Robert Meachem Jailed for Failure to Pay Child Support and Alimony

Former New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers wide receiver Robert Meachem is serving a 30-day sentence in jail after not paying "nearly $400,000 in child support and alimony owed to his ex-wife," according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of the New Orleans Advocate.

Meachem will serve the full sentence unless he pays Andrea Rhodes, his ex-wife and the mother of his two children, a minimum of $100,000.

According to Vargas, a domestic court determined in November that Meachem owed Rhodes approximately $588,000 and had only paid $200,000. That court suggested he be held in contempt of court.

Judge Adrian Adams of Jefferson Parish's 24th Judicial District Court agreed with that assessment and gave Meachem until Jan. 20 to pay the amount he owed.

Meachem missed the deadline and was jailed.

He had previously claimed in court that he suspected a former officer from one of his charitable organizations, Tonya Adkism, had siphoned money from him and that one of his assistants, Tomeka Tovell—to whom he gave power of attorney and access to his finances—"has been withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his accounts without his knowledge or direction," per Chad Calder of the New Orleans Advocate.

Rhodes' attorney countered that Meachem's child support and alimony payments were established after the financial problems began and after Meachem had already agreed to pay $20,000 per month.

Meachem, who spent six years with the Saints (2008-11, 2013-14) and one season with the Chargers (2012) hasn't played in the NFL the past two seasons.