ABC giving retired NFL player chance to find true love on ‘The Golden Bachelor’

No, Tom Brady won’t be the next Golden Bachelor. At least not yet. But former NFL linebacker Mel Owens will get his chance at finding love on the ABC show.

ABC announced Owens, who played nine seasons for the Los Angeles Rams from 1981-1989, will star on The Golden Bachelor Season 2. The first Golden Bachelor featured Gerry Turner in 2023. Turner and Theresa Nist were married on The Golden Wedding, which aired live on ABC last January. By April, Turner and Nist announced their divorce after struggling to decide where to live. Who could have seen that coming?

Now it’s Owens’ turn to find true love. Owens married his first wife shortly after retiring from the NFL, but according to Hollywood Live, she filed for divorce in Feb. 2020. The 66-year-old University of Michigan alum and former ninth pick of the NFL Draft enjoyed a second career as a lawyer after his playing career was over.

Owens is hoping The Golden Bachelor can help him find a second chance at “companionship” after his 2020 divorce. Owens told former NFL quarterback and current Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer he wants “someone that’s honest, charming, loving, fit. Someone full of life because it’s go time.”

Earlier this year, Paul Pierce revealed he would be interested in being featured on a future season of The Bachelor. Pierce, however, is just 47 years old so he wouldn’t be a potential candidate for The Golden Bachelor yet. During the first season of The Golden Bachelor, contestants were between 60 and 75 years old.

But if Pierce remains single 13 years from now, ABC should make a call. Tom Brady similarly has 13 years before being an eligible golden bachelor. Luckily for ABC, his Fox current Fox contract will be up by then. Surely, retired athletes who are single will be locked into this season of The Golden Bachelor to see how successful Owens is at landing his next spouse.