Although Olympic gold medallist Trinity Rodman is the daughter of a famed athlete, the American women’s soccer player disclosed that she did not communicate with her father, Dennis Rodman, for years.
In an interview with the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday, the 22-year-old ventured into what she called “new territory” by talking about her family.
A rising star in the soccer world, Trinity Rodman was crucial to the Washington Spirit’s championship victory in her rookie season and at the age of 18 became the youngest player drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League.
When she assisted the United States in winning its first gold medal in women’s soccer since the London 2012 Summer Olympics, she became an overnight sensation.
For sports fans, however, “Rodman” is not precisely a new term.
Alongside Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman won three of his five NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. The forward’s unusual style and outrageous actions helped him build a rebellious reputation at the height of his fame.
However, Trinity Rodman said that he was an absentee father who financially and emotionally deserted his family.
“I think in terms of the dad situation in terms of what I’ve filtered and what I’ve talked about I feel like me and my brother have been very generous with the way that we’ve talked about it and very unselfish,” she stated.
When NBC News reached out to Dennis Rodman for comment on Wednesday, he did not reply.
Dennis Rodman and Michelle Moyer were together when she and her older brother, DJ, were born, but they split up when Trinity Rodman was just a baby. The lengthy divorce lasted from 2004 until 2012. According to Trinity Rodman, her father hardly gave them enough money to cover their rent, and her mother had financial difficulties.
Moyer and her kids were homeless for a while.
“Imagine living in a car going to a rich school; it was the most weird thing,” she continued. “We were living in car, but then we could afford to stay in a motel for a little bit, so we were kind of back and forth.”
Dennis Rodman gave a tearful speech in 2011 when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, saying he himself never had a father. He seemingly expressed some contrition over being a bad husband and a bad father.
I have one regret, I wish I was a better father, he said.
During some periods, Trinity Rodman said she saw her father only three or four times a year, even though they both lived in the same city.
“Even now, I’m trying to be honest about it, and I’m still giving him sympathy,” she said. “Which is frustrating for me because in reality, I think he’s an extremely selfish human being. I think everything has always been about him.”
Trinity Rodman recalled bursting into angry tears during her NWSL quarterfinal match in 2021 when she realized her father who she hadn’t spoken to in months showed up unannounced. She said she cried her eyes out in the locker room during halftime before getting back on the field to win the game.
“The whistle blew and I was so mad,” she said. “Like you took this happy moment from me.”
The two spoke after the game in what she described as a pretty “wholesome” catch-up, with her father even saying he wanted to see her more, the soccer star said. But she didn’t see or talk to him until sometime in the last year.
Trinity Rodman posted to her Instagram about her complicated relationship with him after the game, adding in Wednesday’s podcast that she wanted to be positive and feel grateful that he showed up at all. That was offset, she said, by the months of silence that followed.
“I think after that was when I lost hope in ever getting him back, it was just going to be like, he’s popping in whenever he wants to be in a camera,” she said. “And even at that game, I don’t think that was for me. I think he wanted to have a good conscience and then be like, headline, Dennis Rodman showed up to his daughter’s game.”
She said hearing his voice is painful. The 22-year-old added that she will answer when he phones, but that the “random” calls are awful for her.
“He’s not a dad,” Trinity Rodman said. “Maybe by blood but nothing else.”
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