Terrell Owens Could Face Jail Time For Falling Behind On Child-Support Payments After Declaring Bankruptcy

For all the criticism that former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens has faced over his career, the one redeeming quality his fans cited is that the player has never been in trouble with the police. That could be changing with the news that Owens is $20,000 behind on his child support payments and now could face jail time if he can't pay up soon, according to WSBTV in Atlanta.

Owens failed to show up for a court hearing yesterday that was supposed to sort out the issue with Melanie Smith, the mother of Owens' 7-year-old daughter. Although T.O.'s attorney claimed it was his fault his client didn't show up due to communication problems, the judge delayed the case until July 19. If Owens doesn't appear at that time, he could be headed to jail.

Smith and her attorney argued Owens owes her $5,000 each month. It's a sum he allegedly has not paid in some time.

Owens, who bounced around the league after spending more than one-half his career with the San Francisco 49ers, hasn't played in the NFL since his short stint with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010. For a short time, however, he played for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. The controversy that has surrounded Owens for his entire career finally caught up to him as the Wranglers cut Owens reportedly because he failed to show up for an off-field team function.

The former receiver has Hall-of-Fame caliber numbers, but his constant feuds with teammates and celebrations that have irked media are seen as major threats that could keep him out of the football shrine.

In May, Owens made headlines after appearing on the Dr. Phil television show with three women with whom he fathered children. You can watch a clip of the show below this article. Owens has four children.

Shortly after the Dr. Phil interview aired, Owens claimed during an interview that much of the millions of dollars he earned during his NFL career was either stolen or mismanaged. He filed for bankruptcy this year after reportedly paying an annual sum of $240,000 for each child.