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Jamal Lewis arrested for failing to pay child support

Jamal Lewis

This photo released by Clayton County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, shows former NFL running back Jamal Lewis. Clayton County Sheriff’s said Lewis was charged with child abandonment, a misdemeanor. He was released from a Georgia jail on Wednesday, Aug. 1 after he was arrested for allegedly not paying child support. Lewis retired in 2009 after nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. (AP Photo/Clayton County Sheriff’s Office)

AP

Former NFL running back Jamal Lewis was arrested on Tuesday in his native Georgia for failing to pay child support.

Lewis was charged with child abandonment, booked into jail late on Tuesday night and released shortly after midnight Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

The arrest warrant says that in addition to failing to live up to his financial obligations as a father, Lewis has also failed to do anything at all for his son, and they’ve had no contact for more than a year. This isn’t Lewis’s first brush with the law: He spent most of the 2005 offseason in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges.

Lewis filed for bankruptcy this year, claiming he couldn’t pay his debts even though he had more than $14 million in assets and only (only?) $10 million in debts.

Lewis played for the Ravens from 2000 to 2006 and for the Browns from 2007 to 2009. His 10,607 rushing yards rank 21st in NFL history, and his 2,066-yard season in 2003 is the second most prolific rushing season in NFL history.