Chris Bosh breaks his silence, releases statement

Having to wrangle ordeals with the court of public opinion is never a welcome venture to say the least; it’s especially difficult for millionaire superstar athletes who rarely tend to receive much sympathy from the average person. When the story broke earlier this week about Chris Bosh and his child that his ex-girlfriend gave birth, with only one side of the story to report, Bosh’s first foray into this complicated, at times brutal realm of public critique did not look too promising.

But now Bosh’s side have broken their silence, making their stance known in hopes of mitigating some of the damage already done. According to Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail:

Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh began legal proceedings in October to support his then-unborn daughter, according to a Dallas lawyer.

On Oct. 3, 2008, six weeks after he split with the baby's mother, Allison Mathis, Bosh filed a petition in a Dallas court to begin arranging custody and financial support of the child. In the event Bosh and Mathis could not come to a written agreement, the petition asked the court "to make orders for support of the child" and "provide for appropriate access to the child for both parties."

When subsequent testing confirmed his paternity, Bosh filed an amendment to his original petition on Jan. 30, again requesting an order to cover off care, custody and support for their daughter in the absence of a mutual agreement.

By then, Trinity Myers Bosh had been born.

Throughout the article Bosh and the team of people representing him were trying to paint a picture of Chris Bosh as the role model that he’s presented himself as for his entire NBA career, as opposed to the “deadbeat dad” label he received this week in the media.

Larry Hance, Bosh’s lawyer, commented that "The dispute is about what amount of money should that support be, should it be some amount that meets the needs of the child or should it be something more?”

"I can say, from his position, he has been willing to pay a reasonable and generous amount to more than cover the needs of the child."

And Bosh also made a statement after the Raptors win last night, continuing to maintain that he never intended to avoid his responsibilities. "I just wanted to get everything sorted out, that's all I can say," Bosh said last night after the Raptors' 115-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "I took the initiative because I know how things are. I didn't want any complications."

So now it’s all a legal matter to figure out which side is the most correct with their claims, as opposed to fabricating the story for their own benefit. From one perspective Chris Bosh is being portrayed as a negligent father appearing almost resentful of both his daughter and his past relationship. While on the other side of the coin Bosh is being cast as a willing partner in this matter that wanted to ensure everything had been settled from his past relationship, and that his new born daughter is taken care of rather than cast aside completely.

Based on the crowd’s reaction at the ACC last night it appears any damage to Chris Bosh’s name has not been too severe just yet, which has to be a huge sigh of relief for the Raptors star. With the release of his side of the story this may even improve, although time will tell if that is so. It’s now all up for the courts to decide, both legal and public alike.

Bosh made first move in court, lawyer said (Globe and Mail)