Sullivan “Tripp” Welborne went from unanimous All-American to athletic director with serious baggage. The former Minnesota Vikings safety now faces explosive allegations that could derail his career at one of America’s most elite prep schools.
Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The NFL shield logo on the field at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The NFL shield logo on the field at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
A serious lawsuit claims the married 57-year-old engaged in a workplace affair with a much younger employee at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Two veteran staffers allegedly got pink slips after trying to expose the steamy affair. Now, the court is handling the case.
Ex-NFL Star Sullivan Welborne Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Affair With Young Employee
Karla Despinis and Richard Rienzo are the two employees who filed the Mercer County Superior Court lawsuit after getting fired earlier this year. Both worked at the school for two decades before their contracts weren’t renewed in March.
They claimed they lost their jobs for complaining about Welborne’s alleged relationship with Nicole Stock who is 38 years old.
2 Employees Exposed Ex-NFL Player Sullivan “Tripp” Welborne For Being a Milkman & Having Affair With Nicole Stock; Lawsuit Claims He Gave Her Job Because She Was Putting That Work on Him; How It Might Cost Him His Job a Prestigious Boarding School ==> https://t.co/D5sYbapjLT pic.twitter.com/pEW67CynZL
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) November 24, 2025
Court documents describe serious misconduct at the elite boarding school, where tuition exceeds $80,000 a year. The suit claims Welborne created an associate athletics director job for Stock in February 2024 and promoted her ahead of more qualified candidates.
According to court papers, Welborne even gifted Stock a John Deere ATV that he rode around campus on game days. The filing describes increasingly obvious signs of their alleged romance.
The sacked employees detailed they first suspected their romantic affair in 2021 when the former NFL star and Stock started flirting heavily and spending excessive time together. They also disclosed that Stock allegedly grabbed Welborne’s butt at a Lawrenceville hockey game.
The filing is direct about the accusations. It states that Welborne had an inappropriate quid pro quo sexual relationship with Stock, giving her gifts, favorable treatment, and promotions in return.
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While speaking to New York Post, Rienzo said, “Their parents pay good money to send them to this school where the adults are supposed to be role models and educators and coaches, and they are witnessing behavior that is inappropriate for adults to witness, but I think even more for impressionable minds to witness.”
Both plaintiffs say they reported the relationship to school administrators in 2022. They claim Welborne pushed them out after they raised concerns about how the alleged affair was affecting the athletic department.
A school spokeswoman, Jessica Welsh, stated that Lawrenceville denies the allegations and plans to fight the case in court.
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The Vikings selected Welborne in the seventh round of the 1991 draft after knee surgery tanked his draft stock. He appeared in just two games during the 1992 season before tearing his ACL against the Detroit Lions. The tragic injury forced him into retirement.
After his football career, Welborne moved into financial services and later into education. Now the allegations threaten both his reputation and Lawrenceville’s standing as one of the country’s top prep schools.