Former NFL linebacker Channing Crowder went viral this past Sunday (April 3) after he called Denver Broncos quarterback and Super Bowl champ Russell Wilson “a f**king square” on his podcast The Pivot. The host went on to say, “If Russell didn’t have that bread, Ciara wouldn’t be with him.” In fact, he doubled down by hypothetically asking the “Goodies” singer, “You’re going to leave Future for Russell Wilson?” The answer is an emphatic: Yes!
For a few days, I had to marinate on how to approach this story and if I even wanted to. My hesitation stemmed in part from personal familiarity with the age-old dilemma of whether to choose the “bad boy” or “good guy.” But another reason is I didn’t want to go down the “toxic masculinity” rabbit hole because I feel that term has become ubiquitous for any behavior or opinions by males, especially Black men, deemed socially unacceptable in an age of hypersensitivity and political correctness. Instead, let’s examine the facts because, in truth, this is really a no-brainer.
We begin with the tumultuous and tragic relationship between Ciara and Future. In January 2013, it was confirmed that an Atlanta rapper with a penchant for autotune and rapping about prescription pills and trap life was dating fellow Georgia peach, Ciara. The pair exemplified a hood fairytale—the Princess (ironically, her middle name) and the “thug,” both equally attractive, both urban artists. At 6’2,” the “Low Life” rapper was tall enough so that CiCi didn’t have to crouch in photos as she did with her ex-boyfriend Bow Wow.
In a whirlwind romance, that October, Future proposed with a stunning $500,000, 15-carat engagement ring. Then in January 2014, after just a year together, the three-time Grammy winner revealed she was expecting her first child with her fiancé. However, this would be Future’s third with a third woman.
That May, the “Promise” singer gave birth to her son, Future Zahir Wilburn, a bold name choice even though Future’s legal name is Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, which she personally memorialized by getting the letter “N” tattooed on her ring finger.
Two months after the arrival of her son, Ciara discovered Future had been unfaithful. For the sake of their newborn baby, the pair were on and off for the next several months, ultimately calling it quits in December 2014. Almost two years after going public with the relationship, the then 29-year-old and newly single mom finalized the end of an era by removing her initial tattoo.
At 36, Ciara is now blissfully married to Russell whom she started dating in early 2015 when her son was still an infant. Bonding through their shared Christian faith, the couple decided to abstain from sex until after tying the knot in the U.K.’s breathtaking Peckforton Castle in July 2016.
I truly believe for the men who consider Russell a square, it starts here—because he agreed to wait to get the drawers.”
A clear deviation from her approach with Future in which she would’ve had to become pregnant within the first eight months of going public with him; surprisingly, in 2016, Ciara revealed that her “pregnancy was planned.”
So, the man she’d hoped to make her life-long partner and share a family with not only allegedly cheated on her but, what’s worse, denied the infidelity and then claimed he only proposed because he pitied her and felt pressured. Future repeatedly humiliated her in public including disclosing intimate details of their sex life, calling her a “bi**h” with “control issues” on Twitter, and referring to her as a professional “flop” and a “bad mom,” which became points in Ciara’s filed lawsuit against him.
Future is now reportedly the father of up to eight different children with eight different women, including a son with Joie Chavis, the mother of Bow Wow’s daughter. Yes, you read that right. Since his split with CiCi, the 38-year-old has denied paternity of several children later confirmed to be his. He’s also faced accusations of being an absentee father, including claims from Ciara herself who sought sole custody of their son at one point. Most disgraceful, Future made headlines last summer after the mother of his then-8-year-old son, Prince, shared text messages she alleged he sent to the boy reading, “Your mother is a h*e!”
After cutting ties with a man of this caliber, it’s completely understandable why Ciara was cautious not to jump back in bed with a new man. In fact, she jumped right over the bed, kept running in the opposite direction, and never looked back.
In the incredibly powerful and wise words of the late Dr. Maya Angelou, “When you know better, you do better,” and that’s exactly what Ciara did. She decided to learn from and not repeat her past relationship mistakes. By marrying Russell, she didn’t settle for a “square” with money, she chose better!
Most importantly, her top priority was picking someone who would fully embrace and love her then-baby boy. The man she calls her “equally-yoked” best friend immediately tackled daddy duties and has continued to raise the now-7-year-old as his first-born child along with their other two kids, daughter Sienna, 4, and 20-month-old Win.
“I love seeing you in daddy mode. It’s the cutest thing,” the “Level Up” singer gushed to Wilson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last month. “I love seeing you with Sienna. You know, I’m a daddy’s girl, so I will say, I think that’s, like, one of the sexiest things about you.”
The couple recently co-authored the children’s book, Why Not You?, a goal they learned they had in common during their very first conversation. Russell explained the book is about “making your dreams come true” and “dreaming big” adorably giving the example of pursuing “a girl way outta your league,” referring to his wife.
Russell seems to be a kind-hearted, hardworking, successful, respectful Black man who adores and supports his Black wife and Black children. The Wilsons are a loving, happy, and beautiful Black family. There is nothing “square” about that. And rest assured, for the couple who confessed the craziest place they’ve gotten busy is the “Venice, Italy streets,” their sexless days are clearly long behind them. If that’s corny, I’ll have what she’s having!
Check out Ciara and Russell’s steamy segment of “Burning Questions” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show below.