a photo of JJ Watt, Kealia Watt, and other family members walking onto the pitch, was captioned "Welcome to the Riot, JJ Watt and fam."
Following JJ Watt's public statement, Real Salt Lake issued an apology on X. The MLS team acknowledged that they "should have recognized Kealia Watt for exactly who she is." The statement further described Kealia Watt as "a Utah native and one of the most decorated players to ever come out of this state." The team also provided an outline of her accomplishments and shared photos of her and JJ Watt from the evening, concluding with an apology and thanks for her contributions to the sport.