Former professional football player Herschel Walker was a college superstar at the University of Georgia before enjoying a lengthy career in the NFL.
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Walker was a household name during his heyday and especially after winning the 1982 Heisman Trophy. But, in addition to his career in American football, the former NFL Player was also a bobsledder, sprinter and mixed martial artist. Now, he's running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia ahead of the 2022 Midterm election, and he will undoubtedly be a big name to watch in GOP politics if he can rush his way to Washington.
For all the success Walker experienced, a lot of it needs to be credited to his ex-wife Cindy DeAngelis Grossman, who encouraged him and stood by his side throughout much of his football career. However, the football star is now married to a different woman who came under fire for reportedly voting in a different state.
Who is Herschel Walker's Wife Julie Blanchard?
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Herschel Walker is married to Julie Blanchard. They tied the knot this May, according to the Associated Press.
It's unclear when they first met, but they've been together for quite some time. A Playboy article by Steve Oney noted Julie was Herschel's fiancée in 2011, when they lived in a $2.5 million Dallas-area home at the time.
Julie, at that time, was a vice president at CBS Outdoor Advertising. It's unclear if she's still in that role.
She stood by his side despite voicing her concerns over his brief MMA career after football.
"We all feel scared," she told Playboy. "His family does not approve. He's done it. He's proved it."
Julie Reportedly Voted in Different State During 2020 Election
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Julie became a trending topic (in a bad way) for reportedly committing voter fraud during the 2020 Presidential Election.
She reportedly cast an absentee ballot in Georgia while living in Texas, as The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported. Questions surrounded her considering it's illegal in Georgia in most cases.
According to the AJC, Blanchard used her Atlanta address (she has a home near Buckhead) for the absentee ballot. However, she and Walker live in Texas, where they have a property tax homestead exemption — a tax break for homeowners of a primary residence.
She told the newspaper that she considers herself a Georgia resident, where she has a driver's license and does business, but hasn't voted in Georgia since 2008. She also doesn't have a homestead exemption on her Fulton County, Georgia, home, WTOC reported.
"If we're residents in both places, is that legally wrong?" Blanchard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If you have multiple homes, you can't vote where you have a home?"
The news also prompted many social media users to call out a tweet from Herschel Walker that criticized those who voted illegally. Voter fraud was a hot-button topic during (and after) the 2020 Presidential Election, and Walker is known to be a longtime friend and supporter of Donald Trump, who lost to Joe Biden. In fact, Julie and Herschel were invited to Donald Trump's box during Game 4 of the 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros.
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"Play by the rules.....the American people demand ONLY LEGAL BALLOTS be counted. Anyone manipulating this election should be prosecuted," Herschel Walker tweeted last year on November 4, 2020.
It's unclear if Julie will be prosecuted, but Yahoo! noted a 2020 press release from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that stated "consequences will be severe" for anyone those who "seek to interfere with democracy."
"False registration" could warrant 10 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines, the press release said.
Georgia state election officials launched an investigation into the matter in August 2021. As the Associated Press reported, Raffensperger's office opened the investigation on August 10.
However, after the investigation concluded, Julie was found to have committed no wrongdoing and the Election board voted unanimously to dismiss the case. While Julie considers herself a Georgia resident, she did say that she still spends time in the couple's Texas property, despite having a Georgia driver's license and other ties to the Peach State.
Who is Herschel Walker's Ex-Wife Cindy Grossman?
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Herschel Walker married college sweetheart Cindy DeAngelis Grossman in 1983. Herschel and Cindy met in a training room while they were being treated for injuries sustained while running track and field.
The pair had one son in 1999, Christian Walker. Christian, gifted with his parents' athletic abilities, pursued a career in professional cheerleading.
Unfortunately, after nearly 20 years of marriage, Grossman filed for divorce from Walker, due to his unstable mental health.
Walker's personal life was then put in the spotlight even more, as he was later diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personality disorder. The mental illness severely impacted Walker, and reportedly even resulted in him trying to kill both Grossman and himself on multiple occasions.
Walker has since received proper medical treatment for his disorder and even published a book titled "Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder."
No longer in a relationship with her ex-husband, Grossman, a Florida native, reportedly lives in Irving, Texas now, while Walker resides in Westlake, Texas, with Julie.
Herschel Walker's Football Career
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Herschel Walker, the son of Willis and Christine Walker, was a high school stud and college football running back sensation for the Georgia Bulldogs. He placed in the top-three in Heisman Trophy voting in all three of his NCAA seasons, and won the award in 1982.
Across three years in the SEC, the Wrightsville, Georgia native rushed for 49 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards en route to earning All-American and Maxwell Award honors.
Rather than play his senior year at Georgia, Walker opted to join the United States Football League, where he played for Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals.
Walker had openly stated he only wanted to join the National Football League if he could play in New York or Dallas. After a few years in the USFL, the league looked destined to fail, and the Dallas Cowboys drafted Walker in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.
Walker would spend four seasons with the Cowboys, making two Pro Bowls before joining the Minnesota Vikings. He spent three seasons with the Vikings before suiting up for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992.
After three years in Philly, Walker joined the New York Giants in 1995 for one season, and finished his NFL career back in Dallas in 1997.
Walker had an insane diet and workout routine, which included a daily dose of up to 1,500 push-ups.
In addition to his professional career in the NFL, Walker was a member of the United States' Olympic bobsled team.
Additionally, he was a professional MMA fighter who made his mixed martial arts debut in 2007 and participated in two professional fights, including defeating Greg Nagy in the Octagon in 2010.
Herschel Walker's Net Worth
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Herschel Walker and his ex-wife spent many years in the limelight due to his stature as a sports superstar. And with that spotlight came a plethora of endorsement deals.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Walker boasts an estimated net worth of $12 million.
This post was originally published on February 23, 2021, but has been updated.
