With the news that Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren made their divorce official and with Frank and Jamie McCourt’s divorce starting tomorrow (August 30th), it seems dissolution is in vogue. Judging from what follows, it's not the first time.
Let’s take a look at some of the other big splits in the professional sports world.
Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian/Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson
While neither of these two splits classify as a divorce, they were some of the more popular splits in the professional sporting world over the past few years.
Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian began dating in 2007 and seemed to have good chemistry, until their split in 2009. They tried to salvage their relationship by having a second go at things, but eventually broke ties for good in early 2010.
Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson began dating in late 2007 and were the talk of the entertainment world. Jessica attended a Cowboys game in which Romo played poorly and it sparked a controversy where Simpson was blamed for Romo’s poor play on the football field.
Their relationship took further criticism from the public while they were spotted during the Cowboys bye week in Mexico, with the Cowboys losing to the Giants in the playoffs a week later. Ultimately, they ended their relationship in the summer of 2009.
Jason and Karen Varitek
Married for 12 years, the Variteks filed for divorce in 2008. The interesting thing regarding this divorce was the rumor that Varitek had an affair with Red Sox reporter Heidi Watney.
Although it was never proven, the rumors circulated and ironically came about at the same time as the divorce.
Hulk and Linda Hogan
Hulk and Linda Hogan were married for just over 20 years before they split due to Hulk’s infidelity. In 2007, while still filming for "Hogan Knows Best," Hulk had an affair with 33-year-old Christiane Plante, who worked with Hulk’s daughter Brooke on her 2006 album.
Their divorce took an interesting turn when Linda (48) began dating 19-year-old Charlie Hill, who was a student at the same high school as her children. This divorce took another turn for the worse when Hulk stated in his autobiography that he contemplated suicide after his wife filed for divorce.
Chipper and Karin Jones
Chipper met Karin while he was playing for a Braves minor-league affiliate team and they were married after the 1992 season. It was revealed in 1997 that Chipper had been having an 18-month affair with a Hooters waitress, which resulted in an illegitimate child being born.
It was later revealed that Chipper had numerous affairs in 1997. As a result, Karin divorced Chipper.
Frank and Jamie McCourt
One of the more popular splits in professional sports hasn’t even happened yet. Although it appears imminent, Frank and Jamie McCourt are undergoing the divorce process and the way they have gone about this process has frozen the finances of the Dodgers' organization, of which both have a share.
Their divorce trial begins on August 30th and it will be interesting to see how their millions of dollars and assets will be settled.
Jason and Joumana Kidd
Jason and Joumana Kidd have three children and appeared to have a solid marriage, until 2001 when Jason Kidd was arrested and pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge. He was accused of assaulting his wife out of anger.
Jason attended anger-management classes for six months. In 2007, Jason filed for divorce, stating that Joumana would threaten to file a domestic abuse claim. Joumana filed a counterclaim stating that Jason had broken her rib and damaged her hearing by smashing her head into a car.
Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez
A-Rod and Cynthia were married in 2002 and have two children. Rumors began circulating as early as 2004 of A-Rod’s infidelity, but the divorce did not happen for a few more years.
A couple more instances of infidelity, most notably with Madonna and a former Playboy feature girl, were reported and the divorce was finalized in 2008.
Dwyane and Siovaughn Wade
Dwyane and Siovaughn settled a nasty divorce this year after roughly three years of going through the legal system. Wade and his wife underwent one of the more interesting divorces as of late.
Siovaughn claimed that Wade had given her herpes through an affair. She also accused Dwyane of abandoning his children.
Their divorce was settled in 2010, but the custody of their children is still an on going battle.
Michael and Juanita Jordan
Married in 1989 and with three children, Michael and Juanita Jordan were divorced in 2006. It was reported that Michael had an affair with another woman that produced a child. It was determined through a DNA test that Jordan was not the father of the child.
Juanita received $168 million, which was the largest settlement for a celebrity divorce at that time.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
The latest scandal to shock the professional sporting world was the divorce of Tiger and Elin. It was a long time coming since the various reports of Woods infidelity that stemmed from a car accident in late November.
Amid the reports of the numerous women Woods had been with, the divorce seemed imminent. It became official last week and now the public waits to see what type of settlement is reached. Elin could challenge Juanita for the richest settlement to be reached for a celebrity divorce.
