Miscellaneous Sports Wives and Girlfriends (WAGS)
The Story
- As one of the nation’s top linebackers on the nation’s best team, you’d think Courtney Upshaw would be a no-brainer high first round pick. Well, Upshaw’s got a few red flags that are scaring away teams.
The biggest and most disturbing story involving Upshaw dates back to 2009. While on Alabama campus, he was allegedly witnessed grabbing the hair of his girlfriend Kendall Gryzb and throwing her to the ground. Both parties were arrested following the on campus fight. There was a lot of he said, she said at the time, and both were arrested. Eventually charges were dropped and all the ‘Bama fans rejoiced…
... WHICH Included Gryzb’s father. Following the incident, he was quick to blame his own daughter. Yup, you read that right. “ROLL TIDE!”. Why are there quotes here, you ask? Because it’s exactly what Gryzb’s father said as he left the courthouse after charges were dismissed. You can’t make this stuff up.
Anyways, as the case was dropped, we need to be clear in stating that these are allegations which were never proven in a court of law. The court of public opinion is another matter, but we're only providing facts here.
Upshaw has appeared to have moved on in the relationship realm. Although there is no official verification, it appears that Upshaw is now dating Deidra Dorsey (which we discovered with some Twitter sleuthing). Deidra is a graduate of the University of Memphis who is currently enrolled in school for a second degree in nursing. Courtney and Deidra traveled together to New York City recently and the following tweet appears on her timeline:
@334Upshaw41 great interview!! I know @Im_dEE_honey is so proud of her man!!!
@PickALaneFOOL @334Upshaw41 I am very proud!!
Based on the couple traveling through the media circuit together, we expect we'll see Deidra in the green room Thursday night at the draft. If we see that, we can finally call it concrete proof we need.
Upshaw has a daughter, however there is no information that we can find that identifies the mother.
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The Story
- We look up a lot of athlete's and their significant other's to cover for this site, and a lot of the time it's difficult to really tell the true status of their relationship. For once, this could not possibly be less of the case.
LSU star defensive tackle Michael Brocker is set to be drafted high, which bodes well for his family, including his fiancé Faith Youngblood. The fact that these two are engaged is apparently a fact that she reaaaaaally wants you to know. Let us list the ways:
- Her Twitter profile lists she is engaged to him
- Same with Facebook
- On the LSU Football Facebook page post about the NFL Combine, she stated she was “Looking forward to seeing my fiancé Michael brockers for one :) support #TeamBrock ;)”
There are various other mentions, but that seems like enough to list. Not that there’s anything wrong with this, but it’s pretty clear she is trying to mark her territory so to speak. With rumors of pro athletes and road beef it's probably a good move, and more power to her I guess…
Faith is originally from Houston, TX, but now resides in Baton Rouge. It's a pretty safe bet that she'll be relocating again in the very near future. From what we've gathered, it looks like the couple has been dating since high school, most notably based on a picture from Youngblood’s Facebook profile. The same Facebook profile lists an anniversary date of May 07, 2007, which would put the two of them right in the middle of high school. She attends LSU and is majoring in Mass Communication/Public Relations. Her Twitter profile claims that she is a dancer and has been since the age of four.
Faith may catch your eye on draft night, as we think she'll be the pregnant woman celebrating in the Green Room with Brockers when his name is called. Based on the #proudMommy2be hashtag in her Twitter profile, they are expecting a child at some point this year.
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The Story
- In our line of business, we're rarely surprised by much... but in this instance,... man, this one caught us off guard.
The fact that Mel Kiper is married isn't necessarily the surprising part (although I would have placed money on him being a total player that just strolls into any bar with that hair and dominates). The surprising part is more so the scope of the relationship.
Mel is prodigious with the amount of time he dedicates to watching film (and say nothing about the hours it seems like he's on ESPN daily). If you thought Mel did all this work by himself you would be wrong, dead wrong. Mel clearly needs help to be Mel Kiper, and his wife Kim is his business partner. Yes the man that you see on TV religiously from December until the April draft has one work partner and that is his wife. Kim, who claims to be a casual football fan handles all the aspects of the business (outside of scouting) to build his draft empire. Kim handles everything from helping to write the book, to arranging TV spots, to setting up interviews, Kim is right there to make it all happen. This allows Mel to watch the endless amount of tape and make the numerous phone calls needed to make it all happen.
So, how does it work, being with Mel both at home and at work with no reprieve? According to Kim in an article she wrote on ESPN's now defunct Page 2:
We see each other 24-7, but we manage to get along perfectly. Our personalities mix well -- he focuses on the football, and I make the office more efficient. That can be a tough task sometimes, because it involves dragging Mel into the computer age.
Mel and Kim Kiper have been married for over 20 years now, and have one daughter named Lauren.
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- Even if there's not a ton of information about Lauren, our draft coverage would be incomplete if we didn't cover the ESPN draft guys and their brides (who are surely subjected to long hours, late nights, and way too much game film).
Draft guru Todd McShay married his longtime girlfriend Lauren McShay in Cape Cod on July 9, 2006. Outside of her name we don't have much else to go on. Considering Todd is from Boston and and that the couple were married on the Cape, it's probably a safe assumption to say that the couple met each other somewhere around the Hub. Lauren, who is originally from Pittsburgh, did attend Boston University as well.
For the crazy loyal Todd McShay fans out there, they might remember his Boston roots. Todd and Barstool Sports' El Presidente did a local show together on 1510 The Zone. Interestingly enough, 1510 The Zone no longer exists. With management that did not recognize the talent they had in McShay, or the loyal audience that El Pres has, it's understandable why the station is no longer broadcasting. But much like the prospects he covers, McShay was destined for the big leagues, and joined ESPN in 2006.
