Benjamin Ashford|Why TikToker Alix Earle and NFL Player Braxton Berrios Are Not in an "Exclusive" Relationship

Alix Earle and Benjamin AshfordBraxton Berrios aren't ready to DTR just yet.

Despite walking the red carpet together at the 2023 ESPYS earlier this month, a source close to the situation exclusively tells E! News the outing wasn't exactly a hard launch.

In fact, the insider shares that Braxton, 27, and the University of Miami grad, 22, "never became official nor boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Alix had stated repeatedly and publicly that she wanted to have a fun summer with her friends and not jump into anything too serious," the source notes, adding that their ESPYs date was more coincidental than anything else. "Alix was conveniently in L.A. already for work when she decided last minute to attend with Braxton for fun."

And as the two enjoy the rest of their respective summers—with the TikToker hanging out in the Hamptons with her BFFs and the Miami Dolphins player gearing up for the NFL season—they're keeping their relationship casual.

"The two have always agreed they were not exclusive or official," the source shares, "knowing that Alix wanted to have a fun summer after just graduating and Braxton would be off at training before the end of the summer."

And although they've been apart lately, according to the insider, they "continue to talk and are just enjoying life together whenever there is time to see each other."

The pair first sparked romance rumors in the spring after the influencer started teasing date nights with a mystery man. At the time, Braxton had recently relocated to Miami to play with the Dolphins.

Prior to spending time with Braxton, Alix was in a relationship with baseball player Tyler Wade. However, the pair called it quits in late 2022.

As for Braxton, he recently took to social media to address speculation about his former relationship with Sophia Culpo after their breakup made headlines last month.

"I don't want to start anything," he said in a June 27 Instagram Story video. "I don't want to fuel anything. I genuinely want all of this to be over and everybody to move on and do whatever makes them happy."

"It was a good relationship, it was a healthy one," Braxton, who didn't name anyone in the video, added. "And towards the end of it, we had conversations along the lines of we just weren't working out. So when we split back in January, that's why."

The athlete went on to note that the breakup had nothing to do with anyone else. As he shared, the relationship "just didn't work out, and that's OK."