Football great turned US Senate candidate Herschel Walker has reportedly confirmed that he has fathered multiple children, apparently each with different women, in addition to his one publicly known adult son, Christian.
On Wednesday the Daily Beast first reported that Walker had fathered a 10-year-old son out of wedlock.
By Wednesday evening, Walker confirmed in a statement to the outlet that he had yet another child who was previously unreported, this one a 13-year-old boy, as well as an adult daughter he fathered when he was about 20 years old.
The revelations come amid a heated race for one of Georgia's US Senate seats, currently occupied by incumbent Raphael Warnock, a Democrat.
In his statement to the Daily Beast, the Georgia Bulldogs legend denied that his children were "undisclosed." He supplied the outlet with a form that was filled out when he was appointed to a health and fitness council by President Trump in 2018 which listed all four of his children
"I have four children," the statement said. "Three sons and a daughter. They're not 'undisclosed' -- they're my kids. I support them all and love them all. I've never denied my children, I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President's council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign. What parent would want their child involved in garbage, gutter politics like this?"
But in a statement released earlier on Wednesday in response to reports about the 10-year-old child, Walker's campaign referred multiple times to him having just one child out of wedlock, the report said.
Walker's claim that he supports all of his children also appears to be questionable. The mother of the 10-year-old boy took Walker to court in 2013 for a paternity declaration and child support, according to the report, and a source close to the family told the outlet that the football legend doesn't see the child, though he sends birthday and Christmas gifts.
The revelation of the additional children "belies a deep hypocrisy" regarding parenting, the Daily Beast article said:
Walker has made a point over the years to criticize absentee fathers, beseeching parents in multiple addresses to "hug your child."
He specifically singles out the Black community. As recently as 2020, he said "you can leave the wife, but don't leave your child," a sentiment he had previously shared in a separate interview.
Walker has also called on the Black community to prioritize the burden over other social causes, such as Black Lives Matter.
The apparent lie by omission wouldn't be the first time Walker has been caught in a fib during the campaign. Earlier this year it was reported he had lied about his academic record at the University of Georgia multiple times over the years during motivational speeches and campaign appearances.
The two-time All-Pro has been a presence in conservative politics for at least several years prior to the his bid for US Senate. In August 2020 he endorsed Trump for reelection during a speaking appearance at the Republican National Convention.
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