Commander Country

'Dark Places': Washington Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien Sued By Ex, Citing Abuse

An unfortunate story of the former Super Bowl MVP.

Jeremy Brener

Former Washington quarterback Mark Rypien has been sued by his former partner of 18 years Danielle Wade on accounts of domestic violence and repeated threats.

Rypien and Wade were together for 18 years, but never married. In the lawsuit, Wade lists several physical and emotionally-abusive moments that took place during the pair's relationship.

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Mark Rypien
Manny Rubio/USA Today Sports

In 2018, Rypien spoke with KHQ-TV in his hometown of Spokane, Wa. about various mental health challenges he was facing at the time.

“I suffer from a complex stew of mental health conditions,” Rypien said. “Dark places, depression, anxiety, addictions, poor choices, poor decisions, brought about from dozens of concussions, and thousands of sub-concussive injuries from playing this sport.”

Rypien also shared that he made an attempt on his own life during the interview.

“I took 150 [Advil] pills and a bottle of booze,” Rypien said. “If it wasn’t for my wife coming home and finding me on the floor, and shoving hydrogen peroxide down my throat, and charcoal, to throw up all these pills, I wouldn’t be here today.”

His partner is now suing him for the emotional damage he caused during their relationship.

"It doesn't matter if someone is ill, they don't have the right to abuse someone," said Mary Schultz, Wade's attorney.

In 2019, Rypien was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, but the charges were ultimately dropped.

Rypien played quarterback for Washington from 1986-93, taking over for Doug Williams as the full-time starter in 1989. He would go on to lead Washington to victory in Super Bowl XXVI, earning MVP honors.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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