Wife of San Francisco Giant Files for Divorce, Cites Irreconcilable Differences

By Sarah Harper

Published on June 13, 2009

Liz Watson, wife of former San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds, filed for legal separation in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable differences".

Watson also sought spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 10-year-old daughter. Watson, 39, and Bonds, 44, married in 1998. The marriage was reportedly strained by Bonds' relationship with former girlfriend Kim Bell, which he continued after the wedding. The marriage was also strained by his retirement from baseball, which appeared to have been forced: no team signed him after his contract with the Giants expired in 2007.

The divorce is just one of Bonds' legal concerns in recent years. He was indicted in 2007 for denying knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds also went through a highly publicized divorce from his first wife, Susann Branco, in 1994, during which time he began a relationship with Bell.

Bonds' divorce proceedings are expected to continue.

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