Former National Football League wide receiver Andre Rison used to make headlines for his impressive offensive plays with teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs. Though his professional sports career ended more than a decade ago, Rison has once again found himself in the news, but this time for a very different reason. Phoenix residents may have read that Rison is being pursued by the justice system for failing to stay current on his child support obligation.
Rison allegedly owes around $300,000 in delinquent payments and restitution for his child support obligations. In 2013 he was ordered to begin paying $1,000 per month to begin chipping away at that large sum, but Rison’s current income level may prevent him from doing so. According to the former football player, his income from working as a high school football coach is less than $10,000 per year and the NFL provides him with $3,300 per month in disability benefits.
As a result of his child support payment deficiencies, Rison plans to turn himself into authorities in response to a warrant that a judge was expected to issue for his arrest.
This story presents a very clear picture of the challenges that parents can face when they are expected to pay child support at a level that their economic means cannot support.
Prior posts on this Arizona family law blog have discussed the ways in which child support modifications may assist parents who are in situations like Rison’s. Modifications to existing child support orders can lower the amount that a parent owes to accommodate their diminishing income levels, or the changes in financial need presented by the kids that they support. As he faces this child support enforcement battle, Rison and his legal representatives may look for ways of modifying his outstanding obligation to make it more feasible for him to pay down the child support that he owes.
Source: ESPN.com, “Andre Rison calls legal troubles ‘big nasty hurdle,'” Aug. 11, 2016
