Colorado football fans probably don’t care to be reminded of the 2014 Super Bowl, when the Denver Broncos were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks and their young quarterback, Russell Wilson. But this year has not been one of unalloyed happiness for Wilson. The Seahawks recently announced that Wilson has filed for divorce from his wife.
The high-profile couple met in high school and were married in 2012. They both attended the University of North Carolina, although Wilson transferred to Wisconsin to finish his college career.
Wilson clearly has a bright – and potentially lucrative – career ahead of him in the NFL. When high-earning individuals divorce, the asset division can be complex and sometimes acrimonious. In Colorado, property has to be categorized as marital or separate property. The marital property must be valued and then divided equitably between the parties. If they are unable or unwilling to reach an agreement, the court will make the division for them.
News reports do not indicate whether Wilson and his wife have a prenuptial agreement. Such an agreement can save the parties a lot of headaches and a lot of money in the event of a divorce. The spouse with the higher income can protect some assets, and the other spouse can negotiate a fair deal in the property division and possibly for some spousal support. The best thing about prenuptial agreements is they are negotiated while the parties are still getting along. In that way, money each spouse would spend litigating property disputes at the time of divorce is available to be divided between them as part of the property settlement.
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson filing for divorce,” Stephen Cohen, April 23, 2014
