Former NFL linebacker Clint Session has a daughter who was born with several developmental disabilities, and the mother of the young girl claims Session does next to nothing to help care for her.
According to court documents that were examined by Kyle Swenson of the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, the child’s mother, Davia Bradshaw, has been wrapped up in ongoing legal battles with Session for three years. The couple’s daughter, Ashton, suffers from cerebral palsy, encephalopathy, and a brain defect. She is unable to walk, nearly blind and cannot eat normal foods. The cost of Ashton’s care is very expensive, and Bradshaw claims Session lost interest in his relationship with her while she was pregnant with the child.
Court documents say Session paid Bradshaw $75,100 between April 2012 and December 2014. The payments allegedly came in “erratic bundles,” and Bradshaw wanted to establish a more consistent pay schedule. She took Session to court, and the former Indianapolis Colts linebacker claimed he was broke and did not even bring a lawyer.
What was really happening was some financial sleight of hand. Bradshaw’s legal team subpoenaed Session’s bank records and hired a forensic accountant, which revealed that between October 2011 and November 2012, before Ashton’s birth and the developmental issues came to light, Session had handed over $5.1 million to his parents — “an attempt,” in the words of Judge Arthur Birken, “to circumvent and specifically intended to avoid paying his proper child support obligation.”
But that didn’t mean Session didn’t have access to funds. In April 2014, the former NFLer dropped $850,000 on a home in Indianapolis, forked over $34,820 for a Mercedes for his new girlfriend, gave $20,000 to a church, and spent $17,521 on a Sub-Zero refrigerator, apparently for the smoothie business, Raw Juice, that Session owns and runs in Indianapolis. “At no time did the Respondent/Father explain where, for what and whom these monies came,” the judge wrote.
Session, who last played in the NFL in 2012, was frequently late to court sessions and sometimes didn’t show up. In February, he was ordered to pay $120,256 in back child support payments — in installments of $2,000 a month — in addition to $6,900 in regular monthly payments. Bradshaw claims session has only given her $1,000 each month this year, and the two are heading back to court.
Ashton uses a wheelchair and needs a back brace to be able to stand up. She needs help in every aspect of life, including going to the bathroom.
“If this had been a normal child and we were just fighting for money, I would have thrown in the white flag a long time ago,” Bradshaw explained. “But she has disabilities. No one else, not even my closest friends or family, is going to step up for her, because it’s a lot of responsibility.”
Even if Session couldn’t afford the payments (and a court obviously believes he can), it’s despicable that he wouldn’t help care for a child that clearly needs all the help she can get. Hopefully a resolution that makes Ashton’s quality of life as high as possible can be reached.
H/T Deadspin
