Former New Orleans Linebacker among Louisiana's Top Delinquent Parents

By Julia Spalding

Published on March 06, 2006

Jackson, who spent 13 years with the New Orleans Saints and finished his career on the NFL's top 10 all-time sacks list, owes more than $134,000 in support for his 9-year-old son. According to a court order by a New Orleans Parish judge in February 1997, Jackson is required to pay $1,500 per month in child support, plus $500 per month to pay down the balance owed. The boy's mother, Valerie Stevens, says she hasn't received a payment in four years.

State child-support enforcement officials say the case, which involves a high-profile individual with the means to pay, illustrates how hard it can be to collect child support. Help might come in the form of a new Louisiana law that makes failure to pay a felony when a parent is behind for one year or by $5,000. A first offense carries a $500 fine or six-month prison term. The second offense is subject to a $2,500 fine or two years in prison.

The bill's author, Sen. Bob Kostelka, says the law is not designed to throw people in jail but rather to scare them into cooperating. One district attorney reported using the law to successfully collect $23,000 from a delinquent parent

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