Former NFL Player, Bigamist, Causes Family Financial Turmoil

A judge in Pennsylvania recently ruled that former NFL running back Tom Sullivan's death benefits should not go to the wife he was allegedly married to after his death. Instead, the benefits should go to a woman he married years earlier, but never divorced.

Tom Sullivan's ex-wife Barbara Sullivan has two daughters with the player from their 16-year marriage. Since Tom's death in 2002, Barbara and their two daughters were receiving $2,700 per month under the NFL's spousal benefit policy. Under South Carolina's bigamy law, the benefits do not legally belong to her and were stopped immediately.

Lavona Hill married Tom Sullivan in 1979 and parted ways with him in 1983. She is the one that has stepped forward to claim the benefits. Efforts by Tom's second wife to share the money were rejected by Lavona, who wanted all of the money herself.

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Black Actors In Football Films

With the new NFL season now underway, we thought it was the perfect time to look at some of the actors who have donned a helmet and uniform for roles on the big screen. From Denzel Washington to Cuba Gooding Jr., Blackvoices.com has compiled a who's who of black actors who have appeared in football films.

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Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Running Back
Player's name: Gale Sayers
Played by Billy Dee Williams
Film: 'Brian's Song' (2000)
Actor's Scoreboard: Williams starred opposite Diana Ross in both 'Lady Sings the Blues' and 'Mahogany,' and is best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, but he gained critical acclaim for his role as Chicago Bears running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers in 'Brian's Song.' Sayers helped teammate Brian Piccolo through his struggle with cancer.

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Defensive Coordinator
Player's name: Montezuma "Monty" Monroe
Played by Jim Brown
Film: 'Any Given Sunday' (1999)
Actor's Scoreboard: Considered one of the greatest NFL players, Brown, who played only nines years as a running back for the Cleveland Browns before turning to acting, got a chance to get back on the field when he was featured as a coach in 'Any Given Sunday' with Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx.

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Quarterback
Player's name: Levander "Bird" Williams
Played by Mykelti Williamson
Film: 'Wildcats' (1986)
Actor's Scoreboard: Long before he starred opposite Tom Hanks in the Oscar-winning film 'Forrest Gump,' Williamson played a number of supporting roles in smaller films and TV series. Known as Mykel T. Williamson in the early '80s, the St. Louis native played a quarterback alongside Wesley Snipes and Goldie Hawn in the film 'Wildcats.'

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Defensive Lineman
Player's name: Julius Campbell
Played by Wood Harris
Film: 'Remember the Titans' (2000)
Actor's Scoreboard: Best known for his roles as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale in the HBO television drama 'The Wire' and Motaw in the 1994 motion picture 'Above the Rim,' Harris gained critical praise for his role as high school football player Julius Campbell in the film 'Remember the Titans.' The film also starred Denzel Washington, Donald Faison and Nicole Ari Parker.

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Defensive Lineman
Player's name: Andre Krimm
Played by Sinbad
Film: 'Necessary Roughness'
Actor's Scoreboard: Better known for his stand-up and his comedic role in the TV series 'A Different World,' Sinbad once played a college professor recruited for the defensive line in 'Necessary Roughness.'

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Defensive Lineman
Player's name: Charles Jefferson
Played by Forest Whitaker
Film: 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' (1982)
Actor's Scoreboard: Before moving into the director's chair -- and winning an Academy Award for his role as Idi Amin in 'The Last King of Scotland' -- Whitaker suited up to play opposite Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Anthony Edwards in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.'

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Offensive Lineman
Player's name: Michael Oher
Played by Quinton Aaron
Film: 'The Blind Side' (2009)
Actor's Scoreboard: Based on the true story of NFL player Michael Oher, 'The Blind Side' featured Quinton Aaron in his film debut. The movie not only captured the hearts of audiences but also led to an Academy Award for co-star Sandra Bullock, who won an Oscar for best actress.

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Defensive Back
Player's name: TJ Banks
Played by Nicoye Banks
Film: 'Invincible'
Actor's Scoreboard: Based on the true story of Vince Papale, a former player for the Philadelphia Eagles, Banks played a defensive back alongside Mark Wahlberg in 'Invincible.' Earlier this year, he costarred with Matt Damon in 'Green Zone' and Wesley Snipes in 'Brooklyn's Finest.'

Black Actors In Football Films

Position: Wide Receiver
Player's name: Rod Tidwell
Played by Cuba Gooding Jr.
Film: 'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
Actor's Scoreboard: With small roles to his credit after taking a leading role in John Singleton's 'Boyz n the Hood,' Gooding refined his acting career when he played the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver who told Tom Cruise's title character to "Show me the money!" His performance led to an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

Black Actors In Football Films

"In our society, if marriage is going to mean anything, you have to have a beginning point and an end point," said David B. Sherman, Hill's lawyer. "You can't have a bigamy relationship." Sullivan was married a total of three times, including a short marriage in college. Both women knew about the first marriage, but neither knew anything about the other. Tom married Sullivan in 1986.

Besides engaging in behavior that would ultimately ruin his family financially, Sullivan's life was sadly typical for so many black athletes in America. He suffered from drug and alcohol problems, and had a low paying job after his career in the NFL ended after just five years. His body was torn down from his years of playing football, with knee problems, arthritis and other physical ailments, and his second wife was the one who helped him through it all. His daughters are now 18 and 21, and his wife can no longer afford to pay the mortgage or her daughter's college tuition.

The saddest part of Tom Sullivan's life story is that I could have written it before even hearing it. So many young men seem to think that being talented in sports gives them a license to live a reckless existence that destroys the livelihood and emotional stability of others. In addition to throwing away their academic futures to chase an athletic pipe dream, even the most successful athletes find their bodies destroyed after short-lived careers in the NFL. What's saddest about Tom Sullivan's choices is that he left several victims in the path of his tornado of irresponsibility, and the greatest victims in all of this are his children.

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Parents and spouses reading this article may want to take an inventory of their lives and ask themselves what kind of mess you would leave if you were to die today. Also, I encourage African American males to understand that there is value in making responsible and intelligent decisions, and rising above the temptation to become yet another black male athletic statistic. This is not to disparage the memory of Tom Sullivan or to understate the existence of capable young black men. Instead, it is to encourage the young Tom Sullivans of the world to realize the impact that their actions will have on the lives of others. This should never have happened.