David Beckham Dragged Into Tom Cruise And Katie Holmes Divorce Scandal: The Gay Rumors Persist

The latest rumor surrounding Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' divorce is the most outrageous yet: According to reports based on an online blind gossip item, it wasn't just Scientology that factored into the couple's split, but Cruise's alleged affair with British football star David Beckham.

BlindGossip.com claims that the actor and the soccer star/underwear model were caught in bed together. Though the story may very well be completely unsubstantiated, Cruise and Beckham's close friendship (and the very persistent speculation that Cruise is gay) has helped the rumor gain some traction.

The pair has enjoyed a public bromance since meeting in 2003. Their friendship is detailed in the 2009 Beckham biography The Beckham Experiment, by Grant Wahl, which maintains that Cruise has influenced some of the athlete's biggest decisions. Beckham allegedly moved from the U.K. to Los Angeles at Cruise's urging. Furthermore, he and his wife, Victoria Beckham, purchased a home close to the mansion Cruise shared with Holmes. Perhaps most intriguing is that the AC Milan team member decided to name his son Cruz after the iconic actor.

I must admit, when [Victoria and I] met Tom, I remember turning around to Victoria and saying, 'Cruise is a great name, but we could spell it different,' Beckham told Wahl.

The pair have often been photographed together without their wives, and over the years, Tom has vocalized his affection for Beckham on numerous occasions. He has even expressed a desire to work with him on a film.

I'd love to do action movies with Beckham. He would be great, he could kick ass, he told The Mirror while promoting Mission Impossible 4. David would have to teach me to play soccer first.

Beckham has likewise flattered Cruise, referring to him as one of the most handsome men I've ever met in an interview with George Lopez.

While none of this comes anywhere close to acting as evidence for a secret homosexual relationship, some are convinced that the Hollywood friendship is a little too close for comfort (or at least the comfort of their respective wives.)

Cheeky gossip columnist Perez Hilton has dubbed the relationship unsettling, citing Cruise's apparent influence over the handsome athlete. Articles like Celeb Bitchy's Tom Cruise & David Beckham Flirt As Posh (Victoria Beckham) Fumes & Sulks suggest the A-list friendship is more than platonic.

Of course, Cruise is no stranger to rumors surrounding his sexuality. His 10-year marriage to Nicole Kidman and his subsequent union with Holmes has long been rumored to have been the result of contractual agreements, manufactured at least in part as a cover for the actor's alleged homosexuality. Beckham, on the other hand, is perceived as a happily married heterosexual man, and has never been romantically linked to a man (save this particular rumor.)

On Thursday, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise after five years of marriage and is seeking sole custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Suri. Cruise was reportedly blindsided by the split, which is widely believed to have been prompted by Katie's concerns that Suri would be dragged into the Church of Scientology.