Samantha Steele And Christian Ponder Married: ESPN Reporter And Vikings QB Tie The Knot In Private Ceremony
Just two weeks after confirming their engagement, NFL star Christian Ponder and ESPN college football reporter Samantha Steele tied the knot in a private ceremony in Wisconsin.
Ponder, a second-year quarter back for the Minnesota Vikings, confirmed on Wednesday that the two were married at a courthouse in Wisconsin on Monday.
Why Wisconsin you ask? Ponder claims it was to throw pesky tabloids off his and his new bride’s trail.
“We tried to keep the attention away from us and went over to Wisconsin and had it done,” the 24-year-old athlete told reporters after the news got out Wednesday. “So it was quick but it was good.”
ESPN notes it’s the first marriage for both Ponder, 24, and Steele, 27.
As news of the wedding broke Tuesday morning, Steele tweeted a snarky response to all of the speculation about the pair’s quick courtship.
She wrote:
“Twitter is so tricky. Who knew that “she’s pregnant” & “they’ll be divorced soon” are just the 2012 version of “congrats”! Thx guys! :)”
As for living arrangements, the court documents show an Arizona address for Steele and a Minnesota one for Ponder.
As we reported earlier in the year, Ponder previously said his relationship with Steele was important, but it wasn’t a distraction” from his duties as quarterback for the Vikings.
He reiterated those feelings to reporters on Wednesday when asked how his newlywed status would affect his on-the-field performance.
“It hasn’t deterred from what I did with my routine every Monday and Tuesday,” Ponder said. “I was in here and got my film work in. And obviously, it was a big deal. But it wasn’t a distraction at all.”
Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings are currently 8-6 and tied for the final wild-card spot in the NFC with a tough matchup against the Houston Texans coming up Sunday.
