Cleveland Browns star Joe Royer, 24, has come under fire after fans seemingly discovered his alleged relationship with a former coach’s 18-year-old daughter.
On Monday, one social media account highlighted a number of posts online in recent months which appeared to indicate that Royer had been dating Rilee Stepp.
Stepp, 18, is the daughter of Royer’s former tight ends coach Josh Stepp, whom he worked with while playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats between 2024 and 2025.
One post on social media, by coach Stepp, showed Royer alongside the 18-year-old – and the rest of the Stepp family – at her recent high school graduation on May 30.
Coach Stepp has since deleted the post.
Another post from Rilee’s Instagram, which was public but has since gone private, showed her wearing a ‘Royer 11’ jersey on the sidelines of a Bearcats game last season.
NFL rookie Joe Royer has come under fire after fans uncovered his alleged relationship with a former coach’s 18-year-old daughter
Royer is pictured alongside Rilee Stepp, 18, and her family at her high school graduation in May
Another post by coach Stepp on X, in November, showed the family alongside Royer and former Bearcats teammate Patrick Gurd after a game against BYU.
In that photo, Royer was standing alongside Rilee, who appeared to be wearing a custom-designed top which had his ‘No. 11’ across it.
Coach Stepp’s caption to the post on X read: ‘Hard to put into words what these two mean to me personally, my girls & our TE room!
‘Incredibly thankful for all they’ve done for our TE room & this entire program! Let’s go finish this thing the right way! Love you both!!! #FAMILY @JoeRoyer25 @gurd45’.
Elsewhere, internet sleuths also pointed towards an Instagram post by Royer on the same day back in November, which came shortly after their final game of the season.
Royer had shared a picture alongside his family. In the comments, Rilee had shared a ‘love heart’ emoji, which Royer ‘liked’ in response.
Fans have since began speculating as to when the relationship began, given that Rilee only turned 18 back in September, according to a post by her father.
In November, coach Stepp shared this photo of their family alongside Royer and former Bearcats teammate Patrick Gurd after a game against BYU. Royer was standing alongside Rilee, who appeared to be wearing a custom-designed top which had his ‘No. 11’ across it.
Royer shared this picture on Instagram in November. Stepp, 18, commented a ‘love heart’ emoji
Royer was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
The 24-year-old spent five seasons in college football. He spent 2020 through until 2023 at Ohio State before later transferring to Cincinnati for two more seasons.
During his college football career, he recorded 83 receptions for 961 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Daily Mail has approached Royer’s agent, the Cleveland Browns and University of Cincinnati for comment.
