Dwyane Wade's Divorce Takes Ugly Turn

Dwyane Wade is generally considered to be one of the all-around nice guys in sports, recognized for his off-the-court charitable endeavors through his Wade's World foundation. And news of his generous gift to a displaced family was a heart-warmer around Christmas time.

So when I hear that his wife and high school sweetheart Siohvaughn is accusing of him abandoning his children, committing adultery, and ... get this ... infecting her with an "unspecified" sexually transmitted disease, I can't help but take the story with a rock of salt.

If you thought the A-Rod split included some lurid allegations, check out what the Miami Herald is reporting:

[...] She wants the names of ''all of his sexual partners'' during their six-year marriage.

[...] She also says she has suffered ''grievous physical, emotional and mental injury'' from the STD, diagnosed in the fall of '07.

[...] His ''failure to spend time with [the children] . . . has resulted in [them] at times being afraid of him; in fact, Zion . . . does not recognize or know Dwyane.''

Sounds like a completely different Wade than the one we know, right? Whether she's telling the truth or not, that's usually how these things go (tawdriness, full speed ahead!).

Messy Divorces

NBA superstar Dwyane Wade and his wife Siohvaughn are entangled in a tawdry divorce case, which includes allegations that Wade committed adultery and infected her with an STD. Click through to see other messy divorces throughout history.

Layne Murdoch, NBAE / Getty Images

Greg Norman and Laura Andrassy: The golf legend split with his wife of 26 years following an illicit affair with tennis great Chris Evert. In June 2008, Norman and Evert were married in the Bahamas.

David Cannon, Getty Images

John and Sherrie Daly: The two-time major champion and his wife filed for divorce in Nov. 2006, four months after she finished serving a federal sentence involving finances from an alleged drug and gambling ring. The divorce has not yet been processed, even after dueling court claims in 2007 of drunken rampage, knife wielding and sexual assault.

Lenny Ignelzi, AP

Alex Rodriguez and Cynthia Rodriguez: Less than three months after Cynthia Rodriguez first filed for divorce from the Yankees star, a settlement was reached to end the couple's five-year marriage. Allegations of repeated infidelity were at the root of Cynthia's divorce filing.

Rob Loud, Getty Images

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook: They reached an out-of-court settlement, but only after several days of trial testimony exposed lurid details of architect Cook's affair with a teenage assistant and his predilection for Internet porn. The 54-year-old former supermodel agreed to pay Cook $2.1 million. She gets to keep 18 properties in the Hamptons and custody of the kids.

Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage.com

James McGreevey and and Dina Matos: She was at her husband's side when he announced in 2004 that he was gay and resigned as New Jersey governor over an affair with a man. In a memoir, she said he hid his homosexuality; he denied it. He said they had trysts with a man; she denied that. A judge ruled in August he has to pay child support -- but no alimony.

Noah Addis, Pool / AP

Bill Murray and Jennifer Butler: When she filed for divorce in May, Butler alleged the funnyman actor abused her and was addicted to marijuana and alcohol. She also alleged he would often leave home without telling her, traveling overseas to engage in "public and private altercations and sexual liaisons." Murray refused to comment on the allegations. The divorce was quickly finalized.

Robyn Beck, AFP / Getty Images

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons and Dawn Gibbons: When Gibbons filed for divorce from his wife of 22 years in May, he also sought a court order to evict Nevada's first lady from the governor's mansion in Carson City, Nev. In court papers, Dawn Gibbons accused her husband of abandoning their marriage because of his "infatuation and involvement" with the wife of a unnamed doctor. In June, the couple announced they were suspending divorce proceedings. Stay tuned.

Cathleen Allison, Nevada Appeal / AP

Hulk Hogan and Linda Bollea: Bollea filed for divorce from Hogan in November after 23 years of marriage. In June, she filed a court motion asking a Florida judge to throw the wrestling star in jail -- for failing to pay her $4.2 million to get an apartment. Bollea is dating a teenager 29 years her junior.

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

Roman and Irina Abramovich: After he allegedly was caught with a woman half his age, the Chelsea soccer team owner -- who is worth around $22 billion -- reportedly paid his ex-wife $2 billion in a divorce settlement in 2007.

STR, AFP / Getty Images

Wade, who was actually named a "Father of the Year" in 2007 by the National Father's Day Committee, of course has adamant legal backing from his Chicago attorney, James Pritikin. "These allegations are absolutely false and we look forward to the opportunity to dispute them in court," Pritikin said.

Oh, and you guessed it, there's a counterpoint from Siohvaughn's attorney. "A person's public persona does not necessarily reflect his behavior in private," stated Dorene Marcus.

There's no clear lane to righteousness here, only more mud-flinging and hurt. We'll see how it all shakes out.