Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joel Bitonio has decided to step away from the NFL after 12 seasons. The second-round pick from the 2014 NFL draft was a two-time first-team All-Pro guard.
Bitonio announced his decision with an article on the Browns’ website, where he captured his feelings and thoughts on his illustrious career.
Off the field, Bitonio has a wife and three children.
Everything About Joel Bitonio’s Wife and How They Met
Joel Bitonio is married to Courtney Bitonio, who grew up in Las Vegas. She used to teach at a pre-school up until she moved across the country after Bitonio was drafted by the Browns. At present she works as a philanthropist, child welfare advocate, and board member for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
She attended the University of Nevada and graduated in 2014 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.
The two met at the University of Nevada during their freshman year in 2009. Bitonio played for the Wolfpack while Courtney studied Human Development and Family Studies.
Before their eventual meeting, Courtney first spotted Joel while he was watching a basketball game in a dorm common area involving late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. After their awkward first meeting, they dated for several years.
“They had a TV downstairs that everyone could watch, and I saw this really cute guy watching basketball,” Courtney said via Nevada Today. “I don’t (know) what it was, but I just decided, ‘OK, I’m going to shoot my shot.’
“So I tried to have a conversation with him, but he was… totally disinterested,” Courtney added.
Even though Courtney might have gotten the impression that Bitonio was not interested, he knew there was something that took his mind off the game for a moment.
“The Lakers, especially back then, as they were playing for championships with Kobe, were always a really big deal to me,” Bitonio said. “So I was watching the Lakers game on TV in the main lobby area, and Courtney and her friend walked by and we talked and I’m also trying to watch the game and concentrate on the Lakers, but in the back of my head … I was this young freshman, and I had no idea what it was all going to mean. Courtney told me later she wouldn’t just walk up to anyone and start talking to some random person. So we just had this connection.”
In 2015, one year after he was drafted by the Browns, the offensive lineman proposed to the love of his life. The couple married on July 10, 2016. Before that, Bitonio and Courtney graduated from the University of Nevada in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Courtney wanted to pursue a career as a teacher, but she knew that it would be overwhelming for her and Bitonio to continue with their professional lives while being parents.
Do Joel And Courtney Bitonio Have Kids?
Joel Bitonio and Courtney share three children. Daughters Zoey Grace and Ada, and son Benjamin Michael. Zoey was born in 2019, while their son arrived in 2021. The offensive lineman has reportedly taken the approach of discipline and community service while raising his children, as the Browns star is heavily influenced by his late father, a former martial arts fighter who died in 2010.
Both Bitonio and Courtney have continued to give back to their alma mater. Three years ago, they donated $1 million to Nevada athletics to help fund a new football weight room. The facility was named the Bitonio Family Strength & Conditioning Center.
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