Travis Henry is only 30 years old. He played in the NFL from 2001 through 2007 for the Bills, Titans and Broncos. He was suspended during the summer of 2008 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, having tested positive for marijuana on more than one occasion. On September 20, 2008, Henry and an associate were arrested in Montana by federal agents and charged as part of an alleged cocaine trafficking ring. Henry has been described as the “ruthless money guy” in the operation.

At a court appearance on the drug charges this week, Henry was granted permission to travel to Georgia in November for a child support hearing. He has apparently asked the Georgia court to modify a 2007 child support order which obligates him to pay $3,000 per month for the support of his four year old son and to set up a $250,000 trust for the child. The trust was apparently ordered because Henry had fallen behind on payments several times in the past, even having to borrow money from his then-employer, the Tennessee Titans, to pay at one point. (And this was while he was still making the big bucks.)

At the time of the 2007 order, Henry was still playing under the terms of an almost $25 million contract. Now he is unemployed and fighting federal charges which could bring a life sentence.

When the 2007 child support order hit the media last year, so did records filed in that case which revealed that Henry has nine children by nine different mothers in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. (Did I mention that he’s only 30 years old?!) He is apparently under court order to pay child support to at least seven of these kids. It will be interesting to see how the various judges look at Henry’s eventual motions to modify those various child support orders. His income-producing abilities at this point are few and far between because of the suspension, the drug charges and his restrictive bond conditions. While courts are hesitant to reduce child support obligations to zero when the paying parent is out of work, the incarceration and suspension situations, while created by Henry’s behavior, are unusual.

Also See:

• Paternity Suits and Pro Athletes: the List