Hey, Millionaire! We kind of expect normal people to get into a little financial trouble every now
and then. But we'd still guess that celebrities have more than enough cash to allow them to retire
comfortably. And these days, you don't get any type of celebrities much richer than sports stars.
Athletes are celebrated for their incredible physical ability and skill, and they're rewarded
for it with tons of cash. But no matter how much money goes into their wallet, it turns out it can
all flow right back out again. Athletes have almost made going broke into a tradition these
days - even the highest paid ones. Sure, some of them make good use of their money and maintain
their wealth over their entire life. But they're not the ones we're interested in. This video is
all about the highly paid athletes that went completely broke. Let's find out who they are!
19. Travis Henry - owed $170,000 per year Travis Henry would have made an incredible
amount of cash in his NFL career if he didn't keep getting in his own way. His Denver Broncos
contract alone was worth $22.5 million over 5 years. But he only lasted one year
after failing multiple drug tests. After leaving the NFL, he found himself in even more trouble
when he was arrested for drug trafficking. But it was all his kids that really made him go broke.
He fathered 9 children with 9 different women and owed child support to all of
them. It added up in a big way - his lawyers estimated that he owed $170,000
in total every year for all those kids. That was in 2009,
and there are even more children now. Maybe he shouldn't have been spending $250,000 on jewelry.
18. Leon Spinks - $301,000 in debt Former heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks
hit a career-high in 1978 when he defeated boxing legend Muhammad Ali, in the ring. He never earned
quite as much money as Ali, but his earnings sure weren't bad either - they came to about
$4.5 million. Sadly, he didn't hold onto it very successfully. In 1986, he was forced to file for
bankruptcy - and it was pretty serious. He owed $301,000 to creditors, but not only did he have
no cash, he had no assets either. He said he had just $500 worth of clothes and was earning just
$1,600 per month. Sadly, the last anyone heard of him, he was working as a janitor at a YMCA.
17. Lawrence Taylor - $350,000 in debt Lawrence Taylor was always a pretty wild
NFL player, and that attitude got him into trouble off the grass too. After retiring, he
found himself in trouble with the law more times than you can count.
Multiple drug arrests and more serious offenses, including hiring an underage sex worker, saw him
in and out of court for years. On top of that, he was spending cash like it grew on trees and
apparently surrounded himself with pretty terrible financial advisors. He filed for bankruptcy in
1998 in the hopes of keeping his house - at the time, he owed at least $350,000 on the mortgage.
16. Sheryl Swoopes - $750,000 in debt Sheryl Swoopes is probably the most
recognizable face in the WNBA, and she earned an incredible $50 million over her shining career.
But we all know the NBA has a big problem with players going bankrupt,
and it turns out female players have the same problem. She says bad advice from her financial
team and a couple terrible investments ate through her multi-million dollar net worth.
It got so bad that she was forced to sell her Olympic medals and Naismith trophy to pay off
her debts! When she filed for bankruptcy, she revealed she was $750,000 in debt.
15. Dennis Rodman - $850,000 in debt Dennis Rodman was one of the most flashy
and distracting players in the history of the NBA. He didn't earn as much as some players,
but he built up an impressive net worth of about $27 million! But he wasn't great at keeping that
money in his wallet. He gave away a lot of his cash and fell victim to a couple of scams.
On top of that, he would've made a lot more in the long run if he hadn't been fined so many times for
throwing tantrums or kicking camera operators. Eventually, it was child support that saw him
filing documents in court. He owed an incredible $800,000 and an extra $50,000 in spousal support.
What do you think about fining players for bad behavior? Tell us in the comments! And
keep watching - we're about to start mentioning debts over $1 million!
14. Dorothy Hamill - $1.6 million in debt Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill
is possibly the most iconic figure skater of all time. But despite her years as an olympian
and her time spent in the Ice Capades, a set of problems meant she couldn't hang onto her money.
Some bad investments kicked it all off, but she lost even more money on court costs while trying
to fight for custody of her daughter. To top it off, her medical bills skyrocketed when she was
diagnosed with breast cancer. When she filed for bankruptcy in 1991, she owed $1.6 million.
13. Deuce McCallister - $1.8 million in debt Deuce McCallister earned 8-figure sums playing
for the New Orleans Saints. But it wasn't enough to see him through retirement. A few failed
investments led to total financial ruin, including a Nissan dealership that led to McCallister
unsuccessfully taking Nissan to court. That event was actually a counter-claim after they'd sued
him for $7 million - exactly the same amount of money he would've earned the same year if the
Saints hadn't released him a month early. It got so bad that the local Sheriff's office auctioned
off his house! Apparently, he owed a mortgage debt worth $1.8 million. That's pretty bleak.
12. Johnny Unitas - $3.2 million in debt Legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback
Johnny Unitas is another big name with a small bank account. He and his wife got into serious
financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy way back in 1991 to try and avoid creditors
repossessing their home. It was all down to one bad and pretty weird investment in a
circuit board company. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would cause financial ruin,
but it really hit Unitas hard. At the time, he was an incredible $3.2 million in debt.
11. Rollie Fingers - $5.3 million in debt Baseball legend Rollie Fingers was paid
pretty well over his 16-year career. But he managed to burn through all his cash within
4 years of retiring. There were a couple of bad investments, plus a few scams he fell for
and some overspending, and he found himself in serious trouble. He filed for bankruptcy when
he realized he couldn't pay rent or feed his 4 kids anymore. The bankruptcy documents show
that he had $1.1 million in liabilities and $4.2 million in creditor claims. That's not as much as
some people on this list, but this was back in 1989! That was a huge sum of money at the time!
Sadly for Rollie, the bank sold off all his beloved Arabian horses to help pay his debts.
10. Darren McCarty - $6.2 million in debt Detroit Red Wings hockey legend Darren McCarty
had a great career, and his bank balance grew with it. He earned about $15 million during his
years on the ice. But it didn't last very long. When he filed for bankruptcy in 2006, it became
clear that he was in serious financial trouble. He owed money to just about everyone, from casinos to
friends and even a roofing company. At the time, he proved he was an eye-watering $6.2 million in
debt. Even though he had $1.9 million in assets, that wasn't nearly enough to keep him afloat.
9. Warren Sapp - $6.7 million in debt Warren Sapp earned an incredible $40
million during his NFL career. It's an incredible amount of money to lose,
especially since Sapp mainly lost it by simply spending it all. It all came down
to expensive taste. When he filed for bankruptcy in 2012, claiming he was $6.7 million in debt,
all his expensive purchases were slowly auctioned off. And some of the stuff that was sold from
his house was pretty amazing. There were 240 pairs of Jordan shoes, a genuine lion-skin rug,
and a huge painting of a naked woman. His life must be pretty different these days.
What flashy purchase would you make if you had loads of cash? Tell us in the comments!
And keep watching - even more high-profile stars with even bigger debts are coming up!
8. Vince Young - $10 million in debt Former star quarterback for the Tennessee Titans,
Vince Young, made a name and a fortune for himself doing what he loved. That's the kind of life we
all dream of! His rookie contract was one of the highest paid of all time at $26 million!
But according to his financial manager, he blew through his cash like a hurricane. One of his most
flashy purchases was a Ferrari worth $176,000! And apparently, he was buying stuff like that
all the time. But he soon learned that spending money faster than you receive it is the easiest
way to go broke. When he filed for bankruptcy just 7 years after signing with a Pro NFL team,
he had a little less than $1 million in assets. But his debts went as high as $10 million. Oops.
7. Evander Holyfield - $15.2 million in debt When it comes to real-life legends like Evander
Holyfield, you'd bet they could never go broke. After all, he did earn $250 million
over his award-studded boxing career, and he never found himself on the wrong side of the
law. So what is he doing on this list? Well, one small financial problem after the next eventually
added up to a sum that was too big to handle. You can bet he was spending his cash on flashy items
and one day realized he couldn't pay child support or taxes. You get the idea. Soon,
he was $15.2 million in debt, including $200,000 in back taxes. That's pretty bad, but it led to a
very sad day when he was forced to sell off some hard-earned possessions. Some of the stuff that
was auctioned off included Olympic medals, a huge array of Championship belts, rings and trophies,
and gloves worn in iconic fights. That must've hurt even more than selling the 109-room mansion.
6. Mike Tyson - $23 million in debt Mike Tyson is one of the most famous
sports stars of all time. And his bank balance matched his level of fame. But his career didn't
exactly run smoothly. There were the typical drug and alcohol problems to more serious
offenses - including a high-profile rape case that ended with Tyson spending time in prison.
But even with all those issues, Tyson should've had more than enough cash to see him through it.
After all, according to the New York Times, he'd made $400 million in the last 20 years! But Tyson
was a flashy spender, and, in 2003, it finally caught up with him. His bankruptcy documents
showed he had nothing left - worse than that, he was $23 million in debt. But according to Tyson,
his debts were actually closer to $60 million! That's gotta hurt like one of his famous punches.
5. Mark Brunell - $25 million in debt Mark Brunell earned an incredible amount
of cash playing with the New York jets. But even with $50 million in earnings, he still
managed to go broke. But how do you lose that kind of money? You buy Whataburger franchises.
Brunell had bought 9 of them by the time he went bankrupt. It seems like a crazy thing to do,
and, actually, it was. 5 out of the 9 restaurants went bankrupt almost
immediately. That, plus some bad real-estate investments,
and Brunell was suddenly in serious trouble. While he still had $5 million in his account,
it would never stand up against the $25 million debt mentioned in his bankruptcy documents.
Which sporting legend were you most surprised to see on this list? Tell us in the comments!
And keep watching to find out who took our number 1 spot with the biggest total debt.
4. Lenny Dykstra - $31 million in debt Mets player Lenny Dykstra is another player
who should never have retired. He found himself in serious trouble with the law and with creditors.
He first spent 3 years in prison for stealing a car before he filed for bankruptcy in 2009. At
the time, he was $31 million in debt! That almost explains the grand theft auto problem. But it got
even worse. When he filed for bankruptcy, he claimed to have just $50,000 in assets.
But he then went and sold $400,000 worth of possessions. The things he sold were all pulled
from his $18.5 million mansion, which he bought from another sporting legend - Wayne Gretzky!
3. John Daly - lost $50 million John Daly isn't just one of the
most famous golfers ever, he's also one of the highest-paid golfers of all time.
Unfortunately for Daly, no amount of money would've stopped him going broke.
He openly admitted that he suffered from a serious gambling problem and regularly lost mind-blowing
amounts of money in a single night. In fact, he was losing more at the casinos than most golfers
earn in their entire career. Most famously, he once followed up a tournament by losing $1.65
million in a casino that same night. Over the years, those big losses added up to a staggering
figure - $98 million in losses. Of course, he sometimes won a bit too. But it didn't save him.
In the end, his total losses minus the wins added up to $50 million. That would make anyone broke.
2. Diego Maradona - $54 million in debt Diego Maradona is known for being one of
the greatest soccer players ever. I mean, you don't get to play in 4 World Cups without being
really great. But the Argentinian master was always comfortable creating a bit of a stir,
as anyone who remembers that controversial World Cup goal will tell you. But he maybe
should've left that type of thing on the grass instead of letting it influence his bank account.
In 2009, the Italian tax authority came knocking. It turns out he owed an incredible
$54 million in back taxes! Unsurprisingly, he had to file for bankruptcy as a result.
And finally, our champion at the top of the podium is...
1. OJ Simpson - owes over $60 million We hardly need to talk about OJ Simpson.
After all, the pro footballer became even more famous for his involvement in the crime that
led to the "trial of the century." We all know that OJ was eventually declared not
guilty of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. But, in a later civil trial,
he was found guilty of their wrongful deaths and ordered to pay $33.5 million to one of the
victim's parents. But he's never paid. OJ hasn't declared bankruptcy, and his pensions seem to
be keeping him afloat, even after he spent time in prison for kidnapping and robbery.
But not paying the damages is causing problems for him - because the longer he takes to pay it,
the bigger the sum gets. Currently, the amount he owes stands at over
$60 million! And it's only gonna get bigger while he keeps shouting about how he will never pay.