Jets QB Zach Wilson Seemingly Addresses Headlines About Sleeping with Mom's Friend: 'What I Miss?'
Zach Wilson seems to have something to say about his dating life.
The New York Jets quarterback, 22, found himself the center of social media controversy last Saturday when his former Brigham Young University teammate Dax Milne posted two beachside photos with an unidentified woman to Instagram. Social media users claimed the person pictured was Wilson's ex-girlfriend Abbey Gile, according to the New York Post and Page Six.
Wilson, who played his first NFL season in 2021, and Gile first appeared to distance themselves from one another on social media in January, the Post reported at the time. In response to Milne's post on Saturday, Gile allegedly confirmed that she is dating the 23-year-old Washington Commanders wide receiver in a since-deleted Instagram post, per the outlet. There, she claimed that Wilson "was sleeping with his mom's best friend..." in a comment on Milne's Instagram post, which no longer shows or allows comments. Gile's own Instagram account appears to have been pulled from the platform since then as well.
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Gile's apparent claim that Wilson had slept with "his mom's best friend" sparked a flutter of activity from football fans on social media, and Wilson finally appeared to acknowledge the rumors Wednesday when he posted photos to Instagram of himself and some of his Jets teammates in Idaho.
"Took the boyz to @gozzerranchclub in Idaho before camp!" Wilson wrote in the post's caption. "Poor cell service...what I miss?"
A number of professional athletes and social media influencers — including the verified Jets Instagram account — praised Wilson's sly approach to acknowledging the rumors in the post's comments. The Jets, who selected Wilson with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, simply commented a saluting emoji, signaling support for the incoming second-year starting quarterback.
"Caption comedy 😂," wrote NBA star Donovan Mitchell below Wilson's post.
"That's my QB," echoed Jets wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who appeared with Wilson and other Jets players in the photos Wilson posted from the Idaho trip.
Jets running back Michael Carter simply wrote "legendary," while several other NFL players — including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance and Pittsburgh Steelers players Pat Freiermuth and Kenny Pickett — commented strings of laughing emojis.
Zach Wilson Instagram
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While Wilson appeared to indirectly address the rumors, his mother, influencer Lisa Neeleman Wilson, posted a nearly 30-minute long vlog to Instagram on Monday advocating for keeping kids off social media. In the address, she described an online interaction between her youngest daughter and a purported online predator.
"I completely underestimated the degree of evil that was possible, in a little electronic device, I personally placed in my baby girls hand," Wilson wrote in her caption. "Gone are the days of creepy ice cream trucks and stranger danger. Satan has found a way to come right into your home and steal your child, without you even noticing."
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Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post/MEGA
While it does not appear that Wilson's "mom's best friend" has been identified since rumors about Wilson's love life began swirling, the Jets quarterback is now dating TikToker and social media influencer Nicolette Dellanno, according to the Post.
Wilson is expected to return to the Jets at the end of the month for training camp, which starts July 30, according to the team's website. In 2021, the Jets went 4-13-0 and finished last place in the AFL East division.
