According to records from Michigan’s Macomb County Circuit Court, NFL center Dominic Raiola owes two months’ worth of child support to the mother of his 5-year-old son. Raiola, who has played with the Detroit Lions since joining the NFL in 2001, never married the child’s mother but the couple was reportedly engaged in “an intimate relationship” for several years.
After the woman gave birth in 2007, Raiola and his son’s mother reportedly signed an agreement that required the NFL star to make monthly payments $1,907.09 in child care costs until the child reaches the age of 12 and $14,526.35 in child support until he turns 18. Additionally, Raiola was ordered to pay for a life insurance policy for the child and provide him with medical benefits. Although the couple executed an affidavit of parentage in 2010 that confirmed Raiola as the child’s father, he has never publicly acknowledged any children other than the three he has fathered with his wife.
According to a motion filed with the circuit court, Raiola has failed to make payments for November and December, meaning that he owes approximately $29,000 in delinquent payments. Raiola signed a four-year, $20 million contract extension with the Lions in 2009. Although he is guaranteed at least $9 million by 2013, it is unclear whether he has the financial resources to cover his late payments. Reporters were unable to reach him with question regarding the complaint against him. Likewise, the woman’s attorney and representatives with the Detroit Lions declined requests for comment.
Raiola typically avoids media attention, though he made headlines in 2010 when video footage showed him making an obscene gesture and cursing at a fan of an opposing team. He was also recently in the news when he angrily responded to an anonymous NFL GM who criticized the Lions’ management in an online football publication.
Source: Detroit News, “Detroit Lions’ Dominic Raiola behind on child support,” Serena Maria Daniels, Dec. 18, 2012