When Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones' scandalous affair with a waitress put his personal life in jeopardy
In an April 2017 interview with GQ, Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones spoke about how his scandalous affair with a Hooters waitress jeopardized his personal life.
Jones was married to Karin Fulford when he came clean to his ex-wife about having a 18-month extramarital affair with a Hooters waitress. Chipper broke the news to Fulford when the girl with whom he had a fling ended up getting pregnant, which produced a son, Matthew, born in 1998. Once the explosive news became public, Jones' infidelity took a toll on his personal life.
Opening up to sportswriter Lang Whitaker, Chipper narrated:
"You know, 1997 and ‘98 really taught me how to compartmentalize. I didn’t live a very peaceful life during the daytime."
He added how playing baseball was his only therapy to escape the pff-field ongoings.
"From about 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon until midnight, I forgot about all that. I was almost as if baseball was therapy for me. It gave me 10 hours to get away from everything that was going on off field, and I could really concentrate on the on-field stuff. 1999 was just a crazy year."
Chipper Jones and Karin Fulford tried to keep their marriage but ended up getting divorced in January 2000.
"It was all just starting to end. My divorce was final in January of 2000, but we were kind of on the downhill side of things. Everything had basically been talked about and figured out. It was just a matter of dotting i’s and crossing t’s," said Jones in the GQ interview.
Chipper Jones on the couch in the clubhouse before a game, 1993 https://t.co/gpQCImy6Hf
After getting drafted by Atlanta Braves in 1990, Chipper made his MLB debut on September 11, 1993 as the league's youngest player. For the next decade, Jones stayed in Atlanta and dedicated his entire MLB career to the team. Currently, he's serving as the Braves' assistant hitting consultant since 2021.
Chipper Jones' ex-wife, Karin Fulford, congratulated him on his HOF induction
In 2018, when Braves' Chipper Jones was inducted into the Hall of Fame, his ex-wife, Karin congratulated him in a long Facebook post.
"From my heart, I want to congratulate Chipper for making it into the Hall of Fame. He was an incredibly talented, passionate ball player. We had quite a ride together from the years in the minor leagues through injuries, the strike, the highs and lows, the best World Series ever … and all the rest," wrote Karin expressing her subdued feelings straight from the heart.
She also described how, after learning of her ex-husband's affair, she sank into a severe depression. Fulford was devastated to learn that other women were carrying Chipper's baby while she battled to conceive.