Terrell Owens falls behind on child support. Again.

A parent who repeatedly and consistently neglects to make child support payments only gets away with it for so long. Many times, a delinquent parent will ultimately face jail time for their negligence. While a punishment can be effective, it is the child who ends up suffering the most. Without proper child support payments from a non-custodial parent, a custodial parent may have difficulty making ends meet and a child may have to go without certain things.

Protecting a child’s best interest is the most important part of parenting. Many custodial parents feel frustrated and angered when they do not receive the appropriate child support payments. They are not alone. Parents all across the country find themselves struggling to collect this money. Taking legal action against a negligent parent is an effective way of getting the financial support necessary.

Recently, the mother of one of former NFL star Terrell Owens’ children filed her third claim in one year against Owens. She asserts that despite an agreement to pay her $5,000 per month, Owens has fallen behind for six months and now owes her $20,000.

Adding insult to injury, Owens failed to show up at a recent child support hearing, so there was no immediate resolution. The judge, angered by the wide receiver’s absence, rescheduled the hearing and stated that if Owens misses the rescheduled date, he will be looking at jail time.

Understandably, the mother in this case is very upset. She has had to file a claim against Owens three times in one year alone. He continually falls behind on payments, and she relies on that money to support her child. Her hope is that Owens will be a responsible parent can start making payments every month, and in full.

While some have felt sympathetic for Owens, who has not played professional football since 2010 when he suffered a knee injury, this latest incident has been the last straw for some. He has repeatedly missed payments and court dates. It seems as though every few months, Owens comes close to being sentenced to jail time, but every time he has narrowly escaped this punishment. Could this latest incident be his last shot?

Source: ESPN, “Report: Terrell Owens missed hearing,” July 13, 2012