Sigh. Here we go again… yet another star couple getting ready to square off in court over custody rights of their young child. This time it’s Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback (and Nick Lachey’s BFF) Matt Leinart and his ex-girlfriend, University of Southern California basketball standout, Brynn Cameron.
In a previous blog I told you that the 24-year-old former Heisman trophy winner from USC and Cameron welcomed their son Cole into the world last fall. At the time of Cole’s birth the two were no longer romantically involved and what was left of their relationship fell under the radar.
Fast forward to last week when you have several major publications headlining Leinart and Cameron’s tumultuous battle over custody of their now 9-month-old son. This public battle over a very private matter began when Leinart was interviewed by a reporter and gushed about being a first time dad.
“It’s different. You’re forced to do all those little things. I love doing it, and I love being with him. I change diapers all the time. You never would think you had so much enjoyment, like kissing someone’s toes and feet – the little things. Like, that’s my little guy. I have a great time with him,” Leinart said.
Seems innocent enough, until you hear Cameron’s side of the story. (Yes, there are two sides to every story regardless of whether one gets more press coverage than the other.) Recently, the 21-year-old single mother opened up to a California newspaper reporter and said:
“It’s kind of hard for me as the mom, I’m with Cole probably 99.9 percent of the time – to open a magazine or read a newspaper article with Matt saying, ‘Oh, I love being a dad. I love changing diapers. I love doing this.’ I’m like, Wait, what?”
Cameron goes on to say she struggles with the fact that she is “doing all the work, but he [Leinart] gets all the credit.” What’s more, she says, Leinart is not in fact the hands-on dad he portrays himself as in the media. Cameron says Leinart ”comes and goes” from Cole’s life “whenever he wants.” She ended by telling the newspaper that Leinart, who has been linked to Paris Hilton (and is often seen partying with pal Lachey), has a different lifestyle than her own.
“He likes that Hollywood stuff and I don’t like that,” Cameron said. I should mention she prefaced it by saying that she was in no way “bad mouthing his lifestyle;” rather she wanted to make it clear that she prefers to raise her child “as normally as possible.”
Now, here’s where things get ugly.
After Cameron’s comments were made public Leinart called his peeps at PEOPLE Magazine and issued this response:
“Regardless of the allegations made, I have gone to great lengths to increase my custodial time with Cole,” he says. “This includes seeking intervention from the family law court. I don’t know if Cole’s mother is motivated by anger or by financial gain.”
Leinart is referring to the child support he voluntarily pays now ($6,000 a month). But, Leinart is in the midst of fulfilling a 6-year, $51 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals — and Cameron’s lawyer would like to see that amount increased to $30,000/month, which is about 4% of Matt’s income.
For his part, Leinart is asking the court to mandate that Cole travel to and from Arizona for visitations (currently, Leinart is reportedly jetting back and forth from Arizona to California to see his son). The couple is scheduled to be in court next month.
What do you think about this situation?
Related Articles:
The Nasty Hollywood Divorce And The Innocent Child Caught In The Middle
Kevin and Britney… Get Ready To RUMBLE!