On the football field, Michael Strahan was known for hitting quarterbacks on their blind side, the Daily Mail writes. But last weekend the gridiron star was the one who was blindsided when word leaked that he and his longtime fiancee, Nicole Murphy, were calling it quits a day before he was slated to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, TMZ reports.
Although the relationship had been on the rocks for some time, the Live! With Kelly and Michael host had not planned to announce the breakup before the big ceremony, reports say. A source told TMZ that Strahan’s friends believe that Murphy “or someone close to her was trying to sabotage one of the biggest milestones in his life,” the Daily Mail writes.
But Strahan, 42, didn’t let the timing break his stride. He cheerfully received his gold jacket Saturday during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees’ Dinner in Canton, Ohio.
The former New York Giants star began dating Murphy, who was previously married to Eddie Murphy, in 2007. He proposed two years later.
“They love each other very much, but with the distance and work schedule, it has been hard to maintain the relationship,” a representative for Strahan told People magazine on Friday.
Read more at the Daily Mail and TMZ.