Dennis Rodman, the outrageously colorful former NBA star, has been sentenced to 104 hours of community service after a judge found him in contempt for non-payment of child support. His legal battles with ex-wife Michelle Rodman began back in 2004, when she filed for divorce.
Back then, his child support payments for two children were around $50,000, due in part because he was a hugely paid athlete. Now that his glory days have been tarnished with drugs and an arrest record, the paychecks aren’t quite what they used to be, and Rodman says he just couldn’t keep up. His financial advisor, Peggy Williams, says the fact that he is an alcoholic lent to his money problems and that he blew insane amounts of money on a lavish lifestyle and partying.
“In all honesty, Dennis, although a very sweet person, is an alcoholic,” said Williams. “His sickness impacts his ability to get work.”
Michelle Rodman’s lawyers claim he owes more than $800,000 in backpay for his children, but for now he will have to make reduced monthly payments of $4,500 on time in order to avoid further charges; he’s on probation for three years. The judge wants him to use his athletic skills to work with kids during his community service, and Rodman seems happy to do it.
Rodman seems to be making an effort to turn things around, playing basketball for teams in Asia and Europe. He rose to fame in the ’90s while playing for the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, but later became more famous for what he did off the court than on.
