Is Alex Rodriguez dating Melanie Collins? NFL reporter may attend his birthday as a 'friend'

According to Page Six, Rodriguez and Collins met through common friends, singer Jessie James Decker and her husband Eric Decker, who were recently sighted at a posh lunch in St Tropez in France. The former NFL player and country music singer were also on vacation in the area. Here's what we know about Melanie Collins.

Who is Melanie Collins?

Collins is an American anchor and sports reporter from State College, Pennsylvania. The 35-year-old is the middle child among her three siblings. Her parents are doctors Doug and Nancy Collins, according to Biography Tribune. Collins is a writer, reporter and sportscaster, best known for hosting and reporting on Golf Channel's 'Driver Vs. Driver' and working as a sideline reporter for CBS Sports' college football coverage. She has a net worth of $500,000, according to the website.

According to Wikiabio, Collins earned her bachelor's degree in broadcasting and journalism from Pennsylvania State University. She also studied Interior Design at the New York Institute of Art and Design. Collins gained an early start in her professional career as a result of her exceptional skills and hard work. She writes about football, basketball and baseball for the University of Pennsylvania.

Collins became a journalist only much later in life, which took a dramatic turn when a coworker offered her a job at Accuweather while she was working as a bartender. She began working right away, gaining valuable experience. She went on to do an internship at WPSU-TV, a PBS affiliate, where she worked as a co-host of the weekly show 'Let's Talk Sports Nittany Lions Fans'. She also interned at Big Ten Network (BTN) as a senior. Since then she has reported for E! News Now, NBC Sports Network, NASCAR, MLB, CSN Bay Area, PGA, PGA Tour, among many others.

Collins, who travels across America due to her work, currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Her Instagram bio reads: "NFL on CBS Sideline Reporter | Golf Channel Host | Certified Interior Designer | Penn State Alum." She shares many photos and is quite popular on the social media site, with as many as 77.7K followers.

Collins, as well as the Deckers, are likely to be among the 50 attendees at Rodriguez's 46th birthday celebration on Tuesday night, Page Six reported. The party will reportedly take place on A-Rod's yacht as well as at another location on land. “Alex has been hanging with friends and family on the trip, including Eric and Jessie James Decker. Melanie is good friends with them,” a source told the news outlet. “They’re all friends and she’ll be at his party.”

The interaction between Collins and Rodriguez seemed casual, Page Six added. Collins had previously been linked to NHL player James Neal, according to social media. However, they haven't shared any photo together on Instagram since 2017.