JJ Watt calls out ABC over ‘trash’ headline about fiancee Kealia Ohai

Football star JJ Watt was not impressed with ABC’s description of his fiancee when they reported she’d been traded to another team.

JJ Watt and fiancee Kealia Ohai.

Houston Texans defender JJ Watt added another sack to his Hall of Fame-worthy career overnight — but this time it was a TV station instead of a quarterback.

The 30-year-old objected to an article by the ABC station in Houston announcing his fiancee and soccer star, Kealia Ohai, had been traded from the Houston Dash to the Chicago Red Stars.

Houston Dash trade J.J. Watt's fiancee to Chicago https://t.co/EX9cX455kH pic.twitter.com/0dylaVKpK9

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) January 7, 2020

“This headline is trash,” Watt wrote. “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.”

The station’s social media producer sent a quick reply to Watt. “Hi JJ, Our sincere apologies. We 100% agree with you. Kealia Ohai is a soccer superstar who deserves her own headlines,” they wrote. “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.”

But Watt’s response was quickly picked up by other media. USA Today described the headline as an “infuriating choice of words”.

“It shouldn’t need to be said, but for clarity’s sake: Women are much more than who they happen to be dating,” Hemal Jhaveri wrote. “Ohai is not just an accomplished individual and athlete, but a freaking person in her own right. She deserves much better than to be seen as an appendage of whoever she’s dating.”

Watt will lead the Texans into Kansas City for an NFL Playoffs divisional round clash against the Chiefs on Monday. Ohai is excited to get started with Sam Kerr’s former club.