Ex-Cardinals QB Recalls How He Screwed Up His Date With Rihanna

Matt Leinart, former Heisman Trophy winner, almost dated singer Rihanna.

Ex-Cardinals QB Recalls How He Screwed Up His Date With Rihanna

Rihanna and Matt Leinart inside circle (Image via Billboard and YouTube)

Former USC and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart had a great chance of giving Tony Romo competition in the romance department.

It’s well documented that Romo and Hollywood actor Jessica Simpson were in a serious relationship that nearly led to marriage.

What many don’t know is that Leinart was on the verge of dating a celebrity himself. And that famed name is singer Rihanna. Unfortunately, any chance of courting Rihanna ended on the first date.

Leinart said on the Dan Patrick Show:

We [Leinart and Rihanna] were friends, we hung out a couple times, we had a mutual circle of friends, and her assistant and sort of right-hand girl, still to this day I’m friends with, she grew up with one of my best friends, so that was kind of the thing. But yeah, it was a young Matt, not super confident. You thought I would have had a lot of confidence; I didn’t, and yeah, so that’s that.

Rihanna is currently dating rapper ASAP Rocky. The pair have been together since 2019. They share three children: sons RZA and Riot Rose Mayers, and daughter Rocki Irish Mayers. Even though Rihanna has never publicly confirmed that she and ASAP Rocky are married, she has referred to him as her husband in interviews.

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Why didn’t it work out between Matt Leinart and Rihanna?

Leinart was never shy, but right before his date with Rihanna, he felt insecure about his appearance. The 43-year-old disclosed the details in an episode of The Throwback Show.

Ex-Cardinals QB Recalls How He Screwed Up His Date With Rihanna
Matt Leinart (Image via Sports Illustrated)

Leinart recalled meeting up at Teddy’s nightclub in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. He just couldn’t calm his nerves. Leinart told co-hosts, actor Jerry Ferrara and Josh Richman:

The problem was I had this [expletive] ginormous blister on my lip.

Leinart often got massive blisters during his playing days. But never really thought much of it until a mutual friend set up the date with Rihanna. He wanted to postpone the date, but his friend forced him into going anyway. He added:

I couldn’t make eye contact, dude… I’m like, ‘Yeah, what’s up, what’s up?’ Like I couldn’t talk. He was like, ‘ Get me out of here. She was like, ‘Oh, this poor kid.’

Is Matt Leinart married?

Leinart may have blown the chance to woo Rihanna, but he did not stray far from the celebrity meter. In 2013, Leinart began dating Josie Loren. Disney fans will remember Loren from her portrayal of Holly next to Miley Cyrus on the popular teen show Hannah Montana.

Loren also acted on Drake & Josh, Make It or Break It, NCIS, The Mentalist, and Young & Hungry. Loren attended UCLA and then Loyola Law College, where she earned a law degree.

According to People, Leinart married Loren in 2018 at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina. The pair have three children. She’s also the stepmother of Leinart’s oldest son Cole, whom he had with former USC basketball player Brynn Cameron.

A brief history of Matt Leinart’s football career

Leinart attended the prestigious Mater Dei High School, renowned for producing several NFL quarterbacks. After graduation, Leinart chose USC over other schools. In his five seasons with the Trojans, Leinart won the Heisman Trophy (2005), the BCS Championship, and the AP National Championship twice. He had a remarkable 37-2 record in college football.

Leinart was drafted 6th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite his pedigree, Leinart struggled in the NFL. He was out of the league by 2012 after representing the Cardinals, Houston Texans, and the Oakland Raiders (Las Vegas Raiders). He finished with an 8-10 record. In 2023, Leinart joined FOX Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff as an analyst.

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