NY: In a New York Post exclusive, former Dolphins QB and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino admitted to fathering a child in an extramarital affair with then-CBS Sports colleague Donna Savattere. The two had a daughter Chloe in June 2005, and Marino reportedly paid Savattere millions to help suport Chloe and move them to Texas.
Marino has been married to his wife Claire for more than two decades; they have six children together. Marino's statement to the Post was written on the couple's 28th wedding anniversary.
A CBS spokeswoman told the Palm Beach Post that "Dan has said all there is to say on this matter, and will be in his usual role on our broadcast Super Bowl Sunday."
In April 2012, Marino became AARP's "Men's Life Ambassador" telling the Huffington Post "Fifty is only a number. It's really about your attitude, either before or after. It's really about what you want to do with your life going forward."
Last weekend, Marino hosted the Autism Walk at Sun Life Stadium. He also has a developmental center in Weston, FL which works with 6,000 autistic children a month.
Five Things To Know About Donna Savattere:
1. Donna was a production assistant at CBS Sports in their Manhattan studio in 2005 (the time of her affair with Dan).
2. Donna lives in New York, New York. She and her family dividing their time between the Hamptons and Manhattan.
3. Donna has two children: Chloe, 7, whom she conceived with Dan Marino, and another child with current husband, Nahil Younis.
4. Donna and Nahil had an orange-themed wedding in Sagaponack, New York in 2009. They met at a New Year’s Eve party in the Bahamas.
5. Donna was paid millions to relocate across the country. She moved to Texas, but now resides in NYC.
Dan Marino Fesses Up To His Affair With Donna Savattere & The Baby They Conceived Together
Dan, 51, confirmed the affair on Jan. 30, saying in a statement: “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.”
“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together,” he wrote on Jan. 30, his 28th wedding anniversary. “And we continue to be a strong and loving family,” Dan continued in his statement.
Dan and Claire have six children together.Dan’s Children Support Him
Dan’s children are very vocal about what a great father he is. His son Michael, 24, is autistic, and Dan has established a charity called the DanMarino Foundation that holds an annual awareness day called Walkabout Autism. It has been running for twenty years, and his son Michael spoke about how supportive he is.
“He is just a very kind person, a very good father and he cares a lot about his kids,” said Michael to CBS Local. “Because of (his) support and that push, I am able to be who I am today and be able to speak well, which I had a real problem with when I was younger,” recalled Marino. ”I found myself when I was younger pointing at a lot of things.”
His son Joseph, 23, plays a lot of golf with his father. He posted a telling tweet on Dec. 25 2011, when he said “Spent my Christmas at the beach with my dad @DanMarino.” It is interesting that he did not mention any other family members or his mom — were Dan and Claire separated at this time?
Other notable sports stars who have had affairs in the past involve Tiger Woods and Tiki Barber.
