Don Meredith Will Not Post Bond, Decides to Leave His Son in Jail

FORT WORTH, Tex. —  Don Meredith has decided not to post a $4,450 bond for his 17-year-old son, Michael, who has been jailed for six weeks on charges of driving a stolen car.

A grand jury is considering whether to indict Michael Meredith on seven felony charges, including theft, burglary and arson, authorities said. He was arrested in Oklahoma while driving a stolen Porsche and was taken to the Tarrant County Jail March 31.

Don Meredith, who played for SMU and the Dallas Cowboys and has become a sportscaster and actor, has visited his son in jail twice, but he refused to post 10% of the $44,500 bond that would set his son free.

ABC announced last week that Meredith would not return for its “Monday Night Football” telecasts this season and would be replaced by Joe Namath.

“His father didn’t show up here for about two weeks (after the arrest) while Michael sat in jail,” Burford King, Michael’s grandfather, said in Monday’s Dallas Times Herald. “He finally visited for a few hours one Saturday morning.”

Michael called his father on Father’s Day and received a second visit two weeks ago, King said.

Don Meredith, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., was divorced from Sheryl King when Michael was 3. Family friends said Meredith had not communicated with his son for nearly four years.

Don Meredith’s lawyer, Robert Ginsberg, offered no explanation for the decision to leave Michael in jail.

“Michael is a deeply troubled young person, and his father is deeply concerned about him,” Ginsberg said. “It is a decision (not to post bail) that was made by Michael and the attorneys representing him. Michael is part of the decision-making process.”