Sports careers are short, but sometimes our beloved sports heroes have to make
a curtain call and play a bit of career overtime. And second acts in life are tough.
Success may vary. Here are some athletes who aren't as famous as they once were.
Dennis Rodman, five-time former NBA champion, is one of the true defensive and rebounding greats.
He is also one of the most underrated contenders
in the ongoing debate over who's the biggest national embarrassment.
In 2013, Rodman oddly became one of the few westerners
to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
According to ABC News,
"Kim [had a] special affection for the Chicago Bulls [and a] soft spot for Rodman."
The worm told the comparably small regent:
"You have a friend for life."
Rodman's trips to North Korea became somewhat regular. And in 2014,
Rodman bowed and sang happy birthday to Kim, whom he called a "very good guy," according to CNN.
In 2018, Rodman inserted himself into a summit between Donald Trump and Kim,
which apparently was even too much for Trump. Rodman still took credit, according to TMZ,
for the sometimes-friendly relations between Trump and Kim.
The former basketball star even suggested an American prisoner held in North Korea
deserved the treatment he was getting. Later, Rodman apologized for his comments.
Practically boxing in his cradle, by the time he faced anyone in a ring, Roy Jones Jr. was
miles ahead in the game. He was a near-Olympic gold medalist—winning silver in one of the most
infamous robberies in the sport's history—and claimed too many world titles to count.
In 2004, however, Jones was officially knocked off his
perch as the king of the sport when the relatively unheralded
Antonio Tarver floored him in round two of their clash over the unified light-heavyweight title.
Jones would go on fighting 14 more years past his prime, until he finally hung it up in 2018.
That all changed in 2020 when former heavyweight Mike Tyson announced a senior's division
where he'd take on the 51-year-old Jones. Jones had been busy as a
commentator in boxing until HBO Sports quit the business.
That left the door open for iron Mike Tyson to lure a reticent Jones into an exhibition.
Tyson could still pack a serious punch, and he told The Dan Patrick Show what to expect.
"Oh, this is gonna be, I don't know,
my definition of fun. Broken eye sockets, broken jaw, broken jaw, broken ribs."
Talk about riding the wave!
For a time, O.J. Simpson stepped back from the public spotlight. Mainly because he was in prison.
But not for the brutal murder of his wife Nicole and waiter Ron Goldman. Instead, Simpson was
sentenced to 33 years behind bars in 2008 after he attacked two men in a Las Vegas hotel room
to retrieve sports memorabilia he claims was stolen, according to Sports Illustrated NFL.
The slew of charges, including two counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon,
spoke to what had become of this formerly beloved sports star.
According to CNN, the judge said the sentence wasn't "payback for
anything else," alluding to the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson,
of which Simpson was acquitted. According to Simpson, the real killer is still at large.
However, "The Juice" was found liable for Brown and Goldman's death in civil court,
and he was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages, which he has failed to do.
Despite the hefty sentence for his 2008 crimes,
Simpson was paroled in 2017. He joined Twitter in 2019, and said:
"I've got a little getting even to do."
The civil judgment against Simpson has doubled to $70 million. It remains uncollected.
Anna Kournikova was an athlete-influencer before the internet was even a thing. And
she was the most searched athlete long after her 2003 retirement. But this crown princess of tennis
never actually won a WTA single’s tournament. In 2000, she peaked at number eight in the world.
The highlights from her 2002 match with Serena Williams start with Williams pounding the
outmatched Russian, as the very English announcer can only exclaim, "Oh, dear."
In 2020 Kournikova, along with longtime partner Enrique Iglesias,
celebrated the birth of their daughter, Mary. It was a highly publicized occasion,
with Yahoo! Sports proclaiming the baby photo "sent fans into a frenzy."
These days, it's baby Mary taking center court. And that's all love in the game of tennis!
CM Punk was a big deal in pro wrestling, despite not being a big guy. At 6'1" and only 170 pounds,
he wasn't exactly a WWE titan—a group that includes the enormous hunk of meat Brock Lesnar.
Then in 2014, Mr. Punk did a brave thing. He walked away from fake fights to take
real punches in the UFC. Two bouts and four years later, he looked like hell.
In 2016, he was rag-dolled and choked out by a novice with zero striking skills.
Two years later he fought journeyman Mike Jackson to a unanimous decision loss in a fight
so uninspiring and tedious, UFC president Dana White said the experiment was over:
"The guy is 39 years old. [...] I think he should call it a wrap."
Punk got beaten up so badly in his second fight he was transported to a hospital.
"I lost. And it sucks. And it was lopsided. And it's upsetting."
As of 2020, he remained in the UFCs Olympics-style random drug testing pool,
which is necessary to compete, but that seems unlikely.
The future is uncertain for Mr. Punk.
The story of Johnny Manziel is one of unfulfilled potential. Especially for Cleveland Browns fans.
Manziel was a wizard behind center at Texas A&M and scrambled all the way to a Cotton
Bowl championship. He became the first-ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
In 2014 he signed an NFL contract worth over $8 million.
But Manziel washed out in only two years. The success proved too much for a small-town kid.
Back in college, Manziel's friends and family were worried his drinking and drug use was out of hand.
An intervention was tried before the draft, but Manziel didn't seize the opportunity.
In 2016 Manziel was indicted for domestic violence, according to USA Today. The charge
was reportedly dismissed the following year. But that wasn't the end of Manziel's troubles;
he was suspended for violating the NFL's drug policy, as reported by TMZ.
NFL columnist Mike Freeman told Vanity Fair:
"To me, Manziel is the biggest bust of all time. He was lazy. He didn't
study. The guy is out of the NFL today because he refused to work at his craft."
Manziel next flamed out of the CFL in 2019, again for contract violations,
according to USA Today. Still in his 20s,. the retired QB can now be found
at various Los Angeles bars, cigar hanging from his mouth, and taking it all in stride.
He says:
"I'm just trying to do other things in life that make me happy. That's it."
Ronda Rousey's was once the baddest woman on earth, winning eight straight Strikeforce/UFC
women's bantamweight world title fights. The former Olympian became the first-ever MMA star
with real crossover appeal, landing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2016.
But the end was already near. In 2015, one kick from Holly Holm undid her air of invincibility.
Rousey's media presence became sullen. She refused to do normal press in the run-up
to her comeback bout against Amanda Nunes in 2016, according to ESPN.
Rousey couldn't abide losing. But when Nunes gave a diminished Rousey the beating of a
lifetime at UFC 207—in an embarrassingly lopsided defeat—she walked out of the cage,
without congratulating Nunes, and out of the sport for good.
Some blame Rousey's semi-infamous trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan,
for never developing her striking skills beyond that of a rote amateur;
when she finally began facing real athletes she couldn't simply Judo-toss—her reign was over.
But it was her "classless" attitude in defeat, as described by The Daily Utah Chronicle,
after being so brash in victory that soured fans on Rousey. As for acting, the movie
star turn that was supposed to follow has not exactly materialized beyond a few minor roles.
Marion Jones had speed. Being known as the fastest woman on earth is the kind of
thing that can make you think the rules don't apply to you—because physically,
they don't. It's also something no one can ever take from you.
Olympic medals, on the other hand, are a different story.
And it turns out, Jones had more going on than natural gifts. In a tearful press
conference in 2007, the three-time Olympic gold medalist finally admitted she was a drug cheat.
She said:
"And so it is with a great amount of shame,
that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust."
Jones continued to tell her fans:
"I want you to know I have been dishonest, and you have the right to be angry with me."
Jones pled guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal agents
about her steroid use and was sentenced to six months in prison, according to CNN.
The former college basketball player attempted a comeback in the WNBA in 2010,
but averaged less than one point per game, and was quickly waived.
In 2017 Jones sat for a local-tv interview, and was introduced as a former "WNBA star."
She was hit with the laziest question in the business. The reporter asked:
"What advice can you give to young women athletes?"
To Jones' credit, she seemed slightly embarrassed by the fawning, and said:
"We all go through challenging times, it's all about how you rebound from that."
Floyd Mayweather's signature move inside the ring was the shoulder roll. He leaves his hands low,
convincing his opponent to open up and throw a shot. "Money" would shrug his shoulders,
deflect the punch, and sting back with perhaps the fastest set of hands in fighting history.
Mayweather rode this minimalist style to a 50-0 record, spanning three decades,
and yielding world title after world title.
As a retired fighter, Mayweather has employed a similar rope-a-dope scheme with the media.
He baits reporters with a comeback fight, the free press piles up,
and then he dances back out of range.
Part of the fuel for this silliness comes from the fact Mayweather did actually rake
in $275 million in his crossover bout with boxing novice, UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
The 10-round drubbing had to be the easiest night of Mayweather's career.
He barely even trained. No wonder his nickname was Money.
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time tour-de-cheater champion, has a new audio program called The Move.
It follows the current Tour de France with off-the-cuff analysis and humor.
The show has been described as a "guilty pleasure" for cycling enthusiasts.
As The Irish Times put it:
"[The podcast] has been by turns touchingly informative and hilarious rubbish,
part comedy sketch, part impression show,
part product placement, the perfect blend of insight and bull s---."
Armstrong became an international hero after surviving testicular cancer and
then winning seven-straight Tour titles from 1999 through 2005. But it turns out,
the entire time he was viciously covering up an elaborate blood-doping regimen.
Then he did the unforgivable: he brazenly lied to Larry King.
"I have never doped."
And of course, eventually, confessed his
wrongdoings to the high priestess of American forgiveness: Oprah Winfrey.
"Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?"
"Yes."
Lawsuits flowed like oxygen-enriched blood through an IV, and Armstrong was humbled. None of that,
however, could save him from the ultimate celebrity punishment: becoming a podcaster.
Former NBA journeyman Kris Humphries became a national punchline under some
unfair circumstances... mostly because his 72-day marriage to Kim Kardashian publicly imploded in
2011. Meanwhile, Keeping Up With The Kardashians producers made him look somewhat feckless.
And NBA fans were ruthless. The boo birds really
come out for stars who get mixed up in Kardashian drama. Ask Tristan Thompson.
Humphries also handled it poorly. He parlayed the sudden media interest into a five-minute
sit-down with ABC News but acted like they'd forced him into the makeup chair.
Humphries dodged every news-worthy question, hurling cliches. He said:
"For me it's just certain things happen in life and you've got to move forward"
Humphries changed his tune in 2020 with a fascinating essay in the Players Tribune entitled
"I Never Wanted to Be That Guy," where he reflects honestly on his brush with tabloid celebrity.
He insists the marriage was "100% real," and calls the public blowback "brutal."
Humphries says he dealt with severe anxiety in the frenzied aftermath of "reality" fame
and for a time didn't even want to leave his house.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Nicki Swift videos about famous sports stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.