Player Wives & Girlfriends

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I love Superbowl week for many reasons, none of which really have to do with the game itself. Think about it, this week alone we've had the "God told Ray Lewis to use deer antler spray to heal" story, 49ers Chris Culliver saying he wouldn't accept a gay teammate then following that with this gem of a quote, "those are thoughts in my head but not how I feel" saga, and now this.

Dan Marino, legendary QB for the Dolphins, near Academy Award winner for his role in Ace Ventura, and CBS pregame personality, fathered a child with another CBS employee, while he was married. The mother of Dan Marino's lovechild is Donna Savattere. So many angles to explore with this one but let's start with this. Dan Marino's wife Claire Marino is ridiculously hot. She looks like an extra from Baywatch. Why in the world would Dan Marino cheat on his wife when she looks that good? That isn't to say Marino's mistress Donna Savattere isn't a looker herself, but she is not in the same league as Claire. This is an NFL vs. CFL battle right here and we all know how that ends.

Dan Marino and Donna Savattere have been able to keep the affair quiet since 2005, when their daughter Chloe was born. Dan told the NY Post:

This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then. We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved.

Marino also stated that he and his wife, whom he married as Claire Veazey in 1985 and has 6 children with (2 adopted), remain together. The interesting part will be if Claire found this out back in 2005 when Chloe was born or is just finding this out now. If she was told in 2005, then I'd say Dan is safe - but if the NY Post article is how Claire got the news, then Dan, my friend, you are going to be in a lot of trouble.

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You gotta hand it to Reggie Bush. The guy clearly has a type, and he's not stopping till he finally lands one permanently.

Reggie Bush's dating life is unequivocally most well known for his on again/off again relationship with Kim Kardashian. Shortly after his relationship with Kardashian ended, Reggie Bush dated Melissa Molinaro; a woman who bore such a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian, that Kardashian successfully sued Old Navy for using her in their advertisement claiming that it deceived customers into the idea that infact she was the one hawking the clothes for the company. After failing in a relationship with both Kim Kardashian and her doppleganger, Reggie Bush is taking another crack at it, only this time, there will be a level of permanence.

Reggie Bush's girlfriend Lilit Avagyan appears to be yet another attempt to fill the very specific void left behind when things ended with Kim. Bush and Avagyan have been dating on and off for a little more than a year, and are now infact living together at Reggie's South Beach home. Rumors recently started circulating that Avagyan was now pregnant with Reggie's child, which he actually confirmed on the Miami radio show, Paul and Young Ron Morning Show. During his weekly radio segment, Bush confirmed that congratulations were in order than that he has, "a little one on the way."
Bush went on to say, that this is, "an opportunity to bring in new life and raise a child and I think that's the most special gift to a man and a woman. I look forward to it and to building a family."

Avagyan was born in Armenia in 1987, and is an accomplished dancer. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and was also crowned the 2008 US National Dance Champion. Unfortunately, it's likely that Avagyan is about to be as famous for the fact that she's rumored to have upset Kardashian as she is for her dancing prowess or the fact that she's 3 months pregnant with Bush's child. Radar Online has sources which state, “Kim is very upset that there are reports out there Reggie has gotten Lilit pregnant. She feels it is a slap in the face that Reggie would consider having a baby with this woman when he wouldn’t with her.”

Good luck to Reggie and Lilit. Unfortunately, we're actually wishing them luck with dealing with Kardashian, and not just for the new kid. I have a feeling that her tantrums have the potential to be a lot more explosive than any newborn is capable of.

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Despite Chad Johnson stealing the show on Hard Knocks this year we also get an up close and personal look at new Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin. I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with Joe for two reasons. His work with the Green Bay offense that made Aaron Rodgers a star and lead the team to one Super Bowl. The other reason is sadly what happened last January when his son Michael drowned right before the playoffs started for the Packers.

This was obviously a very difficult time for Joe Philbin and his wife Diane Philbin. Michael, who years before had been convicted of having non-consensual sex with minors at a house party in the Philbin's house when the parents were out of town, was found in a river a week before the Packers got knocked out of the playoffs by the Giants. This was a tragic time for the family, who also have a daughter and three other sons. In the offseason Joe was hired by the Dolphins to reshape a franchise that had run off the tracks for so many years. At the press conference to announce Joe as the new head coach Diane had this to say about the tragedy

"All people suffer loss. When you lose someone, it’s part of life, but you have to be resilient. You have to take the bad things and difficult times and turn them into good, and that’s what we will do. And we’ll do it with the Miami Dolphin family.”

Diane comes from a big family so when the Packers made it to the Super Bowl it was tough for her to get enough tickets for the entire family to come down. Somehow Diane worked her magic and all seven of her siblings plus her mother made it for the big game and the Packers Super Bowl win.

At first I thought this years edition of Hard Knocks was going to be a complete letdown. Most teams are very leery of being on the show now that the Jets took the the drama to the next level with their epic training camp in 2011. This point was reinforced by the fact that 31 other teams passed on the show before finally the Miami Dolphins and their fame hungry owner said yes. I feel pretty strongly in saying new head coach Joe Philbin probably wasn't the biggest fan of doing the show, especially in his inaugural campaign as an NFL head coach. It's tough enough to get through to players in year one of your regime but add the cameras and that is a recipe for disaster.

It's safe assuming all 31 teams passed on Hard Knocks, because honestly Miami's roster is about as boring as it comes. That all changed with the signing of Chad Johnson (nee Ochocinco) which finally gave the show a much needed pulse. It ended up having more than a pulse as Chad dominated the show, much to the chagrin of Joe. We all know what eventually happened with Chad but it also served as a great "I'm the boss" moment for Joe as he was able to cut Chad right on camera, something I'm sure all the players eventually watched.