Ben Shelton breaks silence about girlfriend Trinity Rodman missing $1 million/year NWSL contract

Ben Shelton has opened up about his girlfriend Trinity Rodman recently missing out on a deal worth more than a million dollars/year with Washington Spirit, which was rejected by the NWSL in a controversial move.

Rodman, one of the biggest names in the NWSL, is currently a free agent, following the end of her contract with Washington. When a new four-year contract was offered, it was reportedly shot down by the league, stating that it does not abide with existing salary cap rules in the NWSL. In retaliation, the NWSL Players Association has fought against the ruling, arguing that it is a violation of her rights as a free agent.

Ben Shelton has been silent on this matter until now, but now, speaking to Front Office Sports, the American No. 1 has broken his silence. Shelton insisted that this is nothing new for his girlfriend, who has dealth with on-field and off-field contracts all her life.

While Shelton admitted that he and Trinity talked about such matters and helped one another as much as possible, he made it clear that the final decision will be the USWNT star's and hers alone.

“She’s been through a lot of different things, contracts, whether it’s off-field brand deals or on-the-field contracts with different teams and clubs. It’s something that she’s used to."

“She has a pretty good handle on it and obviously we talk like every couple, and we support each other and we’re close to each other and helping every way we can when these things are going on. But she has full confidence in herself to make the right decisions and know what she wants to do with her career,” Ben Shelton said.

Ben Shelton had a pretty successful tennis season in 2025, finishing inside the top 10 and breaking the top 5 for the first time in his career.

Trinity Rodman on boyfriend Ben Shelton's influence on her career

Washington Spirit v NJ/NY Gotham FC - NWSL Championship 2025 Presented by Google Pixel - Source: Getty

Trinity Rodman recently spoke about the influence her boyfriend Ben Shelton has on her during her preparation at the NWSL Championship. Spirit finished runner-up, losing to Gotham FC in the final.

Trinity admitted that she and Shelton tried not thinking about sports when they were together, revealing that they just used their time together for relaxation instead.

"Ben's here, so I've been hanging out with him on my free time, which has been really nice. I think for both of us, like, whenever we're together, we get to kind of not think about tennis and soccer, which I think people think we do a lot," she said.

"But no, we try to use that time as just, like, relaxation and that's what we've been doing. And then, obviously, like, being able to hang out with your team off the field and being able to play, like, board games and all that has been super fun," she added.

Rodman and Ben Shelton have been dating since the start of the season, with their relationship going public in March.