In late March, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman found himself embroiled in a pretty serious legal battle. As a result of his alleged refusal to pay spousal support to his ex-wife, Michelle, Rodman faced the very real possibility of jail time. His attorney in that lawsuit, Linnea Willis, came out and (according to court papers) indicated that his client was having legitimate financial difficulties.
As noted by the ESPN:
"Respondent Dennis Rodman is broke and cannot afford any additional fees," documents filed on his behalf by his attorney Linnea Willis say.
His lawyer claims Rodman has been able to pay support recently only by borrowing money from his finance manager, Peggy Williams, and his agent, Darren Prince.
"In all honesty, Dennis, although a very sweet person, is an alcoholic," Williams said, according to the Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa, Calif. "His sickness impacts his ability to get work. This case, especially his wife filing for divorce, has put him on a binge that I have never seen before. He is extremely hurt and extremely sick. He is often unable to obtain work because of this sickness. And his sickness is getting increasingly worse.
"Dennis cannot afford his own monthly expenses. If the court awards attorney fees, it is setting Dennis up to be in contempt because you cannot get blood from a turnip."
That was about two weeks ago. Now, however, Rodman is coming out on record and insisting that he’s neither broke nor sick. Here is what the former NBA superstar had to say on the Today Show this week:
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As good as it is to hear that Rodman is actually doing better than we originally believed, it’s somewhat odd that he’s coming out and defending himself from charges made by his attorney.
It was Rodman’s own people that made the case for him not being able to afford his third wife’s financial demands because of his dire financial and health standing. So really, any which way you want to look at it, the notion that some rumor-mongering third party folks are making up lies about him is a little crazy.
Again, this isn't a case of some random person coming out and falsely saying: "Dennis Rodman has a cocaine addiction." This is a case of his own people reportedly saying he has an alcohol problem, and then him coming out two weeks later and saying that all is good.
That being said, we’d expect nothing less from Dennis Rodman or his reps.
(Kudos to Larry Brown Sports for the find)
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The best part of that inerview is Dennis Rodman trying to slip in that he didn't make the same type of money as Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. Real slick excuse there.
Complex had a piece where they said $50,000,000 was his career earnings.
Cry me a river.