American football coach Sean Payton has been married to his wife, Skylene Montgomery, since 2021. 

Payton and Montgomery first crossed their path at an NFL game in 2014. During that time, Payton was the head coach for the Saints while his now wife was a nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Their love story began when Montgomery questioned one of her friends on how to get tickets for that specific game, but instead of the ticket, her friend gave her the football player’s number.

Not long after they began talking online, they became a close friend and eventually began dating. After dating for seven years, Payton proposed to Montgomery on November 8, 2019, during a birthday party at the French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans. 

Sean Payton and Skylene Montgomery married in 2021. (Source: Wdsu)

The couple had planned to marry as soon as they were engaged, but due to the COVID-19  pandemic, they had to postpone their wedding. 

Later, Payton and Montgomery exchanged their vow in 2021 in the presence of close friends and family at One&Only Palmilla, a lavish resort located at Baja Peninsula by the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. 

Since their marriage, the couple has been happily together but have not revealed much about their personal life. The NFL coach has also decided not to post any pictures of them on social media, which shows that they prefer to keep their married life private. 

Sean Payton’s current wife, Skylene Montgomery, was a former beauty queen 

Montgomery started her career as a gastrointestinal nurse at Ochsner Medical Centre. Later, she worked as an assistant nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia. 

Likewise, Payton’s wife is actively involved in several humanitarian programs such as Katrina Relief, Br*ast Cancer Awareness, and Relay for Life. 

She has also volunteered with Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is committed to improving the lives of children and families in health, education, and social welfare.

Sean Payton’s second wife, Skylene Montgomery, held the title of Miss West Virginia. (Source: GulabigangOfficial)

In addition to her career in the medical field, Montgomery was crowned as Miss West Virginia in 2007. She also proudly represented her home state in the Miss USA 2008 pageant.

Moreover, Montgomery has a strong athletic background, as she was once a volleyball coach for the Bayou Sports Club’s volleyball team. 

Sean Payton was previously married to Beth Shuey

Payton and Shuey met for the first time in 1990 when Payton served as a running back and wide receivers coach while his former wife was a student at Indiana State University. 

Soon after their initial meeting, the duo embarked on a romantic relationship and eventually tied the knot on July 11, 1992. 

Since the day they got married, Shuey remained by her ex-husband’s side throughout his coaching career. The duo even relocated to Mandeville, Louisiana, when Payton became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Sean Payton and Beth Shuey divorced after two decades of marriage. (Source: Buzz Nigeria)

However, their life changed when the Bountygate scandal surfaced. After two decades of togetherness, the NFL coach and his first wife decided to part ways and filed for divorce at a Tarrant County, Texas, court in 2012.

The divorce filing cited “discord or conflict of personalities between Petitioner and Respondent that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.”

After more than a year of divorce proceedings, they officially separated in 2015. Payton then moved to Uptown, New Orleans, where he bought a condo. As mentioned earlier, he then married his second wife, Montgomery. 

On the other hand, Shuey also moved on and married James McGuire, a Raleigh NC realtor, specializing in golf course community homes, on September 20, 2020. 

Sean Payton shares two children with his first wife, Beth Shuey

Sean and Shuey welcomed their first child, Meghan Payton, in 1997, and after three years, they gave birth to their son Connor Paytons in 2000. 

Following in the footsteps of her father, Meghan pursued her career in the sports industry and worked as a Sports field reporter. Previously, she has also served as the sideline reporter for the Saints.

Likewise, Meghan’s popularity soared in the sports industry after she covered the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

As of now, the NFL coach’s daughter is happily married to her long-term boyfriend, Christopher Titone, who is a Home Team writer. On March 23, 2022, she took to Twitter to share the picture with her husband showing off her ring and beautifully captioned, “and then…forever.”

Meanwhile, Sean’s son Connor played football for the Liberty Christian Warriors during his high school. He also played basketball for the Black Bears club. 

However, he has yet to achieve his dream as a professional player in the NFL, but he aspires to work in an NFL front office. As of now, he has gained valuable experience working at the Saints training camp in the team’s scouting department.

When it comes to personal life, Connor prefers to keep his life private, and there is no information regarding his relationship status. 

Brief on Sean Payton’s athletic career 

Sean started his career as an offensive assistant for San Diego State University. He also served as an assistant coach on college and NFL teams before being the full-time coach of the Saints in 2006. 

As the coach of the Saints, he has achieved impressive points and yardage, which made him one of the top coaches in NFL history during his first 100 games. He also holds one of the second-longest tenures among active head coaches with a single NFL team.

With Sean’s years of hard work and dedication, he became successful in winning the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award. He also won the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history in 2009. 

After fifteen years of coaching career, Seans decided to retire in 2022. Recently, in January 2023, he was hired by the Denver Broncos.

Ken Stabler, the legendary NFL quarterback who was known for his remarkable career on the field, was married three times throughout his lifetime.

The late quarterback recently became a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, but sadly, he passed away before he could accept it.

The Hall of Fame then declined his family’s request to get his Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence after his induction. However, that rule was changed, and his daughter was finally presented with his Hall of Fame ring.

Ken Stabler was married thrice

Ken was married three times. He was married to Isabel Clarke from 1968 to 1973, to Debbie Fitzsimmons from 1975 to 1978, and to Rose Molly Burch from 1984 to 2009. 

Ken had a daughter with Clarke and two daughters with his third wife, Burch. However, not many details are known about his relationship with his three wives.

Ken Stabler. (Source: Instagram)

Ken was drafted in the second round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders and became one of the legendary quarterbacks. 

Moreover, he was also drafted to play baseball by the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Houston Astros during his early years.

Stabler had his ups and downs during his time with the Raiders, including a brief stay with the Spokane Shockers of the Continental Football League. However, he soon got his footing and made a name for himself.

Stabler’s career peaked in the mid-1970s when he was named the AFC Player of the Year award in 1974 and 1976 and also won the NFL passing title in 1976. 

His greatest accomplishment was leading the Raiders to their first Super Bowl triumph, a decisive victory against the Minnesota Vikings, in January 1977. 

Despite Stabler’s outstanding performance with the Raiders, his career took a turn when he was moved to the Houston Oilers in 1980. 

This marked a transition in his career, and eventually, he retired from professional football after a stint with the New Orleans Saints in 1984. 

Ken Stabler was a proud dad of three children

Ken was not only known for his accomplishments on the field but also for his pride as a father of three loving children. 

Kendra Stabler Moyes, his eldest daughter, whom he shared with Clarke, resides with her husband, Scott Moyes, and two sons, Jack and Justin, in Arizona. 

Alexa Stabler-Adams, middle daughter of Ken, was a successful attorney. She went to the prestigious University of Alabama School of Law. 

As a lawyer, she previously worked side by side with her husband, Hunter Adams, in their intellectual property firm, AdamsIP, in Mobile, Alabama.

However, after her father died, Alexa felt a lot of emotion, anger, and frustration and decided to channel those emotions into something positive. So, she decided to become an NFL agent.

In 2016, she decided to take the NFL Players Association test to become a certified agent. She passed, and less than a year later, she was representing six players for the NFL draft that year.

In 2017, she established her firm called Stabler Sports, a full-service agency that is devoted to helping athletes achieve their goals.

Ken Stabler’s third daughter, Marissa Leigh Stabler. (Source: Instagram)

Ken’s third daughter, Marissa Leigh Stabler, also graduated from the University of Alabama in 2011 Magna Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. 

She is currently a Vice President of Strategy and Planning at Mythic, according to her LinkedIn. She also works as a strategy director at Cheil North America. Alexa and Marissa are the daughters of Ken and his third wife, Burch.

Kendra Stabler Moyes accepted Ken Stabler’s Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence

Kendra, the daughter of the late Ken, accepted her father’s well-deserved Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence on a Sunday night, September 24, 2023. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, in collaboration with Kay Jewelers, the official provider of this prestigious honor, arranged a special halftime ceremony to pay tribute to Class of 2016 member Ken. 

Kendra Stabler accepts the Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence her father earned. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/pps8uAOt69

— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) September 25, 2023

Kendra, accompanied by her sons, wore the jersey of her father and grandfather, Ken. Fellow Raiders Hall of Famers, including Jim Otto and Fred Biletnikoff, were also present.

Mark Davis, the owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, stepped forward to present Kendra with the Ring of Excellence. 

She held the Ring of Excellence up in front of the camera to display this symbol of her father’s outstanding achievements and let everyone see it.

Ken Stabler died at 69 due to colon cancer

On July 8, 2015, Ken died at the age of 69 due to colon cancer. The news of his passing was initially met with confusion when a draft obituary for him surfaced in The Tuscaloosa News before official confirmation could be made. 

However, on July 9, 2015, his family later released a statement confirming the heartbreaking news that Ken had passed away.

After his death, his brain was donated to Boston University. Researchers found high Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Ken’s brain, which can be triggered by head injuries suffered in football. 

Professional athletes should be role models for future generations. During the early stages of their career, they learned a lot from their mentors. It helped them become selfless and humble despite having a luxurious lifestyle.

Their good deeds are also worthy of imitation, and their values are admirable. Younger people should look up to these pro athletes as good role models whether they are interested in sports or not.

From four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah to Serena Williams or Roger Federer, there are so many professional athletes to admire.

So, here in this article, let’s try to learn about the 8 best professional athlete role models who greatly impact society. 

Roger Federer 

If we talk about professional athlete role models, the first name that should be on this list is Roger Federer. He is known as one of the best tennis players worldwide. He is famous for winning 17 Grand Slam titles. In 2006, Roger was named a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF. 

Not to mention, he was also named Laurus Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years. Besides his dedication to sports, he has made a great contribution to charities, including helping the victims of the Haiti Earthquake and Hurricane Katrina. 

Tim Tebow

This man is the true definition of hard work, faith, and commitment. In spite of the hate he receives from some NFL fans, he continues to set an excellent example for others. Besides football, the other thing that we should admire is dedicating his life to helping others. He helps countless kids in Africa through his “Tim Tebow Foundation.” 

Serena Williams 

Undoubtedly, she is one of the most popular female role models globally. Serena is a true inspiration among women for her incredible performance in sports that made her 18th-time Grand Slam Champion in tennis. Besides tennis, she has also gained success as an actress, philanthropist, fashion mogul, and a part owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. 

Christiano Ronaldo 

If we search for athletes as role models, we can take the example of Christiano Ronaldo, a kind person who achieved great success in his football career. Although he is always portrayed as selfish in the media, that is far from the truth. 

He has contributed significantly to several charities, including donating money to build schools and paying hospital bills for cancer patients. He even refuses to tattoo his body as he wants to donate blood without the risk of any cross-contamination. 

John Cena 

This WWE superstar has been on a mission to transform lives since the initial stage of his career. He is famous among children for playing the role of a superhero and building confidence in kids whenever he appears on television. Besides spreading his positivity on television, he even visits kids and is famous for doing over 400 “Make-A-Wish” appearances for sick children.  

Clayton Kershaw

There are so many athletes as good role models, but Clayton Kershaw is the most famous among all for contributing most of his money to charity. This highest-paid baseball player and three-time Cy winner donates supplies and support to African orphans. And he also runs a foundation known as “Kershaq’s Challenge.” 

Russel Wilson

Maybe this athlete is infamous for his scrappy nature on the field, but he is a devoted Christian who believes in helping people. Whenever he encounters a regular person, he extends a helping hand and engages in gestures that induce feelings of love. Since becoming an NFL player, he has always visited local hospitals to help sick children. 

George St. Pierre

Like professional athletes who need a level of self-confidence to excel in their careers, sports bettors also require confidence in their decisions when wagering on events. However, just as athletes can cross the line into egoism, bettors have to avoid overconfidence and ensure their choices are well-informed.

George St. Pierre (GSP) is an excellent example in this regard. He demonstrates humility and respect in sports. This MMA fighter has no record of saying wrong things about his opponent and always represents professionalism. The young fighters also received great encouragement and motivation from him as he promoted drug-free training for little fights. 

Just as he refrains from saying wrong things about his opponents, responsible bettors avoid reckless gambling behavior that can lead to losses.

Discerning bettors in the UK use the recommendations from MightyTips, the arbiter of honesty and responsibility in betting.  Success in betting comes from a combination of confidence, respect, and ethical principles, ensuring a positive and rewarding experience for players.

Some other Professional athlete role models to remember

Besides the above list, there are some other positive role models in sports to remember. Let’s take a quick look at them.

Amy Purdy: She lost her leg due to meningitis, but with immense confidence, she started walking again. And she became famous all over the world as a professional snowboarder. She has a record of winning two medals during the 2018 Paralympic Games. 

Jimmie Johnson: This pro athlete has served many years in racing and has donated around 7 million to charities. 

Payton Manning: A very impressive sports personality with a Lombardi Trophy, a few MVPs, and dozens of endorsements. A total of over $6.5 million has been donated by Manning to at-risk youth throughout his career. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, there are so many athletes as good role models who have shown their exceptional abilities in sports and society. Their dedication, motivation, and values inspire both on and off the field. Their greatness is not only measured by the trophies or medals they achieve but also the positive change they try to bring into the world.