Six months after getting married, Bob Whitfield hit pay dirt when the Atlanta Falcons gave him a then-franchise record $8 million signing bonus. His marriage lasted only a few more years.
Sheree Whitfield, who once declared she was "among Atlanta's wealthy elite," is fighting the divorce judgment. The Whitfields' dispute is summarized below, as part of an occasional look at local court cases.
SHEREE WHITFIELD
Star on the reality TV show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" who has said she hopes to have her clothing line, She, ready in the fall.
BOB WHITFIELD
Retired 320-pound offensive lineman who earned millions during his NFL career, including 12 years with the Atlanta Falcons, who now owns a "world-class" recording studio.
THE RELATIONSHIP
When they met: In late 1994 at Rupert's, a Buckhead club.
Married: June 10, 2000, on Grand Cayman Island; he bought her a $50,000 wedding ring. They separated three years later.
Divorce: Filed by her on March 9, 2005, on grounds he was unfaithful and mentally abusive.
Final judgment: Issued Oct. 3, 2007, after a bench trial by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland.
WHAT SHE GOT
• Primary custody of their two children
• $2,142 a month in child support
• Two cash payments totaling $775,000
• $250,000 share of his NFL Player 401(k) plan
• Shares of three other NFL retirement plans
• 2006 Range Rover Sport
WHAT HE GOT
• Secondary custody of the children
• The $2.4 million, 5,900-square-foot family home in Sandy Springs (left), one house in Duluth and houses in California.
• Patchwerk recording studio in Atlanta (with an $850,000 analog recording console)
• 2003 Lincoln Navigator, 2007 S550 Mercedes
HER CLAIMS
She should be awarded alimony because of her lack of education and her inability to earn enough income to find affordable housing in the same school district where their children's friends and classmates live.
HIS CLAIMS
The "gravy train" — the lucrative paychecks from his multimillion-dollar NFL career — has ended, and even though their marriage lasted only a few years, she got 48 percent of the marital estate.
THE LATEST
Sheree Whitfield is appealing Westmoreland's judgment, saying she deserves alimony. Attorneys for both parties will argue the case before the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday.
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Sources: Trial transcript from Fulton County Superior Court, Georgia Supreme Court records
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