Cincinnati Bengals lineman Devon Still said on Wednesday that allegations he hadn't paid child support for his cancer-stricken daughter since August were untrue.
Channing Smythe, the mother of 4-year-old Leah Still and Still's former girlfriend, said in a New York Daily News article that she and Leah were living with a friend to avoid being homeless. Smythe is being represented by Gloria Allred and the lawyer delivered a letter to the NFL on Tuesday asking if Still was in violation of the league's personal conduct policy.
Leah Still was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in June. Her upbeat attitude and relationship with her father became a story that crossed sports lines when the league was in need of positive headlines earlier this season. Sales of Devon Still's jersey have raised more than a million dollars for cancer research.
“I don’t consider him a deadbeat dad,” Smythe told the paper. “I know he loves and cares for his daughter and he is there for her. I just need him to help me financially.”
Leah Still, who lives in Delaware with her mother, attended a Bengals game earlier this month
Here's what Devon Still said about the allegations in a statement released by the team:
“My daughter’s battle with cancer has been inspirational to many all over the world. When she gets older I want her to be able to look back and read about her positive impact on the world, not about the private issues her parents were going through. I am not going to retaliate against the mother of my daughter, and the untruthful reports in the New York Daily News article, by criticizing her character. I am going to continue to allow the court system to handle this matter, as it has been doing the past couple of months.”Still has been present during his daughter's fight, traveling from Cincinnati to Delaware for her treatments. He has also obviously been involved in raising awareness for her cause.
But according to Smythe and Allred's allegations, Still is not getting it done on the money side.
From the NYDN:
Allred’s letter said Still has paid some child support in the past. The letter also said Smythe has a family law attorney who recently demanded that Still immediately pay his outstanding child support. Still, who is expected to earn about $570,000 for the 2014 season, then allegedly called Smythe and told her he would not pay any amount at all and would see her in court.
“I have an outstanding medical bill for Leah for an ambulance for her,” Smythe said in her declaration. “I have been unable to pay the ambulance bill, and it is not covered under insurance. If I were receiving child support for Leah I would be able to pay this bill, but since Leah’s father is refusing to provide child support I am unable to pay the bill for the ambulance.”
According to the newspaper, Still and Smythe broke up after Leah was born in 2010.
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