These sports stars damaged their careers and personal lives with behavior like bad sportsmanship,
assault, and even dog-fighting.
Let's take a closer look at the gifted athletes who ruined their reputations in the blink
of an eye.
Michael Vick was a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons until his career went up in
flames.
In 2001, Vick and several buddies started the dog-fighting operation known as "Bad Newz
Kennels" in Virginia.
By 2007, they caught the attention of local and federal law enforcement officials.
In April of that year, Vick's Virginia property was raided by police who discovered evidence
of dog-fighting as well as neglected animals.
The men were charged with conspiracy to engage in dogfighting, acquiring animals with the
purpose of fighting, and conducting the enterprise across state lines.
The men initially pled not guilty but eventually changed their tunes.
In December 2007, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and was forced to
enter a drug treatment program.
"I will redeem myself.
I have to.
Thank you."
Vick was released from prison in May 2009.
Although he was able to resume his NFL career by that summer, he no longer had the same
spark that made him a superstar.
He finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.
Antonio Brown was considered one of the best wide receivers in the NFL during his nine-year
career.
He had an unprecedented run with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including five straight seasons
with at least 100 receptions.
Then he requested to be traded.
The Oakland Raiders quickly pounced, signing him to a massive three-year, $54 million deal
before the 2019 season.
But he didn't play a single down with the team.
In August 2019, Brown suffered severe frostbite on his feet after a cryotherapy session, forcing
him to miss all but one training camp practice.
That same month, he filed a grievance with the NFL to wear his old helmet, which was
denied.
The very next month, he was fined nearly $54,000 for unexcused absences, and he threatened
to hit Raiders general manager Mike Mayock.
The team released Brown on September 7.
He then quickly signed with the New England Patriots in a one-year deal worth up to $15
million with a $9 million signing bonus.
But before his first game, a former trainer accused him of assaulting her.
On September 20, after appearing in just one game, the Patriots released Brown after intimidating
text messages he allegedly sent to a second accuser came to light.
After being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs,
running back Kareem Hunt wasn't expected to contribute to the team in any meaningful way.
However, after a season-ending knee injury to starter Spencer Ware, Hunt stepped in and
became a breakout star.
He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and cemented himself as an essential piece of the Chiefs'
future.
However, 11 games into his sophomore season, Hunt was released after TMZ posted a video
of him allegedly assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel.
The incident, in which no charges were filed, had occurred before the season started.
Meanwhile, the NFL launched an internal investigation into the incident.
Upon review of the TMZ video, the Chiefs determined that Hunt hadn't been truthful in discussions
with team management, and they announced that they were releasing him immediately.
Hunt then signed with the Cleveland Browns, who immediately suspended him for the first
eight games of the 2019 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Before the start of the 2014 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers placed the franchise tag
on their star defensive end Greg Hardy.
However, before the season began, he was arrested and charged with assaulting and threatening
to kill his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder.
Although the charges were dropped after Holder refused to cooperate with police, the Panthers
released Hardy anyway.
In 2015, the Dallas Cowboys swooped in, signing Hardy to a one-year, $13 million deal in a
highly criticized move.
Despite an incident in which Hardy had to be restrained during an on-field fight with
one of his coaches, he was labeled by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as, quote, "one of the real
leaders on this team."
Hardy was in the middle of a decent season that year when Deadspin posted the graphic
police photos of the assault of his ex-girlfriend.
After that, his performance flagged, he became depressed, and he fell out of favor with his
teammates.
The Cowboys chose not to re-sign him.
Since then, he's moved onto a career in mixed martial arts.
In 1995, the University of Nebraska's star running back, Lawrence Phillips, pleaded not
guilty to assaulting another student during an altercation at a blocked intersection.
Less than a year later, he broke into a teammate's apartment, where he found his former girlfriend
and subsequently knocked her down and dragged her down three flights of stairs by her hair.
He was arrested, suspended by the team, then reinstated just in time for the 1996 Fiesta
Bowl, despite outcry from national media and school faculty.
Phillips then declared for the 1996 NFL Draft, where the St. Louis Rams ignored all the red
flags and selected him with the sixth overall pick.
He was released two years later due to his troubling off-field behavior.
He then signed with the Miami Dolphins, where he played two games before being cut after
pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery.
After a year off, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where his pass blocking was so terrible
it played a role in ending Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young's career.
After football, Phillips received 31 years in prison for attacking his girlfriend and
driving his car into three teenagers.
In 2016, he was found dead at the age of 40 in his cell.
It was suspected that he took his own life after being charged with killing his cellmate.
"It's really sad when you see that much talent end up like that."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).