Carson Palmer and wife Shaelyn in March 2015. (Getty)
From No. 1 pick to potentially career-ending knee injury, to back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, to torn ligament in his elbow, to near retirement, to trade to Oakland, to career-revival in Arizona, to another potentially career-ending injury, to MVP-caliber 2015 campaign, Carson Palmer‘s NFL career has been a long and winding road.
And by his side the entire way has been his wife, Shaelyn (née Fernandes).
Carson and Shaelyn met during freshman orientation at USC. He would go on to win a Heisman trophy and set a handful of school records. She would go on to become the starting goalkeeper for the Trojans soccer team.
She was by his side when he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, and they were married that July, meaning she has been his wife for his entire 13-year NFL career.
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But she’s more than just a supportive wife. She’s also a mother who helps instill positive values in her children.
The Palmers have three children together: seven-year-old twins Fletch and Elle, born January 20, 2009, and five-year-old Bries, born January 24, 2011.
In a recent commercial with Dove, Palmer gave an inside look at his family, explaining that his wife came up with an idea for their kids to create care packages for those who are less fortunate than them:
February 7, 2016, the date of Super Bowl 50, may just be an important day in Carson and Shaelyn’s lives no matter the outcome of Sunday’s NFC championship. It’s also the day she is due with the couple’s fourth child.
That’s a potentially difficult situation for both parents, who may not be able to be together for important events in each other’s lives, but as we’ve seen plenty of times already, they have no problem clearing any obstacle thrown at them. Either on the field or off.