In the past year or so, Tim Anderson has had the internet light shined directly on him. Rumors have swirled about possible infidelity to his wife, Bria, and rumors surrounding his children.
Dejah Lanae, a social media influencer, has posted with Anderson multiple times and has said Anderson is the father to her son. Tuesday, on The Pivot Podcast, Anderson confirmed the birth of his son, Sevn.
"This is my son, for sure. I never once denied it. I'm gonna step up to the plate with what's mine," Anderson said.
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On the podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, Anderson opened up about his personal life, sharing stories about growing up with his dad in prison and developing an unlikely affinity for baseball.
Anderson grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where baseball is an undesirable sport to play. Anderson even skipped his baseball tryout with Hillcrest High School. He wanted to focus on basketball.
But he later fell in love with baseball. At East Central Community College in Mississippi, he said playing baseball there gave him "something to do" as opposed to participating in bad influences around him. His exceptional collegiate play boosted him; he was drafted with the No. 17 pick in the 2013 MLB entry draft by the Chicago White Sox.
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In 2017, during his second season in the major leagues, Anderson married Bria and had two daughters -- Paxton and Peyton -- with his wife. The timeline, thereafter, isn't clear. But Anderson admitted he endured dark times that led him to make poor decisions in his personal life.
Despite Anderson having a child with another woman, Bria stands with Anderson. In March, she posted photos on Instagram with the caption "Mrs. Anderson has entered the chat." Anderson admitted he and his wife worked tirelessly towards rebuilding their relationship after the incident.
"We went to therapy," Anderson said. "Just really digging into what was it. What caused me to go into these spaces? It's a tough conversation. It's a tough situation. We did a lot of work as far as understanding it and showing my love to my wife and to my kids. It's something I'm still going through trying to master it to get to the point to where I'm OK walking in it, stepping in it."
Anderson isn't naturally an open book. He keeps things private, especially when it comes to his personal life. But on the podcast, he mentioned it's part of his growth and development to own up to the decisions he's made in the past.
He said there were times when he felt "lonely" and people didn't know. He didn't mention specifically what he was struggling with that caused him to fall off course, but he reminisced on the feelings he experienced then.
"I remember when I was first going through it, I didn't want to be seen," Anderson said. "I didn't want to be talked to. But I still had to go out and play. So that even made it a whole lot tougher, for sure."
For what it's worth, Anderson has played well despite the controversy. Anderson has four straight seasons to his name, batting over .300 from the plate. He also earned back-to-back All-Star nods from the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
The bulk of his development, recently, has been off the field. Anderson said he wants to be "more honest" about his situation. He is supportive of all of his children because he knows the feeling of not having a father figure around. He wants to get to a place where he isn't uncomfortable speaking about his situation.
"For me, I really try to ignore a lot of things or what a lot of people say because I know my truth and I know what's real and what's not," Anderson said. "I just try to continue to handle it the best way I know how and not get distracted, because at the end of the day, I'm on a mission."