ATLANTA — One of international sports’ fiercest grudge matches will hit the ice for the second time in Beijing when the U.S. faces Canada in women's hockey Wednesday night. One NFL player is throwing all of his support behind a special Team USA athlete.
Michael Schofield, an offensive guard with the Los Angeles Chargers, has turned to social media to cheer on his wife, Team USA hockey player Kendall Coyne-Schofield. The hockey forward is a three-time Olympian and is skating for her third medal.
The two high-profile athletes got married the same year Coyne-Schofield won her first gold with the women's national team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
According to an interview with People magazine, the two actually met while attending the same high school. Now they're both in the limelight playing in some of the most competitive games of their careers.
When Schofield made it to Super Bowl 50 in 2016, Kendall Coyne-Schofield cheered on Michael and continues to celebrate his championship with the Denver Broncos even years later.
Now, her husband is returning the favor and celebrating how far she's come in the 2022 Beijing Games.
Training for the Olympics was a journey they both embarked on together.
Though the coronavirus was a strain on their athletic careers, Coyne-Schofield said that the pandemic was a blessing in disguise.
"If there was a pro to the pandemic for us, selfishly, it was that we spent time together," Schofield said in an interview. "We couldn't travel. We couldn't go anywhere and we spent time with each other."
And as lockdowns lifted and the world continued to open up, they still leaned on each other.
"I couldn't imagine going through this by myself or trying to train in my basement by myself, like all those things. So we were able to provide that motivation and inspiration to each other because it did get long," she said.
And as the sports world picked up quickly, so did their personal lives.
Schofield-Coyne recently released her autobiography "As Fast As Her," with her husband celebrating the new author. Schofield-Coyne joined efforts with her pro-football partner to support their joint Schofield Family Foundation endeavor. The two are also raising a puppy, Blue, together.
Despite their full plates, the two continue to prove to be dedicated to their crafts -- and dedicated to each other.
Learn more about tonight's women's hockey match-up here.