Dan Marino Admits to Fathering Child Out of Wedlock: 'I Take Full Responsibility'
Hall of Famer Dan Marino recently admitted to having a child outside of marriage. He and a former CBS Sports production assistant have a 7-year-old daughter, and Marino tried to keep the whole affair out of the media.
"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 told The New York Post in a statement.
Marino has been married to his wife, Claire, for more than 20 years and has six children. He had an affair with Donna Savattere, who then gave birth to daughter Chloe in 2005. Marino agreed to pay for Chloe's care and for Savattere to move to Texas.
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Sources maintain that Savattere and Marino continued meeting so that he could spend time with Chloe.
"They would have impromptu meetings, which was part of the deal. Donna was always saying she had to go meet with her lawyers to go over the scheduling and other issues," a source told The Post.
Savattere married Nahill Younis in 2009, and the couple has a child together. Chloe spends the majority of her time with her mother and stepfather, but now that news of the affair has been revealed, she may spend more time with Marino's family.
"My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together, and we continue to be a strong and loving family," Marino told The Post.
He played several years for the Miami Dolphins, making a name for himself and earning his way into the Hall of Fame. Marino is also a strong humanitarian who works with several organizations. Fans have been left stunned by the news of his affair and child.
"Hate to see the Dan Marino story, disappointing. I'm a big Marino fan. SMH," tweeted Steve Goldstein.
"Dan Marino had a love child with a co-worker at CBS? WOW! I don't get how people can cheat, especially after 20+ yrs of marriage," added David Browne.
Since retiring from the NFL, Marino has worked as a commentator and will participate in this weekend's Super Bowl.
