The NFL and WNBA don’t have a whole lot in common. However, the two leagues did have one thing in common over the past year.
That one bond no longer exists, as we found out on Tuesday. After months of speculation, one of the superstars of the WNBA has made it official — she is no longer married to one of the big guns of the NFL.
Las Vegas Aces forward Kelsey Plum and New York Giants tight end Darren Waller filed a joint petition for divorce after just over a year of marriage. Court records confirmed the split. The couple were married on March 4, 2003.
Couple Met While Playing for Las Vegas’ WNBA, NFL Teams
Plum and Waller kept their relationship private prior to tying the knot. However, it was believed that the pair knew each other back as far as 2021 when Waller was seen attending Plum’s WNBA games.
Waller, an eight-year NFL veteran, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. However, after two suspensions of the league’s substance-abuse policy, he was waived in 2018 after being suspended for the 2017 season. He was signed by the then-Oakland Raiders, with the team moving to Las Vegas in 2020.
Plum, a six-year WNBA vet, was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Stars in 2017. The Stars moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces the next season, winning two league titles since.
The pair never confirmed their relationship despite repeated inquiries. However, they were often seen together at public gatherings. In June of 2022, the pair were photographed together at a red carpet event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
Waller and Plum were even intent on keeping their impending wedding a secret, but were inadvertently outed by Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels during a press conference at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
Waller Traded to Different NFL Team Right After Honeymoon
There was trouble in paradise from the start. The Raiders traded Waller to the Giants on March 15, 2023, just a day after he and Plum had returned to Las Vegas from their honeymoon. At his Giants introduction, spoke to the New York media on the prospect of maintaining a long-distance marriage, saying:
“She supports me and wants to see me shine to my ultimate potential as a player while I still have the opportunity, so I’m grateful to have her support. And we’re going to do whatever it takes to remain strong together. I’m grateful to have somebody that understands how things work in an industry like this, and we just go forward and make the best of it what we can.”
The NFL star also told People magazine last September:
“It’s not ideal to have the person that you love the most not with on a daily basis, but we make it work.”
However, the couple apparently wasn’t able to make it work for long.
Plum Announced Split from NFL Star Via X
Earlier this year, Waller posted a video on TikTok in which he sampled “Think It Over” by the Delfonics. The post seemed to foreshadow a split between he and Plum. The former NFL Pro Bowler then denied the rumors of an impending divorce while talking to TMZ Sports.
However, there was no misunderstanding Plum’s post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday in which she announced that her and Waller were no longer married. She posted:
“I’m devastated. I walked through fire for that man, but now I see it’s time to go. God has given me an incredible life, and I’m truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends. One day I’ll share my story, today is not that day. Thank you for the grace to process my pain, to forgive and move forward. Today and everyday I will continue to choose joy.”
As of yet, there has been no public comment from Waller, about to enter his second season with the Giants.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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