Larry Brown Sports

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Steele are married. Yes, already. According to the Leader-Telegram, Ponder and Steele were married on Monday afternoon in a courtroom in Wisconsin. St. Croix County Court Commissioner Stephen Dunlap did the honors.

Let’s track this thing. In mid-October, Ponder confirmed the rumors that were circulating about he and Steele dating. Before long, he was sarcastically thanking her for helping the Vikings win games. Earlier this month, Steele confirmed that the two were engaged. Roughly two weeks later, Ponder and Steele have already tied the knot.

Some people just prefer to get things done quickly and quietly. As expected, Ponder and Steele have heard all kinds of speculation about why they chose to get married so quickly and not have a big wedding. Steele sent a pretty funny tweet about it on Wednesday:

Twitter is so tricky. Who knew that “she’s pregnant” & “they’ll be divorced soon” are just the 2012 version of “congrats”! Thx guys! :)

— Samantha Steele (@Samantha_Steele) December 19, 2012

When you know what you want, you know what you want. If I got the chance to date Steele I’d probably try to seal the deal as quickly as possible, too.

H/T Deadspin

Minnesota Vikings fans who blame ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Steele for Christian Ponder’s dip in production this season are not going to be happy. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, Steele confirmed on Tuesday that she and Ponder are engaged.

Unless the two were dating for a long time and did a great job of keeping it a secret prior to Ponder confirming it a little over a month and ago, they moved rather quickly. If it seems like just yesterday that the Vikings quarterback was talking about how his girlfriend gives him something to brag about, that’s because it practically was.

Ponder and Steele reportedly met earlier this year on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay. After catching wind that fans were blaming his relationship with her for some of the Vikings’ misfortunes, Ponder sarcastically thanked her when Minnesota defeated the Lions. Considering he’s already given her a ring, it’s safe to say the former Florida State quarterback isn’t fazed by the opinions of others.

If Samantha Steele is one of the reasons the Minnesota Vikings lost two straight games prior to their win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, she must have had a hand in the victory as well. Since Christian Ponder admitted that he and Steele are dating, he has had to deal with questions about whether or not their relationship has been one of the reasons his play has slipped.

On Sunday, Ponder threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit and did not turn the ball over. He was sure to mention his lady after the 34-24 victory.

“I want to thank my girlfriend,” Ponder said according to the Star Tribune. “Because she obviously has such a big impact on how I play. Which allowed me to win. So thank you.”

While the questions about Steele affecting Ponder’s play weren’t a surprise, that doesn’t mean they are fair. Reporters always want to blame the new girlfriend if a player starts playing poorly, but people rarely credit a significant other for a good performance. For that reason, I can’t say I blame Ponder for cracking a joke instead of taking the high road.

H/T Game On!

If life is a competition, then Christian Ponder thinks he is winning.

The second-year quarterback has led the Vikings to a 4-2 record, and he also is doing well in the girlfriend department.

Ponder confirmed over Twitter that he is dating ESPN reporter Samantha Steele, whom he met on the set of ESPN College GameDay. He is pretty proud of himself for the nice pull.

“I’m proud of the relationship,” Ponder said, smiling, per 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. “I can brag. I’ve got bragging rights, I believe.”

The crowd around Ponder’s locker on Friday reportedly was much larger than usual.

Ponder is not only boasting about his relationship with Steele, but he is also defending himself against his teammates. 1500 ESPN’s Tom Pelissero says the Vikings offensive linemen have been calling Ponder “Mr. Steele,” and that tight end Kyle Rudolph joked that Steele wouldn’t be interested if Minnesota weren’t winning.

Maybe the team’s hot start played a role in Ponder appearing more desirable to Steele. We won’t hold it against them. Good luck to the new sports couple. And let’s see how well they start doing when the Vikings finish 7-9.

H/T Hot Clicks

We all know the quarterback always gets the girl, and now that Christian Ponder has become a successful NFL starter it appears he has joined the ranks. Recent rumors have indicated that Ponder is dating ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Steele, and Christian did us all a favor by confirming those rumors on his Twitter account Thursday afternoon.

When a follower asked if Ponder and Steele were dating, Ponder himself responded by saying that they are. He also followed it up with this gem:

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