Former major league baseball player Troy Neel was arrested earlier this month by federal agents as he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Sydney, Australia. Neel has been charged in a Texas federal court with foreign travel to evade child support obligations. He potentially faces a two year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. That’s some pretty intense child support enforcement.

Neel played first base and designated hitter for the Oakland A’s from 1992 to 1994. He then played for six seasons in Japan, ending his career there in 2000. In 1998, Neel was ordered by a Texas court to pay $5,000 a month to his ex-wife for the support of their two children.

According to the indictment, which was sealed until Neel’s arrest, Neel moved to the South Pacific island country of Vanuatu in 2000. Neel and his new wife own a 16 acre island and run a 21-room resort on that island. He was forced to leave Vanuatu and return to the United States because of an expired passport.

During his eight year stay in Vanuatu, Neel paid no (or possibly only partial) child support and now owes over $700,000 in back support. The current charges have been pending since a grand jury issued the indictment in 2005.

Neel’s lawyers told the media that Neel “loves his kids and wants to do the right thing.” They claim that Neel made some partial payments but simply couldn’t afford the $5,000 per month obligation. They have now filed a motion to modify the child support judgment. They also stated that the resort was not a money maker and is now in receivership. The Texas State Attorney General’s office did not comment on the statements of Neel’s lawyers.

Here’s my two cents on this (without, obviously, knowing both sides of the entire story): I presume Neel hasn’t seen his kids in the eight years he’s been living on an island in the South Pacific. So, I guess I’m not buying the “loves his kids and wants to do the right thing” line from the lawyers. Guys who want to do the right thing will fight tooth and nail to maintain a relationship with their children, to enforce custody and visitation orders. And, if he could afford even a down payment on a 16 acre island, he could afford to send an attorney to court to file a motion to modify a child support judgment. He should have done it eight years ago. (In some states, the modification process has even been streamlined so that substantial attorney’s fees can be avoided.)

If your circumstances change and you can no longer even come close to affording your child support, you ask the court to modify it. “Good guys” don’t disappear to tropical islands and ignore their responsibilities (or their children). So, there you have it. My opinion. Worth exactly two cents, I guess.