When former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones struggled with inner turmoil after engaging in extramarital affair
In an August 2008 GQ interview with Nathaniel Penn, Atlanta Braves legend and HOFer Chipper Jones opened up about his struggle with inner turmoil after engaging in an extramarital affair in the late 1990s.
In 1998, Jones confessed to his ex-wife, Karin Fulford, about his 18-month-long extramarital affair with a Hooters waitress and how he had impregnated the woman, who later gave birth to the love child, a son named Matthew.
Before admitting to Fulford, Jones faced a constant sense of guilt, especially, when he witnessed Braves fans revering him like a god.
“I’d gone through a period before all this where I would come to the park, and I would see the signs—Chipper’s awesome; Chipper for president; blah blah blah—and I’m like, ‘If these people knew what I had done, would they feel the same way?’ I didn’t want to be a hypocrite anymore," Jones said recalling the rought patch of his life.
Deep down, Jones didn't want to be an imposter anymore and spilled the beans to his now estranged wife.
After knowing the truth, Fulford was understandably deeply hurt. The pair tried to mend their differences and make their marriage work but eventually divorced in 2000.
Jones subsequently legally acknowledged his love child. The HOFer has since married two more times.
Chipper Jones used denial as defense mechanism after his scandalous affair was out in public
In the same 2008 GQ interview with Nathaniel Penn, former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones admitted to not dealing with the intense attention he received from the media surrounding his personal life 25 years ago.
He instead lived in denial, elaborating:
“The only way I could get away from what was being said in the media was to shut everybody out. I would get to the park at one o’clock and would do nothing but watch film and hit—and before you know it, that’s ten, eleven hours of the day in which you don’t have to think about what’s going wrong in your personal life.
"And then you go home and sleep, wake up, and start it all over again. You can call it denial, but it was the best remedy for me, because I’m a guy who’s very sensitive about what people think about me.”
Interestingly, Chipper Jones' off-field chaos didn't hamper his on-field performances with the Braves.
In 1999, Jones won the National League MVP award. He went on to win the Silver Slugger Award (1999, 2000). After his retirement, the Braves retired his jersey number. Jones was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 with a 97.2% vote.