Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman issued an emotional apology on Instagram to his daughter, NWSL star Trinity Rodman, after she candidly discussed their complicated relationship on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week.
“He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else,” Trinity said during the interview, sharing raw insights into her struggles with her father’s absence and lifestyle.
In response, Dennis Rodman posted a heartfelt message expressing his regret and continued efforts to reconnect with his daughter. “Sorry I wasn’t the Dad you wanted me to be but either way I still tried and I still try and never will stop,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m always here and tell you all the time – rather it’s your voice or voicemail – how proud I am.”
Dennis revealed he still watches Trinity play, even if from afar. “I watch you play all the time😊… I actually flew in to watch you play and was told not to show up because of who I was with. So I watched you from my hotel balcony just to make everybody happy”, reported by the Mirror.
Trinity, 21, credited her mother, Michelle Moyer, as her role model and primary caregiver after her parents divorced in 2012 when she was 10. Living with her father was never an option for Trinity, who described his house as “parties 24/7” and recalled him “bringing random b****es in.”
Despite these challenges, Dennis would occasionally surface, sometimes at pivotal moments in Trinity’s life. In her rookie NWSL season in 2021, he unexpectedly showed up at one of her games. Seeing him in the crowd for the first time in months overwhelmed her.
“So I’m trying to play this soccer game and I’m crying. … I finish that half and cry my eyes out in the locker room at halftime. My coach asked, ‘Do you want to play?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to win. Hello?’”
Despite the emotional turmoil, Trinity persevered, setting up the game-winning goal. However, she was furious that her father’s presence disrupted her joy. “The whistle blew, and I was so mad, like, ‘You took this happy moment from me. You f***ed with my head again.’”
Trinity said their interaction that day was bittersweet but “wholesome,” giving her hope for reconciliation. She even shared a social media post about a “new beginning.” Yet, that moment was followed by “radio silence” for over two years.
Describing her father’s alcoholism and its impact, Trinity admitted that hearing his voice is painful. “I answer the phone now for my conscience, to be like, he needed to hear my voice before anything else happens. That’s why I answer the phone, not for me.”
While their relationship remains a “work-in-progress,” Trinity’s candid revelations underscore both her lingering pain and her continued hope for healing.