During The Bachelorette premiere, contestant Colton Underwood talked a lot about football, his charity work, and his dog... but conveniently left out his Olympic gymnast ex-girlfriend, Aly Raisman. What does Aly Raisman think of Colton on The Bachelorette? The two dated for around a year — six months in secret, having their first public appearance in late 2016 — and broke up in August 2017. Aly and Colton actually met in an interesting way. Colton asked Aly out in a video Q&A; they were both in Denver at the time, and she said yes. She told People that she kept their relationship quiet for a while, but had been dating since the 2016 VMAs. "We happened to both be in Denver at the same time,” she told People about how they met. “I was there for less than 12 hours, he was flying in for just a few days. It just ended up working perfectly." The two walked several red carpets together, including the 2016 Sports Illustrated Sports Person of the Year Ceremony and the 2017 Golden Globes. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Several months later Aly and Colton, now an "ex-football star" due to an injury, broke up. Colton opened up about the break-up in the Lincoln Journal Star. According to Colton, the main issue was long distance: she was in Massachusetts and he was in Colorado. "We’re taking a break right now," Colton told the Star. "We’re still good friends and talk, but all that travel had been a nightmare." He also revealed that being in the public eye for the second half of their relationship was stressful for them. "It put a lot of pressure on us, sure, but we had fun with it. A lot of fun date nights," he continued. "Those six months were great." Well, Colton is back in the public eye — only this time, he's solo and looking for love. What does Aly Raisman think of her ex going on The Bachelorette? She hasn't made any public statements, but her team member Laurie Hernandez did speak out about Colton and Aly. In a video interview with OK! (starting at around 3:00), Hernandez said she and her friend/teammate "don't talk about that." She continued, "It's girl code, we're all Team Aly." Other than that though, Aly and her crew have all kept mum about this. Aly and Colton met on social media, which seems to be Colton's move of choice (except, of course, going on reality television to find a partner). Becca confirmed rumors that Colton and Tia Booth, from last season of The Bachelor, were also romantically linked.How did they meet? Allegedly, Colton slid into Tia's DMs. "Yeah, they did have a past, so that's something Tia and I had conversations about," Becca told ET. "They dated. I don't know how serious it was, but you'll see all of that unfold throughout the season as well." Becca made sure to let fans know that she liked Colton from the start of the season, though. In that same interview she said, "I remember thinking how big of a heart he had." She continued, "What really drew me to him that first night was the fact that he had started a nonprofit [for cystic fibrosis], and that's something near and dear to my heart because two of my cousins have it. So night one, I felt like we really connected over that." It remains unclear whether his relationships with Raisman and Booth will cause Colton to be kicked off the show, but it certainly will be interesting to see it all unfold. I doubt Aly Raisman will be watching — she probably has better things to do, like training for the Olympics.<doc-sep>Colton Underwood is already making hearts melt, and he’s only been seen on one episode of ‘The Bachelorette.’ So who is this guy competing for Becca Kufrin’s heart? Here’s what you need to know! 1. He’s a former NFL player. In May 2014, Colton, now 26, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers. The linebacker was waived a few months later. The next month, he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad and released a few days later. Colton returned to the Chargers and was a part of their practice squad. He later signed a future contract, but he was waived in Sept. 2015 and placed on injured reserve. A few months later, he signed to the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad. He was released by the Raiders in Aug. 2016. Football has always been a part of Colton’s life. He was named after the Indianapolis Colts, according to his ABC bio. 2. He used to date Olympian Aly Raisman! Colton and Aly started dating in Dec. 2016 and made their red carpet debut at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Ceremony in New York. The two had split by June 2017, but Colton revealed they were still friends. “We’re in a good place,” Colton told the Lincoln Journal Star. He also said they were “still good friends and talk, but all that travel had been a nightmare.” 3. He makes a shocking confession to Becca this season! In the preview for the season, Colton confesses to Becca on a one-on-one date that he’s a virgin! He admits that he was “ashamed” and “made up lies” because he didn’t want to reveal his secret. 4. He may have a past with Bachelor alum Tia Booth. Bachelor In Paradise’s Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk recently spilled some tea on a podcast and said that one of Becca’s contestants was allegedly DMing Tia Booth, who is a friend of Becca’s and competed on Arie’s season of The Bachelor! “The drama started from Raven and Adam saying a guy on Becca’s season was DMing Tia,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “We don’t know if it’s Colton [Underwood]. But Colton expressed his interest in Tia several times on Twitter and they are following each other on Instagram so people speculated Colton is the guy they were talking about.” 5. He’s dedicating his life to help children fight Cystic Fibrosis. The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation was created by Colton in 2015. Colton’s foundation “is a non-profit organization that was created by former NFL player, Colton Underwood to empower people with Cystic Fibrosis to live fully, dream big and support each other. The Foundation raises funds for research and provides equipment and resources for people of all ages living with Cystic Fibrosis.” The Bachelorette season 14 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.<doc-sep>It wasn't long after Colton Underwood’s introduction on the season premiere of The Bachelorette that he had fans already rooting for him to win Becca Kufrin’s heart and love by the end of the season. While it may be far too soon to tell how much she likes the former pro football player, Colton’s Instagram before The Bachelorette is sure to make fans love him more than they already do. Which is to say, a whole lot, because at this point he can basically do no wrong. Colton’s Instagram is full of all of the things that seem to matter the most to him in life — his family, his charity work, and his dog, Sniper, who seems like another family member where Colton is concerned. If we needed any other reason to love Colton and want him to make it far this season, then his Instagram, which shows a totally sweet and thoughtful guy, will probably do it. He may not have gotten the first impression rose on the first night in the Bachelor Mansion, but Colton did make a good impression on Becca and pretty much every viewer who tuned in. Unsurprisingly, that whole nice guy thing doesn't seem to be an act and Colton’s Instagram before The Bachelorette is proof of that. Colton’s Bachelor bio mentions that "when he's not working on his charity, he's spending time with his family and his dog, Sniper," and there are tons of photos of Sniper on his Instagram to show the adorable relationship he has with his dog. But more than that, he seems to be a dog lover in general, which will probably mode well with Becca since she has pets of her own that seem pretty dear to her heart. In Colton’s case, he’s even posted about dogs in need of homes and posts regularly about trying to find homes for adoptable pups that he may have been caring for himself. Can we say swoon? The whole man’s best friend thing may be a myth for some who just aren't dog people, but honestly, if you can get someone to look at you the way Colton looks at Sniper, you’re golden. Judging by all of the different photos Colton has posted since Sniper came into his life, the two really are BFFs and it’s nothing short of adorable. Overall, Becca and Colton seem to have a lot in common and during the season premiere of The Bachelorette, she even said that being with him makes her feel like she’s home, which is a pretty strong statement on the first night. But because of his outdoorsman ways and laid back attitude, he may be one of the best contestants for Becca this season. And now, with their shared love of dogs, they almost have to join their houses and give their respective pets siblings. Of course having a dog, like Becca does, doesn't necessarily make Colton the best choice, but it just adds to everything that fans already love about him and definitely does up his chances of making a lasting connection with her. Colton’s Instagram is a testament to his personality in the best way and instead of showing someone who may have been super vain or out to gain more Instagram followers, it shows the seemingly genuine and kind-hearted guy that we saw in the season premiere. Now all we have to do is hope that he at least makes it to hometown dates so that we can all see him on-screen with Sniper and that Becca can fall for him like so many viewers already have.<doc-sep>
If you participated in Bachelor Nation's customary social media stalking of new Bachelorette contestants once Becca Kufrin's men were revealed, you may have known about frontrunner Colton Underwood's romantic past before the season premiered. The former pro football player dated gymnast Aly Raisman soon after her success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the famous connection has Bachelorette fans shook. Clearly, Colton has moved on from this relationship, but why did Colton and Aly Raisman break up? It turns out that their split was quite amicable. While Colton joins Clay Harbor as Season 14's pro football representatives, he stood out in his initial introduction by discussing the charity he now runs after an injury forced him to quit football. At 26, he's right at that point where a guy is either still in his frat bro stage or is ready to seal the deal with his girlfriend. If his relationship with Aly is anything to go by, Colton may fit more into the latter group. After Aly returned from her victorious run at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the media called the then-22-year-old's attention to Colton's public attempts to ask her out on a date. The two already had mutual friends in common – Colton's old NFL teammate Andrew East is married to former U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson. In what became a viral video, Aly reacted slyly to a clip of Colton, then an Oakland Raiders player, asking about going on a date with her. The tech-savvy gesture clearly made an impression on Aly, because she agreed to the hypothetical date on camera. ESPN later reported that the two secretly began dating soon after meeting for the first time in Denver. Their whirlwind first meeting sounds like it came right out of a Bachelor 101 guidebook, with Aly telling PEOPLE: We happened to both be in Denver at the same time. I was there for less than 12 hours, he was flying in for just a few days. It just ended up working perfectly. Putting any other famous athlete couples to shame, Colton and Aly were Instagram darlings throughout their relationship, posting swoon-worthy photos of themselves together. Admittedly, any guy who shares a photo with himself in the background and his girl front and center like Colton did gets a gold star from me. Although they were a long-distance couple training for their own sports across the country from each other, the physical separation didn't seem to prevent Aly and Colton from seeing each other often. However, reports of their breakup first appeared in June 2017, with Colton telling the Peoria Journal Star: We’re taking a break right now. We’re still good friends and talk, but all that travel had been a nightmare. It ended fine. We’re in a good place...It put a lot of pressure on us, sure, but we had fun with it. A lot of fun date nights. Those six months were great. Colton's response about his breakup definitely suggest that he's among the season's more mature men, but to be fair, Aly has yet to comment on his role on The Bachelorette. I'll save my real judgment of him once Aly shares what she thinks about her ex being on TV. It's safe to say that if she sends out her blessing, Colton could be a genuine guy worth keeping an eye on this season. Meanwhile, we have brief glimpses of Colton in the season's teaser to help us determine how he fares in the quest for Becca's heart. At one point, he makes out with Becca, and later in the preview, he tells her that he's in love with her. He claims he's a virgin too, but male model Jordan isn't too sure about that little factoid. Whether or not that's true, I'm still willing to bet that Colton makes it farther in the season than Jordan does. That means you have plenty of time to tweet a subtle statement, Aly! The Bachelorette returns on Monday, June 4, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.