They say that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family! And while many NFL players have fame and fortune that insulate them from some of life’s challenges, they are just as vulnerable as we commonly are when it comes to this very human truth.
In fact, they might even be more susceptible, considering that the windfall of money and the spotlight that accompanies their talent can, at times, bring out the worst in their kin.
Over the years, we have seen quite a few players endure the trials and tribulations of crazy family members… Some that are well-intentioned… and others, unfortunately, not so much.
Let’s take a look back and call out 10 players who have the craziest family—perhaps even a few that you haven’t heard about yet!
Do you know any of these crazy family stories from these NFL players?
Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa is one of the most well-liked players in the NFL. He is exceptionally humble and appears kind to everyone he meets, but underneath the surface, he had more than his fair share of craziness with his family, particularly his father, as a result of his extremely traditional Samoan upbringing.
Tua explained in a College Gameday Segment just how strict a disciplinarian his father was when it came to both school and sports.
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When Tom Rinaldi followed up for clarification on what exactly he meant, the Alabama quarterback said the “belt was involved” when he threw an interception or failed to get a certain grade.
This one definitely comes down to cultural differences… but a large portion of America was jarred by how flippantly his parents spoke about it on National television.
“Two things in a Tagovailoa is your faith and your discipline. It’s simple,” his father, Gula, said, laughing.
“He means the Bible and the belt. You gotta work, son. You gotta do better. The evaluation from dad is the most honest,” his mother, Diane, added.
The feature also sheds light on how his father forced him to become a lefty despite him being naturally right-handed and Gula forcing Tua to Alabama, regardless of where the young man actually playing football on the field wanted to go… In the Tagovailoa family, Gula always had the final say.
Kurt Warner
Anyone who tuned in to the 2021 biopic, “American Underdog,” has an inkling of the tight-knit relationship that long-time NFL great Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda Warner, have.
The two went through a ton of ups and downs together, as they met while Kurt was still in college at the University of Northern Iowa, toiling away on the bench, and Brenda, who was 25 at the time, was a newly divorced single mom and trying to make a living for her family while she put herself through nursing school.
And while Kurt eventually did the unthinkable and launched an NFL career, she too completed her goal of becoming a registered nurse, which, is quite relevant to the anecdote we have to share about her, at times, eccentric antics.
Back in 2002, surprisingly not long after the Rams phase as “the Greatest Show on Turf,” the franchise was starting to have a little rift with its star quarterback—a rift which came to a head in December of that year when she called into a local radio show—in part to defend her husband, but also, to air the dirty laundry that was piling up between the two sides.
The call came in response to a suggestion that perhaps Kurt Warner had violated a trust with Martz by holding out on the injury, which has been replayed endlessly here.
But Brenda was sure to set the record straight.
Martz had nothing to do with it,” Brenda Warner said. “All week long, I said, ‘Kurt, I’m a nurse, you should go get it X-rayed.’ The doctors never once said he should get an X-ray. (They) said, ‘No, it’s only bruised.”’
Of course, this didn’t go over very well with the team… or Warner, who had no comment on the issue other than that they know how they were “going to handle it,” for that matter… But that didn’t stop Brenda from continuing to make public comments the following year stating they the couple was essentially hoping for a trade after Warner had lost his starting job to Marc Bulger.
Considering the two are still married today, one has to think that the dynamic works between the two of them, but you can’t deny that she is a little—shall we say out there?!
Patrick Mahomes
While everyone knows about Patrick Mahomes’s outspoken wife and his, erm, somewhat problematic brother… The buck doesn’t stop there when it comes to his family, as his father, former professional baseball player Patrick Mahomes Sr., has also been a lightning rod of attention—and not in the best way.
Sr. didn’t run into many issues during his 10-plus year pro career, but he’s hit a bit of a rough patch in retirement… particularly in recent years. He made headlines in February 2024 when he was arrested on DWI charges for the sixth time, which resulted in a guilty plea to felony DWI in August of the same year.
The negative attention has also shed some light on the marital issues that he had leading up to his divorce from Randi, Mahomes’s mom, back in ‘06.
He’s not quite as loud as some of the other family members—or the other entries on this list, but he has managed to earn a dubious shoutout nonetheless!
Christian McCaffrey
There are definitely perks to growing up with a pro football player as a father—even beyond the genetic advantage… Christian McCaffrey had a lot of advantages growing up, access to the best training, nutrition, all of that…Considering what an unbelievable football player he has turned into, it is hard to criticize his father, Ed.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t call a spade a spade and say that it is a little bit crazy how invested he was in Christian’s athletic exploits from a young age.
He reportedly took him out of school on game days to get IVs, trained him not to squint because it “wasted energy,” and wouldn’t let him wear jeans to school because they were “too heavy on the legs.”
I kind of get the IVs… but the latter two signal some craziness—even if it is well-intentioned—and make the prohibition of soda and 7:30 bedtime look like run-of-the-mill parenting.
Keep in mind—while this obviously worked out for Christian, hindsight is 20 / 20 – and there are 10s of thousands of psychotic sports parents out there implementing the same stringent kind of policies for children that don’t have a hope of sniffing the NFL!
Michael Oher
There was a time when Michael Oher’s adoptive family, the Tuohys, made famous by the critically acclaimed biopic, “The Blindside,” were heralded among the true saints of NFL families.
Unfortunately, Oher has since made it known that the story shown on the silver screen wasn’t exactly how it all went down—and that his relationship with the Tuohys was far darker than any of its viewers would’ve ever imagined.
According to the 26-page petition filed by Oher’s attorneys, Tuohys tricked Mr Oher into making them his conservators shortly after he turned 18.
“Where other parents of Michael’s classmates saw Michael simply as a nice kid in need, [the Tuohys] saw something else: a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit,” the document alleges.
This means they lied to the disadvantaged young man about the nature of a “conservatorship” and that while Oher initially thought he was being adopted into the family, in reality, there were no familial ties but, rather, a financially exploitive arrangement.
This all came to light after the commercial success of the movie, when according to the court filing, a heartbroken Oher discovered the Tuohys negotiated a contract of $225,000 in addition to 2.5% of the film’s net proceeds for themselves and their biological children, while he “received nothing”.
To make matters worse, the film also continually diminishes his mental capacities, which Oher famously and understandably resented.
It is hard to have a crazier family than that..!
Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson’s NFL career got off to a rocky start with the New York Jets, but it wasn’t just his on-field struggles making headlines. No, his mom, Lisa Wilson, somehow managed to draw as much attention as her son. Lisa became a lightning rod for controversy, thanks to her highly vocal presence on social media.
Plus, there was the whole romantic entanglement he allegedly had with one of her friends… but that’s a whole other story.
Anyway… From day one, she fiercely defended Zach, often clashing with fans and critics who dared to question his abilities…
However, things really escalated when Lisa’s personal posts started trending for all the wrong reasons. Whether she was making eyebrow-raising comments about politics, sharing conspiracy theories, or engaging in heated exchanges with random followers, it became clear that Zach’s rookie year wasn’t the only thing under a microscope.
Jets fans, already frustrated with Zach’s performance, didn’t appreciate Lisa adding fuel to the fire. Her antics reached a point where Zach himself reportedly asked her to tone it down. She eventually announced she’d be “taking a step back” from social media. Did it last? Of course not. Crazy never stays quiet for long.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady may be the NFL’s golden boy, but even he isn’t immune to family drama. His father, Tom Brady Sr., has never been shy about speaking his mind—especially when it comes to Bill Belichick. For years, Brady Sr. has taken shots at Belichick’s coaching style and personality, painting the legendary Patriots coach as a tyrant who let his ego get in the way.
In one interview, Brady Sr. described Belichick as “a great, great, great coach… but his interpersonal skills are horrible.” He didn’t stop there, claiming, “Belichick runs a military system,” and suggesting that his ego caused tension in his relationship with Tom. While Brady Sr. may have been defending his son, the timing of these comments—right as Brady was leaving New England—only added fuel to the rumors of a rift between the QB and his longtime coach.
The irony? Tom himself has mostly stayed above the fray, often praising Belichick publicly. But if you ever wanted proof that even the GOAT’s family isn’t perfect, look no further than Brady Sr., who seemingly has no filter when it comes to Bill.
One has to wonder how much of a role he played behind the scenes in sowing the seeds of the dissent that ultimately resulted in Brady’s surprising departure from New England at the end of his NFL career.
Cam Newton
Cam Newton’s incredible college career at Auburn didn’t come without controversy—and a lot of it stemmed from his father, Cecil Newton Sr. Cecil found himself at the center of a pay-to-play scandal that nearly derailed Cam’s Heisman-winning season.
The story goes that Cecil reportedly demanded $180,000 from Mississippi State in exchange for Cam’s commitment to the school. When the allegations came to light, they sent shockwaves through the college football world.
Obviously, this would be a nothing story in today’s world of NIL, so I guess credit to Cecil for being ahead of the curve.
But still… he seemed like the kind of parent who never hesitated to make it about himself—and apparently was a helicopter parent in every sense of the expression during Newton’s childhood and beyond.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers’ strained relationship with his family is one of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets, but the juicy details never cease to amaze. According to a recent biography, Rodgers’ parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, placed the blame for their family rift squarely on one person: Aaron’s then-girlfriend, actress Olivia Munn.
The Rodgers family reportedly had major issues with Munn’s lifestyle choices, particularly Darla, a devout Christian, who was horrified to learn that Munn and Aaron were gasps having sex before marriage.
While Aaron has kept most of the drama private, his family hasn’t been so reserved. The feud got so bad that Aaron cut off contact with his parents for nearly a decade. Whether Munn was the real reason or just a scapegoat, one thing’s for sure: family dinners at the Rodgers household must be really awkward—if they ever happen these days.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. is no stranger to drama, but after seeing how his dad, Odell Beckham Sr., behaved on social media, it is clear where he got it from.
His pops first really became visible during his son’s rocky tenure with the Cleveland Browns.
In 2021, OBJ Sr. posted a now-infamous video on Instagram, highlighting every time Baker Mayfield failed to throw the ball to his son when he was wide open.
If that wasn’t petty enough, OBJ Sr. doubled down in the comments, agreeing with a post that claimed Mayfield was either “hating on Odell” or intentionally sabotaging him. The video went viral, turning what was already a bad situation into a full-blown circus.
Obviously, the situation in Cleveland wasn’t great, but the fallout was still something to behold—the Browns ultimately had their hands forced into releasing OBJ.
Considering Beckham Jr. landed in L.A. with the Rams, where he won a Super Bowl, I guess all well that ends well, but still, some serious craziness was brewing in the Beckham household.
