Lots of Ohio readers probably remember the inspiration Cameron Crowe movie "Jerry Maguire," in which Tom Cruise's high-flying sports agent has a change of heart and goes from loving money to loving Renee Zellweger's character. It may be of interest, then, to note that the man whose real life was the inspiration for that film has filed for personal bankruptcy.

Leigh Steinberg, who has represented notable athletes like Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Aikman, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, Jan. 11. He said his finances got away from him because he was struggling with a dependence on alcohol. (He has since entered a rehabilitation program and now says he has been sober since 2010.)

Steinberg said he had debts in the neighborhood of $1.4 million and no appreciable assets other than some stock of indeterminate value.

In an unusually eloquent statement, Steinberg said he felt he had a "legal and moral" obligation to repay those who advanced him money "in good faith" but feels that the aggressive collection efforts those lenders have employed have amounted to harassment and have kept him from the constructive employment he needs to actually pay them back.

Although most Ohio residents do not have anywhere near $1.4 million in debt, a feeling like the kind Steinberg described is probably not foreign. It's fair to say most people want to pay their debts, but sometimes doing so becomes impossible. If you ever find yourself in over your head financially, remember that a conversation with an attorney who handles personal bankruptcies may bring to light options you were not aware you had.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Sports agent Leigh Steinberg files for bankruptcy," Bernie Wilson, Jan. 12, 2012