Tag: Chicago Red Stars

Who inspires Texans DE J.J. Watt?

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt shared with Twitter on International Women’s Day just the person that continually inspires and amazes him.

Where does a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and presumptive first ballot Hall-of-Famer find his inspiration? Sometimes, the inspiration isn’t too far away.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt took to Twitter on Sunday to share with the world on International Women’s Day that his wife, Kealia Ohai of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League, is a source of inspiration.

According to Watt on Jan. 8, he and Ohai watch his game film, sometimes that night after the Texans have already played.

“It’s funny, so like, we don’t necessarily break down film, but we’ll be sitting on the couch like after a game, like after the [AFC wild-card versus the Buffalo Bills] and she’ll be like, ‘What’s on TV?’

“I’ll be flipping through the channels and she’s like, ‘Isn’t there a game on?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but you just watched my…,’ and she’s like ‘Turn it on.’ She wants to watch. She loves watching it, she loves talking about it, she knows everything about the whole league.”

Of course, Watt admires soccer and thus Ohai’s games.

“I don’t tell her what to do, because that’s — A, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about and B, I get yelled at,” said Watt. “But I love watching it. We love talking about and there’s nothing better than obviously having an athlete who understands.”

Watt and Ohai got married over the Valentine’s Day weekend in 2020. Ohai was actually traded from the Houston Dash to the Red Stars on Jan. 6.

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Texans DE J.J. Watt marries Chicago Red Stars’ Kealia Ohai

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt tied the knot with the Chicago Red Stars’ Kealia Ohai over the weekend.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is officially off the market.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year married Chicago Red Stars forward Kealia Ohai over the weekend, sealing their covenant in holy matrimony.

Ohai and Watt got engaged over the 2019 offseason.

Per Watt’s answer to a question SB Nation Radio’s Jake Asman asked on June 11, 2019, there was an open bar at the reception.

“It’s open bar for everybody,” Watt said. “It’s the only way to make a good wedding.”

Open bar or not, the reception was very festive.

As to the logistics of how the Watts will lead a life of each spouse playing pro sports in separate cities, it shouldn’t be too difficult. The Red Stars play their season from late March through early September, which crosses over with the start of the Texans’ regular season. If anything, they will have to live in Chicago in the Texans’ offseason and in Houston during the Texans’ regular season.

Texans’ J.J. Watt is very excited for fiancée Kealia Ohai following her trade to Chicago

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt reacts to the trade of his fiancée Kealia Ohai from the Houston Dash to the Chicago Red Stars.

J.J. Watt won’t get the advantage of a short drive to watch Kealia Ohai play in the NWSL anymore. The fiancée of the Houston Texans defensive end was traded from the Houston Dash to the Chicago Red Stars on Jan. 6.

Watt isn’t torn on the news. He is elated for Ohai, as the trade gives her a better opportunity on the pitch.

“I’m extremely excited for her,” Watt said. “It’s a great situation. Chicago is a great team. They have a ton of great players, a great coach, and it’s a great organization. So, I’m really, really excited for her to get up there and to be able to play and watch her grow and succeed as a player. It’s also a great city, so I’m excited to be able to spend some time there.”

Watt wants the best for Ohai on the pitch. If a trade to Chicago is the answer, so be it. He will still go to the games and it is closer to his hometown of Pewaukee, Wis.

“It’s close to my hometown, so I’ll be up there spending some time as well,” Watt said. “The time apart will be difficult, obviously.”

Though they now will have a long distance relationship, Watt gave Ohai advice about what to do.

Said Watt: “I said, ‘You only get so many years to play your sport. For me, football, for her, soccer. You only get so many years to do it. We have the rest of our lives to spend together. I want you to take every advantage you possibly can to make your soccer career as great as you possibly can because you can’t do it forever.

So, whatever you have to do, if we have to fly, we have to travel, we have to do whatever it is. Do what you can possibly do now to make your soccer career as great as possible, because you’re going to create memories that will last a lifetime and then we can talk about him for the rest of our life.’”

Though Ohai is now a Red Star, she will still be the grand marshal for Houston’s Downtown Rodeo Parade, on Feb. 29, at 10:00 a.m.

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Texans DE J.J. Watt’s fiancée Kealia Ohai is ‘an athlete who understands’ recovery, workouts

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt says he talks to his fiancée Kealia Ohai, a star for the Chicago Red Stars, about recovery above all else.

When J.J. Watt goes home after a game, Houston Texans practice or film session, he likely prepares himself to calm down and think about anything but football or his body. However, with a fellow athlete in the house, that’s not the case.

Watt’s fiancée Kealia Ohai, a star in the NWSL, is considered to be one of the best soccer players in the world — the Houston Dash recently traded her to the Chicago Red Stars. Watt is one of the best pass rushers in the world. When the two combine forces, their conversations are a jumble of workout and recovery tactics.

“We love talking about and there’s nothing better than obviously having an athlete who understands,” Watt said on Wednesday. “We talk about workouts and recovery more than we talk about anything, because she’s right now training extremely hard. So, we literally are talking about deceleration patterns and how you’re supposed to decelerate and which leg you’re supposed to plant off of and cutting.”

Most don’t consider the small things both Watt and Ohai think about. But, for the two, it takes up the bulk of their conversation. They push each other. In culmination, Watt sees himself well-equipped for his next opponent.

“It’s boring, but for us it’s really exciting nerdy sports stuff, and it’s cool,” Watt said. “I mean, she fills my Game Ready for me every night. Like stupid stuff, but it’s awesome and I’m so glad that she understands and we understand each other and what we go through.”

Ohai’s help may have played a part in one of the better comebacks in recent memory. Watt tore his pectoral in Week 8 against the Oakland Raiders. It was considered season-ending after surgery. However, he found himself back on the roster two months later, playing in the Texans’ wild-card win over the Buffalo Bills.

Houston Dash trades Texans DE J.J. Watt’s fiancée to Chicago

The Houston Dash have traded Texans DE J.J. Watt’s fiancée, Kealia Ohai, to the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt may be in a long-distance relationship.

According to Mark Berman of Fox 26, the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League has traded Kealia Ohai to the Chicago Red Stars.

Watt and Ohai have been engaged since May.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year tweeted his support for Ohai, saying that he would “hold it down” in Houston while she went up to the Windy City and dominated.

Ohai tweeted a video thanking the city of Houston for their support.

Watt will be getting back to work this week to help the Texans beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium.