If you want to know how an NFL player who made over $25+ million in his career can end up $400k behind in child support and alimony, let’s break it down via The New Orleans Advocate.
Former Saints player Robert Meachem began serving a 30-day jail sentence Monday, having failed to pay nearly $400,000 in child support and alimony owed to his ex-wife.
The legal saga dates back to 2014, when Rhodes and Meachem separated after nearly six years of marriage. They finalized a divorce in 24th Judicial District Court in 2015, agreeing to share custody of the children.
A domestic court hearing officer in November calculated that Meachem owed $588,000 to Rhodes in alimony and child support, of which he had paid only about $200,000. The officer suggested that Adams find Meachem to be in contempt of court.
Adams endorsed the hearing officer’s suggestion on Jan. 6 and gave Meachem until Jan. 20 to pull himself out of contempt by paying the $388,019 he still owed.
Meachem missed the deadline. Three days later, Rhodes’ attorneys moved for her ex-husband to “be immediately imprisoned until support payments are made,” as called for by Louisiana law.
One could argue that if he is in jail she will never get her money, but that is an argument for social media.
If you are wondering what happened to all Robert Meachem’s millions, it is a familiar tale.
Meachem testified that he believed his inattentiveness to his bank balances had allowed a former officer of one of his charitable foundations to steal much of his money from him.
He also said he had given power of attorney and access to his funds to an assistant who had been taking hundreds of thousands of dollars out of his accounts without his knowledge or direction, though he stopped short of calling it theft.
His Ex-Wife is also trying to get the judge to bar him from accessing any money he would received as a retired NFL player.
Good times.
Flip the page for a photo of the former Mrs. Meachem….
