Sad, Sick, Broke Rodman Owes $800K in Back Child Support

It's a story we've seen all too many times. A famous athlete divorces his wife either during his playing career, or just a few years removed from it while the endorsement opportunities are still rolling in. The athlete gets tagged for child support and/or alimony payments that are in line with a level of income that dwindles significantly within a few years. The famous athlete then gets way, way behind on those payments. Toss in a hard-partying lifestyle, way too many appearances at way too many pathetic public events, and you have the case of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.

Calling Rodman "broke" and "extremely sick," Dennis' attorneys (working pro bono) are arguing in court that he is unable to keep up with his own living expenses, much less those of his ex-wife. Here's the sad tale, from the Los Angeles Times:

Rodman is behind in his payments and faces a court hearing Tuesday in Orange. He faces up to 20 days in jail for failure to pay spousal and child support, according to an attorney for his ex-wife. As of March 1, Rodman, 51, owed $808,935 in back child support for the 9- and 10-year-old children that he had with his third wife, Michelle Rodman, said her attorney, Jack Kayajanian, in court documents.

Rodman also owed $51,441 through March 1 in back spousal support, Kayajanian alleged in court documents.

Rodman's attorney, Linnea Willis, did not specify in the documents what she meant by "sick." It's unclear if Dennis is suffering from some sort of malady, is broken up by the burden of his debts, or if she's referring to the "well-documented drinking problem" his manager told ABC News about on Tuesday. What is clear is that this is just sad, sad, sad. More