Wedding bells for Ponder, Steele

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HUDSON, Wis., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and ESPN reporter Samantha Steele were married in Hudson, Wis., court documents said.

Ponder, 24, and Steele, 27, were wed Monday by Court Commissioner Stephen Dunlap in St. Croix County, Wis., County Court, the court confirmed.

The marriage came after a formal engagement of about a month, and at a time the Vikings are fighting for a playoff spot with just two games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.

Ponder is in his second year with the Vikings. Steele is an ESPN football and basketball sideline reporter.

Their engagement has been a target of criticism, with suggestions from fans and national sports commentators Ponder should focus his attention on his erratic on-field performance, the newspaper noted.

Earlier this month CBS analyst and former coach Jimmy Johnson suggested, on the air, that "maybe his wife can teach him how to throw."