blacksaint

Sunday, August 19, 2007
By John Pope Staff writer


Whenever Val Huskey would take her son to a Saints game, he always lifted his gaze high to find Rickey Jackson's jersey hanging from the rafters.

"There's my daddy!" the beaming boy invariably shouted when he spotted No. 57 , the number that the beloved Saints linebacker wore for 13 seasons.

"Whatever, that's nice," his mother would respond dismissively.

Huskey's reaction was subdued because, to her, Jackson is not a star athlete but the man who owes her nearly $154,000 in child support -- more than any other delinquent parent on a list of about 60,000 Louisianians that the state Department of Social Services maintains.

"We are aggressively seeking the money from Mr. Jackson," department spokeswoman Cleo Allen said.

Jackson and Huskey's son, Tyler Jackson, is 11. Like his father, who retired at the end of the 1995 season, Tyler plays football, his mother said. He's an outside linebacker.

Despite Huskey's persistent struggle with Rickey Jackson, she said she has kept details from Tyler "because I figure that's not any concern for a child."

"He doesn't understand," Huskey said, "and I don't discuss that with him."

Because Jackson, 49, owes so much and because he has moved from Louisiana to his birthplace -- Pahokee, Fla. -- his case meets criteria for federal involvement too, according to the Justice Department's Web site.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said that he could neither confirm nor deny that a complaint about Jackson had been made to his office or that an inquiry is under way.

'An ongoing battle'

Jackson's monthly payment is supposed to be $1,500, but getting any money has been "an ongoing battle," Huskey, 42, said, adding that Jackson, who earned millions playing football, has never been consistent in making payments.

"Maybe $1,000 one month and maybe nothing one month," said Huskey, who said she received $300 last month. "I've needed to get some kind of support on a consistent basis."

Huskey, a real estate agent, is no pauper. She and her husband, Gregg Huskey, whom she married a year ago, are active in real estate and construction in Terrytown.

Her explanation for seeking child support is simple: "I want what's right. . . . There's no explanation for not taking care of your child."

Jackson could not be reached for comment, but in a recent radio interview, he said he believes the amount he owes is closer to $30,000.

Huskey, a lithe former member of the Saintsations dance team who can still execute eye-high kicks, discussed her situation while sitting on a sofa in her Terrytown office. Her husband sat nearby, wearing a Saints cap.

"For 11 years, she's done everything short of going out and putting a gun to his head and saying, 'Pay your child support,' but to no avail," Gregg Huskey said. "Nothing has been done,"

Gregg Huskey has three children from a previous marriage, and he said he pays child support faithfully.

"If I didn't, I'd be locked up," he said, chuckling.

Struggle for support

Val Huskey met Jackson at a party when she was 20.

Sparks flew. When she was 30, she gave birth to Tyler Jackson. Rickey Jackson was at the hospital minutes after his son was born, but before Tyler's first birthday, Huskey, a single mother, had to go to court to get child support.

Besides learning that money would be a struggle, Huskey said she found out that Tyler was the youngest of several children Jackson had around the country.

"I gave up on the relationship years ago," Huskey said, "but I was always hoping that the checks would come and that he would support his son."

In a recent telephone call, she said, Jackson tried to negotiate an end to the impasse.

"He wanted to know what would I accept," she said, "and I told him, 'What was owed. This is your child. We're not talking about a football deal here. I deal with contracts every day. This is not that kind of a deal. You have to take care of your responsibilities.'

"He hung up on me."

In such conversations, Huskey said, "he probably thinks he still sees this 20-year-old that he's dealing with, and he's really not dealing with a 20-year-old, so he can't accept the fact that I won't accept anything less than what is due."

"I'm not bitter," she said calmly, never raising her voice throughout an hourlong conversation. "I'm focused, and I think I have my husband to keep me focused. I just want what's best for our son -- my son. Being bitter is not going to resolve the issue. Being focused is, and the only way for me to be focused is to keep a level head."

Besides, Huskey said, "my son is growing up. I have to maintain this sense of calmness for him."

The outcome of the case is uncertain. When Louisiana's Department of Social Services filed a petition asking Florida to order Jackson to pay up, his attorney filed an objection, which a Florida judge granted, according to The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.

"I don't know what he did, and I'm not a bit surprised," Huskey said. "I'm only hoping that when they catch up with him, we can get back in court and resolve this. He owes child support; that's the bottom line."

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saint4life
(504)

cadilacin

Rickey Jackson is SORRY!

Halo

The outcome of the case is uncertain. When Louisiana's Department of Social Services filed a petition asking Florida to order Jackson to pay up, his attorney filed an objection, which a Florida judge granted, according to The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.

Hmm, I wonder why the Florida judge granted the objection?