NFL great Dan Marino has admitted to fathering a love child with CBS Sports employee Donna Savattere. Here’s what you should know about the scandal.
1. The Mother Worked Under Him at CBS
The love-child’s mother, Donna Savattere, was a 35-year-old CBS Sports production assistant — his underling — when Marino impregnated her in 2004. Marino, now 51, began work as a CBS analyst in 2003 and still works for the network.
2. Marino Paid Millions to Shut Her Up
Donna Savattere.
The New York Post reports Marino paid Savattere “millions to keep quiet,” according to the tabloid’s sources.
3. She Used the Cash to Live a High-Society Life
Donna Savattere became a well-known player in the Hamptons social scene.
As part of the arrangement, Savattere moved to Texas. But she moved back to New York and, with the settlement making her a registered member of the 1 Percent, became a prominent socialite in the posh Hamptons. She spent the rest of her time on the elite Upper West Side.
4. The Child is Named Chloe
Donna Savattere and love child Chloe.
The love child, a girl named Chloe, was born in June 2005 and is now 7 years old. Savattere appears to be a loving mother. The baby was born two months before Marino was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
5. Marino Admitted the Affair Yesterday
In a statement to the Post, Marino said:
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.
6. Marino is Married with 6 Kids (Plus the Love Child)
Dan Marino and wife Claire, back in the day, in a photo shared by one of his sons on Twitter.
Marino has six children with his wife, Claire — four sons and two adopted daughters. He had all six kids at the time of the affair. Marino and Claire celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, just as the scandalous news was about to break.
7. Donna is Married
Donna Savattere, husband Nahill Younis and the love child. (Patrick McMullen photo.)
Savattere married Nahill Younis in a fairytale wedding featured on thehamptonsweddings.com after meeting him in the Bahamas. The Post found records showing she “petitioned to change the name of her and Marino’s daughter from Chloe Alexis Savattere to Chloe Alexis Younis.” She was previously married to a New Jersey state trooper.
8. Marino is Scheduled to Broadcast the Super Bowl Pregame Show
Marino is set to co-host Super Bowl Today, the CBS Super Bowl pre-game show, with Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe, Bill Cowher and James Brown. Will their banter now surround Dan’s inability to keep his pants zipped? Stay tuned.
9. Marino Previously Had a Squeaky Clean Image … Right?
The football great is known as one of the sport’s good guys — a husband, father and philanthropist who heads up the Dan Marino Foundation for Autism Research. Then again, there was the time he got caught on television staring at a hot model’s cleavage — not that we can blame him, but could be a secret horndog:
Dan Marino got caught staring at Victoria’s Secret model Lily Aldridge, who was guest-starring as the “prognosticator” The NFL Today in November 2011.
10. Marino May be the Greatest Passer in the History of the NFL
Marino is regarded by many as the greatest passer in the game. The Miami Dolphins legend threw 420 touchdown passes and threw for 61,361 passing yards. He completed 4,967 completions with a completion percentage of 59.4 percent. He played in nine Pro Bowls. Marino was drafted 27th in the 1983 draft and played for the Dolphins until 1999.