A History of Sports Champions With Rap Sheets
From the court to the courtroom.
Image via Complex Original
Every professional athlete can attest to the fact that it isn't easy getting to the mountaintop. No matter what sport you're competing in, all the time in the gym could seem like a huge waste of time if there's no trophy to hoist when it's all said and done. Hell, it's easier to just commit a crime and oddly, a select few have that distinction of calling themselves champions and criminals at the same damn time. We take a look at the athletes who have seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. From Lawrence Taylor to Plaxico Burress, here's a History of Sports Champions with Rap Sheets.
RELATED: The 50 Most Infamous Criminals in Sports History
Hank Thompson
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): New York Giants
Champion: 1954 World Series
Offense(s): Armed robbery
Sentence: 10 years. Served three years.
Hank Thompson wasn't the catalyst in the New York Giants' 1954 World Series victory, but Thompson was able to get himself a ring before retiring two years later. In 1963, Thompson was just off a divorce when he was sentenced to 10 years for armed robbery. While he only ended up serving three years, Thompson died two years later from a seizure. He was only 43 years old.
Billy Cannon
Sport: Football
Team(s): Houston Oilers
Champion: American Football League (1961 and 1962)
Offense(s): Counterfeiting
Sentence: Five years. Served two and a half years.
Before the Houston Oilers joined the NFL, running back Billy Cannon was Mr. Everything, amassing 2,043 all-purpose yards throughout the season and eventually helping the Oilers defeat the Chargers, 10-3, to win the 1961 AFL Championship. After calling it quits, Cannon started a career as an orthodontist. He had a respectable practice until he was arrested in 1983 for counterfeiting. Cannon created $50 million in $100 dollar bills and buried the money in the backyard of one of the houses he rented out to other people. After serving half of his sentence, Cannon was released but his conviction didn't help him regain his practice.
Orlando Cepeda
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): St. Louis Cardinals
Champion: 1967 World Series
Offense(s): Drug possession
Sentence: Five years. Served 10 months.
Following a bright career which included 11 All-Star game appearances, a 1967 MVP award, and a World Series in that same year, Orlando Cepeda went down a dark path after his retirement from the game. In 1975, Cepeda led a baseball clinic in Colombia and in that time, met a couple drug dealers who convinced the former MLB player to smuggle drugs into two boxes containing clothing back to Puerto Rico. After returning to PR, Cepeda waited nearly two weeks before requesting the boxes. After a brief snag in retrieving the items, the boxes were sent to Cepeda's car where he was arrested for drug possession.
While going through trial for drug possession, another individual came forth claiming that Cepeda pointed a gun at him and if that weren't enough, an ex-wife sought more money in child support and alimony. Cepeda was eventually sentenced to five years, but was freed after 10 months.
Denny McLain
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): Detroit Tigers
Champion: 1968 World Series
Offense(s): Drug trafficking, embezzlement, and racketeering; conspiracy, theft, money laundering and mail fraud
Sentence: 23 years but served two after reaching plea bargain; 12 years, however, only served 6 years.
Denny McLain had a memorable 1968 campaign. After going 31–6 with a 1.96 ERA, McLain led the Tigers to a World Series title and became the first American League pitcher to win the MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same season. After his career took a turn for the worse, thanks to an astronomical weight increase, McLain started a betting ring backed by the Mafia.
After getting hit with drug trafficking, embezzlement, and racketeering charges, the pitcher was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 1985. After only two years, McLain was a free man again after what is being referred to as procedural violations. Then, the government re-indicted McLain and found him guilty. He was supposed to serve a 12-year sentence, but once again, he was let out early.
Eugene "Mercury" Morris
Sport: Football
Team(s): Miami Dolphins
Champion: Super Bowl VII (1973) and Super Bowl VII (1974)
Offense: Drug trafficking
Sentence: 22 years, served four years.
Those who were in Miami during the '80s or at least watched Cocaine Cowboys know that the most lucrative profession was drug dealing. Not being a football player in the NFL. Former Dolphins running back "Mercury" Morris knew this and made a not-so-smooth transition into becoming a street pharmacist.
Police raided the Morris' home in the summer of '82 and discovered a large quantity of cocaine, a stack of cash, and an assortment of firearms. Morris was charged with drug trafficking and did almost four years in prison before a judge declared he was "unfairly prohibited from presenting certain testimony at his trial." Now a free man, Morris has taken full advantage of his second chance at life by becoming the noble, self-appointed blowhard for the '72 perfect season Miami Dolphins.
Pete Rose
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): Cincinnati Reds (1975 & 1976); Philadelphia Phillies (1980)
Champion: World Series (1975, 1976, 1980)
Offense(s): Tax evasion
Sentence: Five months
Pete Rose dominated the game of baseball throughout his career; his career hits record still stands at 4,256. And while he did "do him," he also helped secure three World Series titles, two with the Reds and one with the Phillies. Ironically, that same "do me" attitude showed through on April 20, 1990 when Rose was found guilty of falsifying his income tax returns by not reporting the money he received from selling autographs and memorabilia. As a result, Rose was sentenced to five months in prison.
Bertil Fox
Sport: Bodybuilding
Team(s): N/A
Champion: Mr. Universe (1978, 1979)
Offense(s): Double homicide
Sentence: Life in prison
The disturbing history of bodybuilders physically harming their significant others is well-documented. One of the most infamous cases is of two-time Mr. Universe champion, Bertil Fox. Fox was charged with the double-murder of his ex-fiancee and her mother on the island of Saint Kitts back in 1997. Fox was sentenced to death by hanging for the murders. In 2002, his death sentence was ruled unconstitutional and was changed to a life sentence.
Dwight Gooden
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): New York Mets (1986); New York Yankees (1996, 2000)
Champion: World Series (1986, 1996, 2000)
Offense(s): Violation of drug use probation
Sentence: One year. Served seven months.
Dwight Gooden is a hero wherever he goes in New York. From winning a chip in '86 for the Mets or getting two with the Yanks in '96 and 2000, Gooden knew how to win on the field. But all good things gotta come to an end at some point. After dodging lengthy sentences for a DWI, driving with a suspended license and a misdemeanor battery charge, he was arrested once again in March 2006 after he appeared to be on cocaine while meeting with his probation.
Still, after all that, Gooden was going to be handed a long probation, but he himself opted for prison in the hopes that jail time could help him with his addiction. In 2010, four years after getting released from prison, Gooden was again in trouble with the law. This time, he was charged with a DWI with a child passenger and leaving the scene of an accident. But surprise, surprise, Doc was only given five years probation for child endangerment.
Darryl Strawberry
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): New York Mets (1986); New York Yankees (1996, 1998, 2000)
Champion: World Series (1986, 1996, 1998, 2000)
Offense(s): Drug possession and solicitation of prostitution
Sentence: 18 months. Initially suspended in 1999, but reinstated following 2002 probation violation.
Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden were supposed to be the New York Mets saving grace, and at the beginning it looked like the duo would be. They were the essential pieces in the '86 Mets World Championship team. Then everything went to hell from there. Strawberry was arrested on at least three occasions for domestic violence. In one incident he was alleged to have threatened a woman with a .25 caliber handgun after hitting her in the face.
Then, in 1995, he and his agent were indicted on federal tax evasion charges for failing to report some $500K in income. Later, he was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute and cocaine possession when he allegedly offered and undercover police officer $50 for sex. In 2012 Strawberry reportedly owed the IRS $500K in back taxes and another million to his ex-wife in child support.
Lenny Dykstra
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): New York Mets
Champion: 1986 World Series
Offense: Bankruptcy fraud, concealment of assets, money laundering, auto theft, indecent exposure
Sentence: Three and a half years
Lenny Dykstra was one of the many stars on the 1986 New York Mets with a troubled life off the field. In July 2009, Dykstra filed for bankruptcy even though one year ago, he was reportedly worth $58 million. In the documents, he claimed to be the victim of mortgage fraud from the $17.5 million California home he purchased from Wayne Gretzky. In addition, Dykstra owed money to a number of banks and a law firm totaling over $15 million when the Gretzky house was found to have damage to the flooring and multiple water spots. At the time, Dykstra was living out of his car and fighting with the Fireman's Fund insurance company in an effort to get them to pay for the problems with the house.
After selling off other items, like his 1986 championship ring, a federal trustee in Dykstra's bankruptcy case claimed that Dykstra was lying about his assets and nearly one year later (2011), he was arrested for grand theft. On Dec. 3, 2012, Dykstra was sentenced to six and a half months for bankruptcy fraud while already serving a three year sentence for grand theft auto. A far cry from the 80 years he could've faced, if he were convicted of all charges.
Mike Tyson
Sport: Boxing
Team(s): N/A
Champion: WBC, WBA, and IBF Heavyweight Championship (won first title in 1986)
Offense(s): Rape, road rage, possession of narcotics, DUI
Sentence: Six years, released after serving three
Iron Mike is arguably the most polarizing figure in sports history. The youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history captured the attention of fans everywhere in the mid to late '80s with his vicious knockouts. By the time the '90s rolled around he was becoming just as known for his trouble outside of the ring, none more notable than in 1991 when he was arrested for allegedly raping beauty pageant contestant, Desiree Washington.
Tyson was convicted in February 1992 and served three years of his six-year sentence before resuming his boxing career. Unfortunately when Tyson's boxing career ended in 2005, his criminal career continued with the former champ picking up charges like possession of cocaine and DUI. Thankfully "The Baddest Man on the Planet" has mellowed out and you're more likely to see him on the big screen than behind bars. Being too old for dumb shit FTW.
Craig MacTavish
Sport: Hockey
Team(s): Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers
Champion: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994 Stanley Cup
Offense: Vehicular homicide and driving under the influence
Sentence: One year
Prior to the 1984-85 NHL season, Craig MacTavish was arrested in Massachusetts after the former center struck Kim Radley with his car. Four days later, Kim died and MacTavish was convicted of vehicular homicide. He ended up pleading guilty and served a one year sentence for the crime.
After he did his time in jail, MacTavish was released by the Boston Bruins. Later, he signed with the Edmonton Oilers and helped lead them to three Stanley Cup championships. And he wasn't done winning just yet. After a brief hiatus from hoisting the trophy, MacTavish was traded to the 1994 champions, the New York Rangers.
Lawrence Taylor
Sport: Football
Team(s): New York Giants
Champion: Super Bowl XXI (1987) & Super Bowl XXV (1991)
Offense(s): Leaving the scene of an accident, statutory rape, patronizing a prostitute, attempted drug possession
Sentence: Six years probation
The O.G. L.T. will be remembered as arguably the greatest linebacker in NFL history, leading the Giants to two Super Bowls. Unfortunately, he'll also be remembered for a number of off the field incidents. Lawrence Taylor had a handful of arrests during his playing days but nothing that compared to his post-retirement shame spiral.
In 2010, Taylor was arrested in New York for paying $300 to have sex with a 16 year-old girl. The Giant legend ducked jail time but must now register as a sex offender. What was L.T.'s explanation for picking up an underage prostitute? "I don't card 'em." Stay classy, L.T.
Eric Cantona
Sport: Soccer
Team(s): Montpellier, Leeds United, Manchester United
Champion: 1989-90 Coupe de France, 1991-92 Football League First Division, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97 Premier League
Offense: Assault
Sentence: Two weeks
Eric Cantona is a winner. Just look above to see all those titles he has to his name. Needless to say, Cantona has a competitive spirit and during a January 25, 1995 match against Crystal Palace, the midfielder's patience was tested after he was sent off by the ref for a kick on defender Richard Shaw. As he was heading towards the tunnel, the fans heckled Cantona and he reached his boiling point. He directed a kick and a few punches into the crowd, focusing on one particular individual named Matthew Simmons.
Cantona was arrested for assault and eventually sentenced to prison for two weeks. Cantona appealed and instead received 120 hours of community service. Then, after much insistence from the Football Association, Manchester United suspended for four months and fined him £20,000. But that wasn't enough for the Football Association because they turned around and suspended Cantona for an additional four months and fined him another £10,000, claiming his actions were "a stain on our game."
In 2011, Cantona admitted that his attack on Simmons was "a great feeling" and "a great memory" that he did for the fans. Well, that's an interesting way of looking at it.
Dave Meggett
Sport: Football
Team(s): New York Giants
Champion: Super Bowl XXV (1991)
Offense(s): Criminal sexual conduct and burglary
Sentence: 30 years
During his only Super Bowl victory, runningback Dave Meggett did a little bit of everything for the Giants, who defeated the Bills, 20-19. Near the end of his career, however, Meggett's life headed down the wrong path, which included getting arrested in Toronto after allegedly assaulting an escort worker but the case ended with a hung jury in 2000. Then, 10 years later, Meggett was sentenced to 30 years on criminal sexual conduct and burglary charges stemming from a January 2009 encounter with a college student at her house in South Carolina.
Nate Newton
Sport: Football
Team(s): Dallas Cowboys
Champion: Super Bowl XXVII (1993), Super Bowl XXVIII (1994), Super Bowl XXX (1996)
Offense(s): Drug trafficking
Sentence: Two and a half years
As an offensive lineman, Nate Newton was in charge of keeping defensive lineman off of the fragile Troy Aikman. More often than not, he succeeded, which led to multiple Super Bowl titles to Newton's name. Following his playing career, Newton was stopped and arrested on two separate occasions after being found with 213 pounds and 175 pounds of marijuana, respectively. After serving his two and a half year sentence, Newton has dedicated his life to speaking with children involved in athletics in the hopes of preventing them from going down the same path he did.
Luis Polonia
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): Atlanta Braves (1995); New York Yankees (2000)
Champion: World Series (1995, 2000)
Offense(s): Sex with a minor
Sentence: 60 days
Luis Polonia wasn't the amazing standout player who led his two World Series title teams to victory. However, when he did get an opportunity, Polonia consistently impressed with his speed. But, during his career, Polonia's quickness couldn't help him escape the long arm of the law after he had sex with a 15-year-old girl at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, which is where him and the rest of his Yankees teammates were staying at the time. Polonia eventually received a 60-day sentence that he served at the conclusion of the season.
Jamal Lewis
Sport: Football
Team(s): Baltimore Ravens
Champion: Super Bowl XXXV (2001)
Offense(s): Using a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal
Sentence: Four months
In his rookie season, Jamal Lewis helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV victory over the Giants by becoming the second player to amass 100 rushing yards in a Super Bowl game. Three years later, as a member of the Ravens, Lewis was arrested for conspiring to possess with the intent to sell five kilograms of cocaine while using a cell phone. Through a plea agreement, Lewis was ordered to serve four months until he was released in August 2005.
Ray Lewis
Sport: Football
Team(s): Baltimore Ravens
Champion: Super Bowl XXXV (2001) and Super Bowl XLVII (2013)
Offense(s): Obstruction of justice
Sentence: One year probation
To some people Ray Lewis is a murderer who should be spending the majority of his adult life behind bars rather than on the football field. To others he’s an inspirational God fearing champion who’s been unfairly vilified in the media. The truth is only a few people (three living and two deceased) know what happened on the night of January 31, 2000.
During a Super Bowl XXXIV after party, Lewis along with two of his companions were involved in a brawl that resulted in the deaths of two men. Lewis cut a deal with prosecutors which resulted in his murder charge being dropped to an obstruction of justice charge in exchange for his testimony. Just a year later Lewis led his team to a Super Bowl victory and won MVP honors. Over a decade after that Lewis won another Super Bowl in the 17th and presumed final year of his career.
Isaiah Rider
Sport: Basketball
Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers
Champion: 2001 NBA Finals
Offense(s): Possession of cocaine, battery, evading a police officer
Sentence: Seven months
In the twilight of his playing days, Isaiah Rider was able to get himself a ring as a member of the 2001 Lakers. And while pursuing a chip became something that lasted his entire career, so did his efforts to stay out of trouble off the court. For the most part, Isaiah was successful in dodging jail time, but that all changed in 2007 when he was given seven months in jail after pleading guilty to cocaine possession.
Ugueth Urbina
Sport: Baseball
Team(s): Florida Marlins
Champion: 2003 World Series
Offense(s): Attempted murder
Sentence: 14 years and seven months. Served five years and nine months.
As a member of the Florida Marlins' 2003 World Series championship team, Ugueth Urbina was responsible for securing wins for his team. In fact, during the 1999 campaign, Urbina led the league in saves with 41. In a strange twist of irony after all the saves he made throughout his career, no one could save him after he attacked five farm workers on his property in Venezuela with a machete, as well as trying to pour gasoline on them. The reason? Urbina thought they stole his gun. After his arrest, he was sentenced to 14 years and 7 months in prison, however, he was released after 69 months.
Floyd Mayeather, Jr.
Sport: Boxing
Team(s): N/A
Champion: Current WBC Welterweight Champion (first title won in 2003)
Offense(s): Misdemeanor battery
Sentence: 90 days, served two months
Floyd "Money" Mayweather is not only the pound-for-pound king of the boxing world but he's arguably the most successful athlete of his generation. With a professional record of 44-0 and world championships in five different divisions over the course of his career, Mayweather has become a household name over the last decade. But it hasn't always been for the right reasons.
Last year the boxer plead guilty to domestic violence charges related to an attack on his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his children, Josie Harris. This wasn't the first time that domestic violence charges were brought up against the champ. Though judging from this photo it seems like all is well between Mayweather and his ex these days.
Nikolai Khabibulin
Sport: Hockey
Team(s): Tampa Bay Lightning
Champion: 2004 Stanley Cup
Offense: Excessive speed and extreme DUI
Sentence: 30 days
In the early 2000s, Nikolai Khabibulin was at the top of his game and at the top of the world. Literallly. After being named the Best Goalkeeper at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the man nicknamed "The Bulin Wall" helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2004. Following that title run, Khabibulin was awarded with the richest contract for a goalie in NHL history at the time.
In August 2010, things took a turn for the worse when Khabibulin was sentenced to 30 days in prison. He was pulled over by an Arizona police officer who claimed he was going 25 miles per hour over the speed limit and guilty of extreme DUI with a blood alcohol content level of .15 or higher. After receiving his penalty, Khabibulin appealed the sentence which resulted in the goalie only spending half the time in prison and the other half under house arrest.
Bruno Fernandes de Souza
Sport: Soccer
Team(s): Flamengo
Champion: Campeonato Carioca (2007)
Offense(s): Murdering his ex-girlfriend
Sentence: 22 years
In three years Souza went from being a champion goalkeeper for one of the most storied Brazilian football franchises to a convicted murder. In July 2010, Souza was charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Eliza Samudio, who had disappeared one month earlier. Souza’s cousin told authorities that the Brazilian goalkeeper had Samudio's body dismembered and fed to dogs. Earlier this year Souza was convicted and sentenced to 22 years in jail.
Plaxico Burress
Sport: Football
Team(s): New York Giants
Champion: Super Bowl XLII (2008)
Offense(s): Attempted criminal possession of a weapon
Sentence: Two years
It was all good just a year ago. This statement held more truth for Plaxico Burress than anyone else back in 2009. Just a year before accepting a plea deal to serve his 20-month sentence for shooting himself in the leg, the former Giants wideout was on the other end of the Super-winning TD pass from Eli Manning. Less than a year later, partying at a nightclub, he accidentally fired a round into his own leg when his gun slid out of his elastic waistband. A witness reported hearing a loud "popping" sound and turned to see a clearly pained Burress. She reported that the Super Bowl champion said simply, "take me to a hospital" while standing in a small puddle of his own blood.
Unfortunately for Burress, a self-inflicted gunshot wound was the least of his problems. New York has some of the harshest concealed weapons laws in the country. After doing two years in the slammer, Burress continued his living hell by joining the 2011 Jets.