Jonathan Owens' Behavior Toward Simone Biles at Kentucky Derby Catches Attention
Jonathan Owens has quietly built a respectable NFL career since entering the league in 2018. He has spent time with four teams and has appeared in 65 regular-season games and two postseason matchups.
However, when you're married to Olympic superstar Simone Biles, your accomplishments often take a back seat in the public eye. Owens appears perfectly content with that. He consistently supports Biles and is frequently seen by her side during her high-profile appearances.
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The latest example came on Saturday when Biles delivered the iconic "Riders Up" call just before the start of the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Owens was in attendance—not just as a fan, but as a proud husband, capturing footage of her performance and showing unwavering support. His behavior toward Biles drew widespread admiration and attention from fans across social media.
Here are some of the heartwarming reactions to Owens' presence and support at Churchill Downs:
"Love these two," shouted out this fan.
"Such support. Love to see", called out this fan.
"Such a beautiful couple 😍," this fan mentioned.
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"I love that they're matching💜💜," this fan shouted out.
"I love how genuinely proud he looks! Go Simone and Jonathan ❤️❤️," this fan exclaimed.
"Love these two ❤️," said this fan.
Simone Biles of the United States Olympic team.Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Simone Biles remains one of the most iconic figures in American sports. The 28-year-old was a standout at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the fourth American artistic gymnast to compete in three Olympic Games.
Biles has picked up a total of seven Olympic gold medals—three in Paris and four in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In addition, she holds two silver medals and two bronze, cementing her legacy as one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time.
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Biles and Owens got engaged in 2022 and married in 2023. The couple often attends each other's major events and regularly shares moments from their lives together on social media.
Currently, Owens plays for the Chicago Bears. He joined the team after spending the 2023 season with the Green Bay Packers. In 2024, Owens appeared in all 17 games for the Bears, starting five of them. He recorded 30 solo tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble during the season.
Owens signed a two-year, $4.75 million contract with Chicago before the 2024 season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2025 campaign.
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USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
The 'true' origin story of 'The Ritual' is even more hair-raising: 'Begone Satan!'
The 'true' origin story of 'The Ritual' is even more hair-raising: 'Begone Satan!' Show Caption Hide Caption 'The Ritual': Al Pacino, Dan Stevens take on exorcism horror Al Pacino and Dan Stevens star in "The Ritual," a horror film based on the account of a 1928 American exorcism. "The Ritual" exorcism horror drama (now in theaters), starring Al Pacino as the real-life German-American Capuchin friar Theophilus Riesinger and Dan Stevens as Father Joseph Steiger, proudly claims to be "based on true events." The star duo delivers hair-raising moments as they recreate the 1928 exorcism of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). But on a horror level, it pales in comparison to the more sensational source material. Writer-director David Midell has made it clear "The Ritual" is inspired by the 1935 "Begone Satan!" book by Father Carl Vogl, a German priest and author. Vogl's exclamation point-filled "true account" of the proceedings in Earling, Iowa, is still available online and makes for great, campy reading. How 'Begone Satan!' emerged as the source of 'The Ritual' in Time magazine Steiger's job was to host (other churches declined) and to take notes during the harrowing (and reportedly successful) exorcism. The Steiger notes are the purported source of "Begone Satan!" which made front-page news in religious publications like Denver's Catholic Register years later. Time magazine brought the story to mainstream readers with a Riesinger-heavy 1936 account of the "diabolical possession." The Time article demonstrates some skepticism by reminding readers "that no Catholic is obliged to believe in any particular account of a case of diabolical possession outside of those recounted in Scripture." At the end of this long, twisted, and sometimes dubious road, "The Ritual" earns the right to make the carefully worded claim in its closing: "The 1928 exorcism of Emma Schmidt represents the most thoroughly documented and well-known exorcism in American history." The devil will apparently mess with your car In an early "Ritual" scene, Steiger apologizes for failing to pick up Riesinger at the train station, attributing the oversight to the devil's mischief. With 19 exorcisms to his name, he knows that the devil will mess with cars. In "Begone Satan!" Steiger can't explain why his "tip-top" car takes two hours to get to the station. Riesinger points out that the traveling mishap is the devil "doing his utmost to foil our plans." Later, Steiger is nearly killed after inexplicably losing control of his still-new car on a familiar road and crashing it to "smithereens." The book's car-totaling "devil's trick" doesn't make "The Ritual," which is a shame, given the rich real-life irony: Stevens' "Downton Abbey" character, Matthew Crawley, was killed in a Season 3 car crash that allowed him to pursue a film career. In "Begone Satan!" Steiger's congregation pitches in to buy a new car for the pastor, which frankly could have been an alternate film ending (with a Ford sponsorship). Riesinger had met Schmidt's demons before In "The Ritual," Riesinger makes it clear that the case is personal because he had previously exorcised Schmidt. "Begone Satan!" says Riesinger "freed her from this possession" in 1912, but Schmidt "became possessed again" in her 40s. Schmidt is said to be possessed by four entities that announce themselves as Beelzebub, betraying disciple Judas, Schmidt's abusive father Jacob and Mina (Jacob's lover and Schmidt's aunt). The devil didn't mess with the 'Ritual' nuns Three nuns are injured while dealing directly with the possessed Schmidt in "The Ritual," and Sister Rose ("Twilight" star Ashley Greene) has her hair pulled out of her scalp. In "Begone Satan!" the devil never attacked the nuns, saving his blows for the bigwigs — Pastor Steiger or Mother Superior (played by "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Patricia Heaton). In "The Ritual," the demons within Schmidt taunt Steiger with knowledge of his brother's recent death by suicide. There's no suggestion of these low blows in "Begone Satan!" But in the book, Steiger gives some memorable verbal shots in that never made the movie, like "detestable hellhound" and "vile serpent." Satan also calls Riesinger "dumbbell" when the overtired priest doesn't get his prayers right. That didn't make the movie, either. 'Begone Satan!' has the possessed woman flying over bed like 'The Ritual' The possessed Schmidt throws up black bile often in "The Ritual," but not as much as in the book. 'It was not unusual for her to vomit 20 to 30 times a day," the book says, including bedside descriptions of wretched output "resembling vomited macaroni." The movie scene featuring Schmidt flying over the bed is detailed in "Begone Satan!" "The possessed woman broke from the grip of her protectors and stood erect before them," the book says. "Only her heels were touching the bed." How 'Begone Satan!' ends the story Unlike the movie, the Iowa exorcism reportedly took place in three stages, in August, September and December 1928. The book's climax differs from "The Ritual" ending, which has Schmidt running through the church catacombs, and Steiger stepping up with an exorcist hero moment, shouting down the demon with the Bible in hand. In the book, levitating Schmidt returns to the bed, and "Satan was forced to leave his victim at last to return to Hell." Schmidt utters, "My Jesus mercy! Praised be Jesus!" showing she's clear. The woman "reportedly lived out the rest of her life peacefully," the movie says in the closing credits. "Begone Satan!" backs up that happy ending, adding "there were still possessions, but of a milder nature."
Yahoo
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New $3 million addition could put Cowboys ahead of curve in revolutionizing red-zone play
It's not common practice to develop a specialist role for a key position such as quarterback in today's NFL. A starter is a starter and removing said player tips off intensions and frankly comes off as a little disrespectful. For the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, replacing the QB in select goal-line packages could be seen as both, even if it seems like a smart course of action for all parties involved. The Cowboys touchdown scoring percentage in the red zone was just 46 percent in 2024. That was second to last in the NFL, ranking only above the lowly Giants. The Cowboys' inability to get into the endzone was a season-long issue, dating back before Prescott's season-ending injury. It left points on the board and ultimately demoralized an already fragile unit. Advertisement Prescott is scheduled to return in 2025 with a full bill of health. In previous seasons, he's been an assassin from the red zone, guiding the Cowboys to a No. 12 ranking in 2023 and to No. 1 overall ranking in 2022. Given his past proficiency, it's not preposterous to think he can bounce back to those levels again in 2025, but is the risk worth it? A major part of Prescott's redzone efficiency lies in his ability to run the ball. As a ball carrier Prescott operated at a 0.40 EPA/play with a 100 percent success rate on two attempts in 2024. The season before he was at 0.16 EPA/play with a 71.43% success rate on 14 attempts. QBs are universally a highly efficient rushing option from the red zone; the only downside is such plays open them up to hits and potential injury. The Cowboys can ill afford to suffer and injury of Prescott's magnitude so alternatives need to be explored. Prescott, 32, is the highest paid player in the NFL and an irreplaceable part on the Cowboys' machine. He's not injury prone, per say, but having missed five or more games in three of the last five seasons, he's not exactly made of metal either. Using him as a runner might be more risk than the Cowboys want to take on and finding a replacement option may not be as crazy as it sounds when all factors are under consideration. After adding Joe Milton in an offseason trade, the Cowboys have an intriguing option as a situational replacement to Prescott. The highly gifted, yet severely underdeveloped, quarterback prospect is sure to drive headlines throughout the summer with dazzling throws and highlight runs. Milton, who has three years and $3 million remaining on his rookie deal, could be the answer in the red zone based on his skillset and dispensability. If Prescott gets hurt tucking and running the season might be over for the Cowboys. If Milton gets hurt running the rock, it's unlikely to have any impact on the success or failure of the season, and the financial investment in him is already minimal. At 6-foot-5, 246-pounds, Milton is built for the part. Coming from an RPO-rich offense in college, Milton is an ideal dual-threat inside the redzone. His reads downfield and accuracy as a passer leave something to be desired, but if cast into zone-read role where he can either handoff or run it himself, he offers something Prescott does not. Incorporating a single read as a passer is a great way to take that zone-read attack into a simple, but multifaceted, RPO. Advertisement Once upon a time the idea of having a dedicated closer in baseball seemed absurd. It wasn't until the late 1970s when teams started to designate specialists and from there it took years before it became the norm. In much the same way an occasional red-zone specialist could be normalized on early downs in the NFL. For teams with veteran QBs who are too important to risk and somewhat susceptible to injury, bringing in a dual-threat QB on early downs (non-obvious passing downs) could be a great way to take advantage of the game's highest leverage situations. QB runs are an important part of an efficient redzone offense but with a QB1 who's too important to risk, situational alternatives should be explored. Can Milton be that alternative? You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Joe Milton could give Cowboys creative advantage in red-zone scenarios
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Boxing returns to Fenway Park after 70 years, with hopes to revitalize the sport in Boston
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Promoters Mark and Matt Nolan want 'Fight Night at Fenway,' scheduled for Saturday, to be both a time capsule and time machine, taking spectators back to boxing's glory days and what the sport can be for the city in the future. The Nolans got their license to organize fights last year with the goal of bringing boxing back to Boston. After Fenway, 'That's mission accomplished,' Matt Nolan said. Advertisement 'It's not just like our dream, it's everybody's dream — every boxer on planet Earth,' he said. 'Just the idea that some kid can fight his way to Fenway Park. It's like hitting the lottery. You can't you can't beat it. There's nothing comparable.' A rich history Boston has played a long and impressive role in American boxing history and the development of the sport itself, said Johnson, author of 'Field of Our Fathers, An Illustrated History of Fenway Park.' The city was home to 'Boston's Strong Boy,' John L. 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After new owners took over in 2002, the park became a venue for concerts and sporting events like hockey, snowboarding, Irish football and curling. Advertisement 'Back in the day, it was sort of the Swiss Army knife of sports facilities in Boston. And it's returned to that — a little bit of everything. So, returning boxing to the park is just a nod to the past,' Johnson said. Other venues can feel 'more corporate and sterile,' but Fenway is living history, said Johnson, who calls it the 'largest open-air museum in New England.' A different pitch Mark Nolan said it's not for lack of trying that no one has hosted a boxing fight at Fenway in almost 70 years. But many promoters couldn't make a pitch that landed with ballpark management. The Nolans, who teach full time and own a boxing gym in Waltham where people can train regardless of their ability to pay, were different. After success hosting events at other venues, Mark Nolan said Fenway Sports Group connected to their 'everyman' appeal and decided to give them a shot. Advertisement The brothers fell in love with boxing while accompanying their father, a boat captain, to the gym as kids. When they expanded from coaching amateur boxers to professionals five years ago, they were dismayed by what they found: shows full of uneven fights set up to make the promoters as much money as possible, with established amateurs fighting people who 'have no right putting gloves on in any capacity whatsoever' in venues like high school gymnasiums. Fighters weren't being paid fairly and contracts weren't transparent. They came up with a simple business plan: pick good venues, pay fighters well and only host matches in Boston proper. They said a lot of promoters sell fighters, but they're focused on selling fights fans want to see. 'They're making sure that every fight is well-matched,' said Thomas 'The Kid' O'Toole, a fighter from rural Galway, Ireland, who has lived in Boston for the past two years, 'Nobody wants to see someone go in and just knock their opponent out right away and beat them up for four, six, eight rounds. They want to see a competitive fight.' Advertisement O'Toole went professional in 2021 and is undefeated with 13 fights. He said his fight against St. Louis-born Vaughn 'Da Animal' Alexander at Fenway will be 'the biggest test of his career.' Massachusetts-born Lexi 'Lil Savage' Bolduc will compete in her fourth professional fight. She faces Sarah Couillard in a rematch after coming out on the losing end of a majority draw at the Royale. 'Fighting at Fenway, I think adds a little bit of pressure because I'm local, I grew up in Mass and idolized a lot of players as I was growing up. ... But at the same time, I'm trying to use it just as a huge opportunity and really soak in the moment,' she said. "Pressure makes diamonds. 'To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it's really remarkable,' she said.
