Sean Payton Divorce: New Orleans Saints Coach Files For Divorce; Read Petition Here

Suspended NFL New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has filed for divorce from his wife, Beth a week before they were to celebrate their 20^th anniversary.

The Times-Picayune reported that Payton filed for divorce from his wife, Beth, on June 14 in Tarrant County, Texas. The newspaper posted the petition on their website court petition. You can see the petition here.

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According to nola.com, "the divorce filings appear to be written so as to avoid making the Paytons' identities public. They describe two residents of Tarrant County with the initials of Payton (PSP) and his wife (BAP), the date that the Paytons were married, and the birth dates of the couple's two children. The computer file containing the petition has the word "Payton" as part of its name."

"The filings indicate that Payton, who has been suspended for the 2012 season by the NFL, has already moved out of his Westlake, Texas, home in the Dallas suburbs where he lived with Beth Payton and their two children, Meghan and Conner," continued the article.

The report concludes: "The petition lists the grounds for divorce as "discord or conflict of personalities between Petitioner and Respondent that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation." Payton's original petition for divorce said that he and his wife hoped to divide their estate out of court and to hold joint custody of both children. Beth Payton, however, filed a counter-petition for divorce on June 26 which requested that she be appointed the custodian "who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children in Tarrant County, Texas." The petition asks that the court schedule Sean Payton's access to their children "as necessary to protect the health and well-being of the children." In her counter-petition, Beth Payton also seeks the exclusive right to make decisions concerning the children's medical, legal and educational interests. Her filings request that Sean Payton pay support for the children's care and medical expenses."

Payton made headlines earlier this year after he was suspended for a full season without pay, beginning April 1 for a bounty scandal that the team ran from 2009 to 2011. The bounty program paid bonuses to the team's players if they made hits so hard that it knocked opponents out for all or part of a game. In addition to Payton's suspension, the team was fined with penalties and general manager Mickey Loomis faces an 8-game suspension when the 2012 season begins. The New Orleans Saints football team won their only Super Bowl championship in 2009.