Former University of Tennessee running back Travis Henry has fathered nine children by nine women in at least four Southern states and has been ordered by various judges to provide child support for seven of them, according to court records obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
DeKalb Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger this week ordered Henry to provide $3,000 a month for a boy he fathered out of wedlock three years ago with Jameshia Beacham, now 29.
Henry plays for the Denver Broncos and earns a base monthly salary approaching $50,000.
Henry, 28, isn’t the most thrifty guy, according to court records, so the judge wants to ensure payment by establishing a $250,000 trust that Henry must fund by next spring.
Seeliger wrote that the Henry displayed “bad judgment in his spending habits,” dropping $100,000 for a car and $146,000 for jewelry. Meanwhile, Henry fell behind on support payments for his child with Beacham that were mandated by a previous order. Threatened with jail, he borrowed $9,800 from his former team, the Tennessee Titans, to pay the bill, according to court records.
The trust ensures Beacham will get timely payment if the pro player falls behind on his installments again. Yet the trust could be a sticking point for Henry, who could appeal.
Henry’s lawyer, Shiel Edlin, said that to his knowledge the trust would be without precedent in Georgia. A quarter-million dollars is a lot of money, even for Henry, Edlin told the newspaper. “He has some concerns and he’s weighing his options.”
Beacham’s lawyer, Robert Wellon, said he asked that the trust be set up because Henry rarely made the payments mandated by an earlier order, though they were $800 less a month. Wellon said there was testimony establishing that Henry received a $1 million bonus earlier this year but quickly spent most of it, buying, among other things, a Mercedes and gold jewelry.
“My argument was, if he makes wise investments, other than in gold chains, then he should be able to make the payments,” Wellon told the newspaper.
Edlin, though, said Henry collected much less than $1 million after taxes, and he said much of it went to debts. “He doesn’t have any money,” Edlin said. “The guy has significant financial issues.”
Records show that Henry’s children are scattered across both the American and National Football Conferences — including Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Wellon said Henry talked about gathering them together to watch him at training camp. Indeed, part of the custody arrangement Henry reached with Beacham requires two weekend visits when he is playing football.
Edlin said Henry wants to be a good parent. “I know these are a lot of kids, and there might be some questions about it,” he said, “but he’s a really committed father.”
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Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 59
andy112382#209793 writes:
haha....oh wow, what a way to put it KingsportVol.
scvols writes:
LOL!!!!
FatherVol writes:
Sounds like someone needs a steel pair of undershorts with a padlock, if you ask me.
snafu14u#241639 writes:
What's the record? Sec and Pro, does anyone know? bonzaivol
CoverOrange writes:
Guess it got to cold in NY to snuggle. To be a good parent to all of them does he think he is going to move them all to Utah? What a maroon!
girdle1998#233171 writes:
No wonder the Titans let him go ....One more toke and he is out for a year....Can you say "vasectomy"?
agentorange writes:
sounds like a football player whose personal biznass didn't used to be news. it's disgusting that people have no privacy any more. i'm close to paying to start a site that puts reporters' personal lives online.
FWBVol writes:
If he's not paying child support it is our business. Who do you think will pay for the kid's bills if his mother can't afford to...us tax payers. I like Travis Henry as a football player, but if you don't want to be a real father, don't go around helping make babies. Travis will make more in a year than a teacher will make in 20 years. If he has $250,000 to spend on himself, he needs to take care of his kids.
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
KingsportVol...absolutely right on and hilarious!
He's got to have an STD. Didn't he get a child endangerment charge or something for fooling around with a minor when he was in Buffalo? Ever heard of Buddy Whackit who played for the Yankees?
I mean, this is something that will definitely keep his NFL fortune in check. After he gets done paying out all that child support money, he will have an average income like any middle-to-high-class income family. Go Cheese!
givm7 writes:
Henry has intellegence issues, not fanancial issues.
Great job Travis of reinforcing the classic, stereotypical image of the current day black male: stupid, irresponsible, dead-beat dads but down with the gangsta bling.
givm7 writes:
Henry has intelligence issues, not financial issues.
Great job Travis of reinforcing the classic, stereotypical image of the current day black male: stupid, irresponsible, dead-beat dads but down with the gangsta bling.
gvegasvol writes:
Look at the bright side folks...UT could have several little Travis' on their team in a few years AND just think how smart the guy is for thinking up at least 9 different names for his kids!
eb502us#225637 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
invisiblekid writes:
Since his nickname is "Cheese" I wonder what they named the kids? Maybe Cottage, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Romano, Fetta, Swiss, or Limburger. Sometimes it's easier to laugh at a truly pathetic situation than cry.
abrown#232236 writes:
He is a great ball player -- alot of heart on the field. Doesn't mean he has it together. A dumb mind and personal lack of discipline coupled with lots of ladies and financial means is a dangerous formula. Even if he straightened things out, he'd be back in debt again before long.
gvegasvol writes:
invisiblekid - GREAT post! Wish I would have thought of that!
invisiblekid writes:
Thanks Gvegas, I'll probably get scolded by someone before long on here because it is a serious issue for those kids but I couldn't help myself.
knoxtenor writes:
Poor guy! ONLY $50,000 a month in salary. "Barely" makes a million a year. It's hard to feel real sorry for him. However, it isn't hard to feel sorry for his kids, who may or may not be provided for financially, much less have such a stellar father figure. And, given Henry's mediocre performances with the Bills, the Titans, and (so far) the Broncos, I doubt these kids' "gravy train" is going to last much longer. A millionaire professional athlete can support nine children; a former pro athlete-turned-used-car salesman can't.
Though I hear there's money to be made in dogfighting...
gvegasvol writes:
jcvet - Travis thought STD stood for several touch downs so he has prided himself on his STD accomplishments!
jlange#632002 writes:
As irresponsible as Henry's actions are, note there were 9 equally irresponsible women. Could it be each figured her "career" equated to a night with Henry?
Smokey91 writes:
This is the guy who used to cross himself after every touchdown he scored for UT, not because he was catholic, but because he "thought it looked cool." I heard he was rabbit quick, but I thought they were talking about football speed. He should be the celebrity spokesman for ignorance and irresponsibility. Use the money the Broncos are giving you to buy some self-control.
ElizabethtonvolnNC writes:
Unbelievable. And regrettably sphs_ I am with you, I don't think Coker even last the season.....BUT I hope I am wrong.
txsvol#372416 writes:
Shades of Shawn Kemp (7 x 6, although possible more paternity suites are pending), the Johnny Appleseed of the NBA! Although Shaquille O'Neal once made a joke about having ten kids by nine different women, his bio shows him as the father of six by two (one of Shaunie's kids which Shaq adopted is from a previous relationship). But, NINE? Does anyone know of any more irresponsible professional athlete than Travis?
txsvol#372416 writes:
IVK, 'Cheese'---medical comment self-censored, but TH never was skunked by skanks, was he? It somehow doesn't seem right to sign off on these articles with "Go Vols!"
backwoodsvol writes:
bricker865
Couldn't have said it any better myself...
SFOrange writes:
tell me this guy did not earn a degree.
SylvesterMarcus#231107 writes:
Man, Henry really knows how to spread the seed.
suttle#564888 writes:
the real idiots are those who make any athlete someone to look up to. these guys happen to have been born hitting the athletic ability lottery - that's all most of them ever accomplished.
buxavol writes:
2 more & we'll have a team...
mdvol writes:
9 kids 9 different women, huh. I ain't sayin' she's a golddigger.....
Chainsaw writes:
I guess that explains why he doesn't have any condom companies chasing him for an endorsement deal.
flyguy#258786 writes:
No excuse for this kind of stupidity and lack of moral direction. You HAVE TO KNOW that having unprotected sex could lead to pregnancy. I'm a UT Alum and a huge Vol fan but there aren't enough words to describe my disdain for Travis Henry after reading this story...
Taylor writes:
Travis Henry is an EMBARASSMENT not only to the University of TN, the NFL, but more importantly, to himself. If buying flashy gold jewelry and expensive German imports are more important than supporting your children and being a good father, well, Travis really has his priorities screwed up (no pun intended). This is one of the saddest and most pathetic stories of a UT athlete (or any athlete for that matter) that I've ever read, heard, seen, etc.
burntorangeVOLffle writes:
" And, given Henry's mediocre performances with the Bills, the Titans, and (so far) the Broncos,.... "
Two pro-bowls with the Bills is mediocre? His overall career avg is 4.1 yds per carry.
murrayvol writes:
I have no idea what the record is for this type activity, but if you can believe Wilt Chamberlain's claim of 20,000 plus conquests over the course of his career, there had to be more than nine lanky little dunkers from those trysts.
DroopyDrawers writes:
Travis Henry is disgusting. I also remember 1998 when he carried the ball several straight time to beat the HOGS.
I agree with the judge! Also, Fulmer's staff should do a better job of evaluating these recruits and their backgrounds.
Fulmer should give these recruits personality test like Pearl and Summitt and those that don't make it, send them packing. We most definitely need to clean up the football program.
I hear that the two new freshmen from Texas have some maturity on them. Let's all hope so.
buxavol writes:
This is Fulmer's fault? He is responsible for one players lack of caring (lack of judgement obviously went out the door a long time ago with Travis!)?? I guess Fulmer's equally responsible for Leonard Little's actions that cost a human life!?
Using that logic, then Fulmer is also responsible for the Wittens, Mannings, and countless others that have gone through his program & become honest, productive citizens of their communities.
For you bashers that are keeping score, you're way behind.
thevol writes:
I hope all you guys feel proud in your judgements of situations and people you know nothing about. But, you are the same people that go to church and call yourself "christians" once a week so that makes judging other people O.K. One day you will be the one judged, hope there is more understanding and leeway when it's your time.
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
Who says anyone is judging? I just see alot of smack talk really. All people really are saying is what's on their minds.
Besides, thevol, are you Travis Henry? Are you involved with him or friends with him? Are you one of his nine kids? What's your stake in his defense?
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Look at it this way...lots of money equals a lot of daddy charges...no cop out just straight talk.
hueypilot writes:
He could just as easily be HIV positive. Maybe when he fell on his head against Vandy, he suffered some sort of permanent damage.
Spuchy writes:
To you guys attacking Christian posters who are being "judgemental"....stick it! Ever hear of accountability? I believe everyone's stating the obvious...what's wrong with that?
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
Amen.
Colliervol writes:
Pitiful. But this isn't isolated to Travis. It's a fact of life in the U.S. these days. (I think something like 80% of the kids born in Memphis are born out-of-wedlock. You should check out the "Births" section in the newspaper sometime. Very enlightening.)
Also, an interesting question about who Fulmer (and other coaches) should recruit. On one hand, you don't want what we had going on in 2004-2005, but, if you stop recruiting kids with questionable backgrounds, you run the risk of being Vanderbilt. Coaches these days have to ride a pretty fine line. There aren't many schools around that can have it both ways and maintain a winning program.
invisiblekid writes:
Probably for the best to show some self restraint on any more "Cheese" comments TxsVol hahaha. Although I must say that I believe Chainsaw hit upon a good idea. Who better to be a spokesperson for the contraceptive companies than some of these professional athletes? I can imagine the commercials now: " Hi, I'm -insert player name here-, I was hit with 19 paternity suits before the age of 30 and decided to do something about it. That's when I started using brand X condoms. Since then, the only thing keeping me out of the end zone is the defense."
GreerVol22 writes:
Everyone wants to bring religon into the argument. It has absolutely nothing to do with Travis Henry. If it did, he would have one wife, a couple of kids , and a heck of a lot more money. Hank Hill said it best, "Dammit Bobby, you just can stick that thing anywhere."
GreerVol22 writes:
jkill and lemp, by the way, I'm pretty sure Fulmer doesn't sit in the living room with a recruit, parents present, and ask him, "So Hot Shot, how do yo feel about unprotected sex?"
Colliervol writes:
Good one Greervol with the Hank Hill analogy. Another one might be that "you can take the kid out of the hood......" Disagree on one point though. Along with the general culture that he comes from, it certainly has something to do with Travis Henry and his lack of self-control (along with the baby mamas).
invisiblekid writes:
TheVol, nice post. I find it interesting that you scold "all you guys" for being judgemental about someone we don't know and in the next sentence insinuate that everyone who has posted are essentially hypocrites. And by everyone, I mean all the anonymous nicknames of people you have never met here on an internet board. I believe that the situation can be described as a paradox.
Colliervol writes:
Good points IVK. I may not know a lot but I know for certain it is not hypocritical to point out that Travis Henry is contributing negatively to what might be the major issue facing the black family in today's society. (A lot of other issues that folks don't think about start with this problem.) Nobody has to "judge" Travis. His actions speak volumes about his character.
And, sphs, to add to your comment, I saw an obituary in the paper the other day for a young man who died at age 30 and it listed 8 children with seven different last names (only one of which was his last name). If people don't think this is a huge problem, they have their heads buried deep in the sand.
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