Barry Sanders Files for Divorce of Wife, Lauren Sanders

NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders has filed for divorce of his wife Lauren Sanders after 11 years of marriage.

The former Detroit Lions running back filed for divorce last Friday in Oakland County Circuit Court, according to the Detroit Free Press. Sanders is seeking joint custody of the couple's three children and is reportedly willing to pay child support based on state guidelines.

Sanders, 43, who rushed for a career 15,269 yards, married his wife in November 2000 in Detroit. The Free Press reports that the couple has three boys aged 10, 8, and 4. He also has a son named Barry James Sanders from a previous relationship, who recently committed to Stanford to play football.

A breakdown in martial relations was listed as the reason for divorce on the petition.

Sanders retired from the NFL in 1999 and at the time was the second all-time leading rusher in NFL history.