A former NFL cornerback recently signed a contract with an NFL team to place him back on an NFL payroll and aid with child support obligations. The 32-year old football player was recently due in Florida family court concerning his child support obligations but did not appear. His outstanding child support issues and failure to appear led to a warrant for his arrest being issued. but the warrant was withdrawn once he made a child support payment of an undisclosed amount.
The $3 million, one-year NFL deal, helped the football player satisfy outstanding child support obligations. He was ordered to pay $4,000 a month in child support beginning in January to the mother of his oldest child but had failed to do so. According to a representative for the football player, he was concerned that the child support would not be properly utilized, and believed the child, who was in his custody from 2009 until the beginning of last year, would be better off with him. The football player reportedly has 12 children with 8 different women, including 4 children with his wife.
Failure to pay required child support can lead to serious consequences, including potential jail time in some circumstances, as well as additional consequences most parents likely wish to avoid. The family law process realizes that parents may experience difficulty both collecting, and receiving, child support, which is why it provides options to help parents in a variety of child support-related circumstances. Child support modifications may be possible in certain circumstances, but it is important to work with the family court to resolve child support-related issues rather than to try to solve them without the aid of the legal process or to ignore them altogether.
Parents and families may find themselves in a variety of different situations as time goes on, so it is helpful for them to understand the family law resources available to help them address their needs and concerns. Parents should also always remember to keep in mind the importance of child support for their children and that legal resources are available to help them.
Source: New York Post, “Antonio Cromartie’s contract saves him from arrest,” Mark W. Sanchez, Aug. 23, 2016