Dan Marino Admits To Fathering Child Outside Marriage

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Here's another story for this bizarre Super Bowl week.

NFL Hall of Famer and CBS analyst Dan Marino had a child in 2005 with a CBS Sports production assistant, paying her "millions to keep quiet," the New York Post reported Thursday.

Marino, slated to work Sunday's Super Bowl pregame show, has been married to Claire Marino since 1985. He admitted to the baby-bearing affair in a written statement to the Post.

"This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then," Marino told the Post. "We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved."

"My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together," he added. "And we continue to be a strong and loving family."

Marino has visited his daughter, Chloe, the Post reported, adding the mother moved from New York to Texas "as part of the deal" and returned as a local "fixture on the social scene."

"He's been above board," WFAN co-host Boomer Esiason said of his "NFL Today" partner. "I didn't know anything about it until this morning, that's how quiet it's been at CBS for all these years. And I'm sure he's very embarrassed by it. ... It's unfortunate that they have to relive this again eight years later, and they have to relive it in such a public domain. But unfortunately for him, it's going to be a tough next couple days. He's my friend, I love him to death, he's a great guy, and he made a mistake."

It was the latest in a string of headlines to come out of New Orleans this week. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was accused of and vehemently denied using a substance on the NFL's banned list. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco apologized for his poor choice of words when responding to a question about cold-weather Super Bowls.

On the San Francisco side, 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver said he was sorry Wednesday and again Thursday for anti-gay remarks made during a Super Bowl media day interview with Artie Lange.

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