Just recently, Diego Pavia’s mother, Antoinette Padilla, was right at the center of a brewing romantic speculation with Theo Von. The bizarre speculation about the stand-up comedian and Padilla originated from a bet. He won the bet, but did he go on a date?

“Never got the date, but did develop a friendship with the greatest family in college sports! God Bless the Pavias!”

The story started when Pavia promised Theo Von a date with his mom if Vanderbilt beat South Carolina, which they did. Theo’s appearance with Antoinette during a Vanderbilt senior night event against Kentucky fueled the chatter. It’s one of those bizarre, heartfelt moments in college sports that instantly diverts your attention from the competition.

Theo’s love for Vandy is not for the memes. He has developed a genuine interest in the team after purchasing the Nashville home of the previous coach, Derek Mason. Thus built friendships with a number of players and the current head coach, Clark Lea. But later, Von made a statement about his love life, which continued the saga.

“My goal is I would like to marry a nurse one day, so that’s why I think he was thinking about that.” Antoinette Padilla is a nurse and a single mom. But it’s all just fun banter between the two. Pavia even chimed in on the entire situation, but even his response was not serious. He took it to X and explained why the date was never set.

“What Theo Von forgot is, I said it was a deal if, and only if, he told Tate McRae to lemme take her on an A1 date in Nashville. Twitter, make it happen.” McRae is a Canadian singer/dancer, and the initial bet was for a double date. So, the bet was legitimate, but it never transpired despite Vanderbilt’s 31-7 victory against South Carolina.

Theo Von, the comedian, never admitted to being romantically involved with Antoinette. Instead, he is a long-time friend of Pavia and now his mom, so he wants to keep it that way, saying, “I’d only be friends, I don’t want to be his (Pavia’s) stepdad or anything.”

Among all the jokes, Pavia never fails to give credit to his mother. “I didn’t grow up with a whole lot. My mom’s a single mom, and she’s the backbone of our family. When I didn’t have a whole lot, it was like, ‘What’s my way out?” But this rumored relationship has also led to an unnecessary spotlight on her.

Is Antoinette Padilla sidelining her son? 

ESPN’s obsession with Diego Pavia’s mom, Antoinette Padilla, hasn’t gone unnoticed. But not everyone’s loving it. During Vanderbilt’s big season, the TV cameras can’t seem to resist zooming in on her at every instance. But for some, especially ESPN’s Joey Galloway, the non-stop coverage has started to get on their nerves. Galloway vented his feelings on the “Nonstop” podcast with Kirk Herbstreit, jokingly questioning, “Is there a camera on Pavia’s mother the entire game?”

The playful jab landed with a bit of truth. Antoinette Padilla has become almost as visible as her son. Galloway didn’t stop there. He half-teased Herbstreit to put in a request to the production crew to pull the cameras away from Padilla for a change. “Not every play,” he said, “I love the story. I love the family. Not every play.” There’s no doubt Antoinette brings a lot of charm and support to the stands.

Padilla definitely made her mark during the Commodores’ senior day game. She turned quite a few heads in her signature cowboy boots and a Vanderbilt jersey. Strutting in cowboy boots with Theo Von or celebrating a big win is all good. But the day is all about football, and viewers tune in for Diego’s game-breaking throws and not for anything else. Even Taylor Swift caught some flak for being shown on broadcast multiple times during Chiefs games.