It seems that the paternity drama isn’t quite over for Tristan Thompson.
The athlete did his best to wash his hands of Maralee Nichols’ baby. He worked hard to discredit her in court — despite admitting to having an ongoing affair with her, he claimed it was impossible that the baby could be his. (He even went so low as to accuse her of having an STD in the legal proceedings.) But of course, the paternity test didn’t lie, and he was forced to own up to fathering the child.
Related: Maralee Nichols Shares HER Side Of The Story — And First Pic Of Her Child!
Once the news was out, he released a statement saying (in part):
“Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols. I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that a paternity test has been established I look forward to amicably raising our son.”
Well, it’s been a month since this statement, and surprise, surprise: apparently the 30-year-old has NOT taken full responsibility, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of raising his son going on, either. A representative for Maralee told Entertainment Tonight:
“Despite news reports stating otherwise, Tristan Thompson has done nothing to support their son. He has not made any attempt to meet their son nor has he provided any financial assistance.”
Oh, no…
Maralee’s statement comes on the heels of a report from The Sun that estimated the NBA star would be paying a pretty penny in child support to his three baby mommas, Jordan Craig, Khloé Kardashian, and Maralee. Family lawyer Bryan Konoski explained to the outlet:
“He is paying out the nose for these kids! With his base salary, his take home is probably about half, so let’s say $5 million. Now reduce that by $1.5 million. Paying $40,000 per child per month, that is $1.5million annually in child support. If he is paying $40,000 to Marlee and Jordan he is doing the same for Khloé. He wouldn’t have been able to get it reduced because she is worth more.”
Related: Tristan Shares Sweet Smiling Shot With Daughter True Amidst Paternity Problems
Regardless of what specific sum the court ordered the basketball player to pay, it seems pretty significant that he hasn’t paid anything yet. Though in fairness, the baby is less than three months old, and the paternity situation was only sorted out a month ago. It’s obviously not too late to step up and get in front of those payments.
But the fact that he also hasn’t made any attempt to meet his son is pretty heartbreaking. We hate to think of this child growing up with all this drama hanging over his head. We hope for his sake Tristan turns things around and actually fulfills his promise to be a responsible co-parent.
[Image via E!/YouTube & Maralee Nichols/Instagram]