'Be better': NFL superstar slams 'trash' headline about fiancee
NFL star J.J. Watt's fiancee Kealia Ohai is a star in her own right.
The 27-year-old forward is one of the best players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), having played for the Houston Dash since 2014.
Ohai was the Houston-based team's captain for the last three seasons and holds the franchise record for most goals scored in a single season.
However, none of that seemed to matter to local TV station ABC13 Houston, which covered news of her transfer to another team in the most cringeworthy and sexist manner possible.
A fact that was duly called out by her NFL superstar partner.
Watt took at aim at the station for failing to mention Ohai's name in a tweet about her trading to rival NWSL franchise, Chicago Red Stars.
The station's post read: "Houston Dash trade J.J. Watt's fiancee to Chicago," sparking an angry response from Watts.
This headline is trash.
Kealia Ohai (which is her name by the way, since you didn’t even bother to mention it) is incredible entirely on her own merit and deserves to be treated as such.
Be better than this. https://t.co/82GMrYOv9U— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 7, 2020
As Watt spelled out, the story was about Ohai and her accomplishments.
She should be recognised in the headline instead of being described as “Watt’s fiancee.”
That description completely ignores Ohai’s success as a women’s soccer player. It makes it sound like being engaged to Watt is more important than Ohai’s career as a professional athlete.
Watt's angry tweet prompted an apology from the TV station, which expressed its sincerest apologies for disrespecting Ohai.
Hi JJ, Our sincere apologies. We 100% agree with you. Kealia Ohai is a soccer superstar who deserves her own headlines. We are sad to see her go. She is going to be a force in Chicago! We’ve loved doing stories on her many talents and accomplishments over the years.
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) January 7, 2020
Ohai was drafted by the Dash in 2014, and emerged as one of the team’s best players.
The star forward tied Lynn Williams for the golden boot award in 2016 as the league's top scorer.