Update: New Figure In Bishop Long's Sex Suit Settlement Emerges: Alleged Payoff Close To $25 Million

June 8, 2011, Lithonia, Atlanta]-----A new sum-total in Bishop Eddie Long's sex suit settlement has emerged-- now bringing the figure to an alleged $24.8 million and not the previously reported $15 million.

According to many reports, the New Birth Missionary Baptist leader has agreed to this hefty pay-off because he would rather pay-up than 'fess-up' publicly. The civil suit was mediated not tried in a civil court. Why this decision was made or agreed on, was never given

Reportedly, all the proceedings of this mediation will be sealed to the public but sources say Long has apologized privately as part of the deal.

Just for a little background info: The flashy Atlanta pastor of the Lithonia mega-church was sued early last year by 4 young men who were once part of his congregation and members of his mentoring program for boys ages 12 to 16.

These four young men, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson, alleged having sexual relations with Bishop Long in exchange for lavish gifts and trips, even college tuition and board for one of them, starting when one was as young as 15 and the others, age 17.

Reports have since surfaced that the new Birth Church had paid these young men as much as $40, 000 annually even before all the sex suit was filed.

The almost $25 million pay-out would allegedly be divided up as follows: after council gets their cut of $2.8 million, the rest will be divided up among the 4 young men, with each receiving a reported $2.2 million, then $400,000 over a period of 20 years. The math sounds a bit fuzzy so I take this with a grain of salt.

All records are sealed so we may never know what the real figure is.

Someone once tweeted that "innocence doesn't cost this much," so what do you think of the pay-off? An admission of guilt?

And the bigger question is who is responsible for paying this money--out of his church coffers?

Which leads to another question: why is his congregation not up in arms over this?