Football player files for divorce

A professional football player who helped lead his team to victory in this year’s Super Bowl championship game has recently filed for divorce from his wife. The couple has known each other since high school and attended college together, but married just two years ago after graduation. Shortly after their 2012 nuptials the then-college football player was signed to the Seahawks as a quarterback. As a new recruit his original four-year contract amount was rather low compared to other players in the same position on the team, but after this year’s excellent performance on the field many imagine that his renegotiation will be for a much larger amount.

This potential salary increase could have a big impact on the divorce process, since it is likely that the player’s soon-to-be ex-wife will ask for spousal support payments. Spousal support is typically calculated to help maintain the current lifestyle of both spouses, reallocating income to one or the other as needed to achieve that goal. Spousal support and child support payments are rarely altered after an initial agreement, but in some circumstances they may be changed. For example, a major increase or decrease in earnings may qualify as an opportunity to re-examine support payments.

In this case, it is unclear whether the two will come to an agreement based on current earnings or future projections, or whether they may delay coming to a final agreement until after a new contract is signed and the financial status of each of them has solidified.

Source: The Seattle Times, “Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, wife divorcing after 2 years,” Bob Condotta, April 23, 2014

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