From shocking scandals to career-ending decisions, these athletes went from the top of their game to infamy. Join us as we explore the most notorious moments when sports stars sabotaged their own success. Our list includes jaw-dropping incidents both on and off the field that left fans stunned and careers in ruins.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Yes, Your Honor, I stand before you today, uh, sorry, somewhat confused.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 times athletes
00:13ruined their own careers. It looked as if Tyson bared his teeth at one stage in the exchange.
00:19Yes, I think he bit his ear. That's what, Holyfield was in a lot of pain from that.
00:25Number 20. Ryan Lochte
00:30While Michael Phelps was getting all the attention for his dominance,
00:34Ryan Lochte was right behind him, carving out his own legacy. But then the 2016 Summer Olympics
00:39happened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lochte, along with three other members of the USA Swimming team,
00:44announced they had been robbed. Police say the swimmers kicked down the door,
00:47then vandalized the bathroom inside. Then those four swimmers continue down here,
00:52back towards their taxi, and at this point, they allegedly ripped a poster off the wall
00:56before being confronted by those security guards. However, inconsistencies in Lochte's
01:01story soon emerged. In the end, it turned out he had lied. They had actually gotten
01:05drunk and vandalized the bathroom at a gas station. The first version of the story you
01:08told Ryan was much more about the mean streets of Rio. And the version we're hearing now is much
01:15more about a negotiated settlement to cover up some dumb behavior. And that's why I'm taking
01:24full responsibility for it. Afterward, they were confronted to pay for the destruction.
01:28Lochte was barred from competing for 10 months, and he was dropped by sponsors,
01:31while the other athletes received a four-month suspension. This incident,
01:35plus a doping scandal in 2018, resulted in Lochte struggling to return to his former glory.
01:40I take full responsibility. I'm human. I made a mistake, a very big mistake,
01:45and it's something that I learned from, and I know that that will never happen again.
01:5019. Todd Bertuzzi
02:03Tensions were high when the Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Colorado Avalanche on March
02:088, 2004. The Canucks targeted Aves player Steve Moore for a questionable hit on their captain
02:13Marcus Naslund that went unpenalized the previous game. In the third period, Canucks forward Todd
02:19Bertuzzi sucker-punched Moore and pushed him to the ice, and a bench-clearing brawl erupted.
02:24Moore was left seriously injured with three fractured vertebrae and a concussion.
02:27The injuries were so severe that Moore would never play again.
02:36Although Bertuzzi would return to the game after multiple court hearings,
02:39suspensions, and fines, any attempt at a comeback was simply out of reach.
02:49His production decreased, he bounced around different teams, and was constantly booed and
02:57heckled by opposing teams' fans. Things were never the same for Bertuzzi after this ugly incident.
03:0318. Greg Hardy
03:06Hardy was living the dream as a Carolina Panthers defensive end, receiving praise from all sides
03:11of the NFL for his amazing work. But during the offseason in 2014, the wheels came off his rise
03:17to stardom when he was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend. Hardy was initially found
03:21guilty of assault, but the case was ultimately dismissed on appeal because his former partner
03:25largely went quiet. Needless to say, people were far from happy that he was still in the league
03:29following this. After attempting a football comeback with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015,
03:43Hardy switched sports and began an MMA career.
03:4617. Johnny Manziel
03:52You expect someone named Johnny Football to do big things in the NFL, but this athlete's
03:56personal life and excessive amounts of partying got in the way. While he had some run-ins with
04:00the police in his college days, the quarterback was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2014,
04:05but Manziel's excessive behavior off the field continued. In 2015, he was pulled over for a
04:10fight in the car with his partner. While he had been drinking, the officers believed he was under
04:14the legal limit and nothing came of the incident. But subsequent dishonest behavior combined with a
04:18domestic violence charge led to Cleveland cutting him in 2016. Though the case was dropped in 2017
04:33after Manziel agreed to counseling, Manziel hasn't played in an NFL game since.
04:4016. Roberto Alomar
04:52When the Baltimore Orioles visited the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996, a called strike three on
04:57Roberto Alomar made him go absolutely ballistic. He proceeded to take his rage out on plate umpire
05:03John Hirschbeck. When Alomar continued to mouth off at Hirschbeck, the latter tossed him out of
05:11the game. Alomar was so furious that he went right up to him and literally spit in his face. Alomar
05:20claimed that Hirschbeck had used racist remarks and the former even made insensitive comments
05:24regarding Hirschbeck's family history. Fortunately, the two would eventually make amends,
05:28shaking hands before a game months later. They even became friends afterwards.
05:3215. Mikhail Yuzny
05:34Nothing seemed out of the ordinary during a tennis match between Mikhail Yuzny and
05:38Nikolas Almagro in the third round of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
05:46But after having lost a point, Yuzny went berserk. Instead of striking his racket into the ground
05:50like most players often do, the Russian pro repeatedly hit himself in the head.
05:54This resulted in him sustaining a wound causing him to bleed everywhere. He was clearly embarrassed
05:59at his self-inflicted injury as he attempted to wipe the blood away. It even required medical
06:04treatment. But somehow and some way, Yuzny found a way to come back from the ordeal and won the
06:08match. 14. Lamar Odom
06:20Described as a team player with a great attitude, Odom was part of the dominant L.A. Lakers for
06:29part of the 2000s and became even more well-known after his marriage to Khloe Kardashian. However,
06:44substance use affected the basketball star's career and soon it became impossible to ignore.
06:48In 2013, he was arrested for impaired driving. Two years later, things reached a boiling point.
06:55He was found in a coma in Nevada with various illicit substances in his system,
06:59resulting in several heart attacks and strokes, among other things.
07:10While it was a long road to recovery from this near-death experience, Odom regained his health
07:14but admitted that his drug use cut his basketball career short prematurely.
07:2513. John McEnroe
07:38In the history of tennis, there is perhaps no one who has become more infamous or known for
07:41his outbursts on the court than John McEnroe. Perhaps Nick Kyrgios is well on his way,
07:46but that's another story. McEnroe's most infamous incident occurred during his match against Tom
08:06Gullickson at Wimbledon in 1981. At one point, McEnroe disagreed with the umpire's decision on
08:11his return of a serve being ruled out. He famously yelled the now-iconic line.
08:19Another notable outburst occurred in 1984 at the Stockholm Open semi-final match against Anders
08:25Jarid, which saw McEnroe continue his trademark umpire bashing by calling the one officiating
08:30his game a jerk. He proceeded to use his racket to hit a tray of drinks, among other
08:41items. He was fined $2,100. 12. Derek Anderson
08:50In this day and age, coverage of sporting events have evolved so drastically that
08:54there are cameras everywhere that will catch pretty much just about everything. Case in point,
08:58this game right here, down 18 points against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter.
09:03Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson was shown smiling and laughing on the sideline.
09:08During a press conference after the game, he was naturally asked about it.
09:11He was initially calm, but when continuously being pestered about the details, he had had
09:20enough. He later walked off the stage. His tenure with the Cardinals was
09:41however not a laughing matter, and he was released after the conclusion of the 2010 season.
09:4711. Meta Sandeford Artest
09:49Near the end of a 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons,
10:15Meta Sandeford Artest, formerly Ron Artest, fouled center Ben Wallace.
10:25Wallace didn't appreciate the gesture and let it be known by attempting to confront Artest.
10:30Players, referees, and coaches tried to diffuse the situation, but it soon took a bizarre turn
10:34when Sandeford Artest decided to lie down on the scorers table. But all hell broke loose when a
10:50cup of beer was thrown directly at Sandeford Artest. Upon being hit, he instantly ran to the
11:00stands, attacking the first person he could get his hands on. Chaos between fans and players
11:05ensued, and the event became known as the Malice at the Palace. Sandeford Artest was suspended a
11:10year, and although he later continued to excel as a defensive player and even went on to win
11:14a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, his career would never be the same.
11:1910. Jim Everett
11:25During this now infamous interview, former NFL quarterback Jim Everett was constantly
11:30being called Chris by interviewer and host Jim Rome. Already having a bone to pick with Rome
11:34for bashing him and calling him by that name in public even prior to the sit-down,
11:38Everett warned him not to call him Chris. Rome did so anyway. Bad move.
11:46Everett was supposedly warned before the interview that Rome would call him Chris,
11:49but it didn't matter.
12:00While Rome did show some regret for how the events transpired,
12:07Everett, meanwhile, was unapologetic for how he handled the situation.
12:26If there's a lesson to take from this, it's that if you're ever around him,
12:29just call him by his first name and not Chris.
12:329. Ray Rice
12:33After signing a hefty five-year contract and winning the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens,
12:37life was pretty good for this running back. Well, at least, that's what it looked like on
12:41the surface. In 2014, he and his partner Janae Palmer were visiting New Jersey's Revel Casino.
12:46The two got into an intense dispute which culminated in him assaulting her,
12:49much of which was caught on tape.
13:00But since the athlete took part in a pre-trial intervention program,
13:05the case was ultimately thrown out.
13:16When he was later suspended indefinitely and released by his team,
13:19the NFL star sued the Ravens for back pay.
13:29The case was settled out of court in 2015, and Rice hasn't played in pro football since.
13:438. Zanadeen Zidane
13:59During the 2006 World Cup final match, Zizou was constantly jawing with Italian player Marco
14:05Materazzi. Eventually, the trash-talking came to a head, literally. After an exchange of words,
14:10Zidane proceeds to headbutt Materazzi's chest, knocking him to the ground. Zidane was subsequently
14:16handed a red card and sent off. Italy would go on to win the game after outscoring France during
14:26the penalty shootout, where Zidane's presence and scoring ability was clearly missed. Although
14:31Zizou still had an illustrious career, it's this very incident that will forever be etched in our
14:36memories. This was probably the last way anybody expected the French team captain Zanadeen Zidane
14:41to end his career. 7. Lance Armstrong
14:57He was the biggest star in cycling, until the truth came out. Throughout his career and many
15:05title-winning victories, Lance Armstrong constantly denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
15:10It was hard to root against Armstrong, a survivor of testicular cancer and founder
15:14of the Livestrong Foundation, but the growing amount of evidence became too much to ignore.
15:27Armstrong ultimately confessed to Oprah and the rest of the world in a live interview in 2013.
15:47And with that confession, the beloved athlete who was once an inspiration to so many
15:51had tarnished his image. 6. Michael Vick
15:55This Atlanta Falcons quarterback was making waves and looked set to have
15:58a legendary career in the NFL. That changed drastically in 2007 when a disturbing story
16:17emerged. One of his properties in Virginia was found to have hosted dogfighting. He and some
16:22others had been leading this ring and engaging in animal mistreatment since back in 2001.
16:39One NFL suspension and a guilty plea later, he began serving jail time.
16:52Upon release, he began playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009,
17:02but his reputation never really recovered from the horrific scandal.
17:065. Aaron Hernandez
17:14Being an All-American when he was in Florida, people had high expectations for Hernandez when
17:18he signed with the New England Patriots. And he was on course to be one of the best tight ends
17:22around, despite being caught in various unlawful situations over the years. But then in 2013,
17:27Hernandez was taken into custody for ending Odin Lloyd's life, resulting in the Patriots
17:32cutting ties with him. In 2015, he received a life sentence without parole. Then in 2017,
17:47Hernandez stood trial for the 2012 deaths of Daniel De Abreu and Zafiro Furtado,
17:52though he was deemed innocent. However, he passed away in jail just a few days later,
17:56having taken his own life.
18:054. Oscar Pistorius
18:07There was a time when Pistorius was among the most famous Paralympic sprinters around.
18:18All that changed after he attacked who he thought was a criminal in his house.
18:26The victim was actually his partner, Reva Stankop.
18:41The South African sprinter was set to spend five years in jail as a result.
18:45The original conviction was then overturned in favor of a more serious charge.
18:56Though his prison term this time around was a year longer, prosecutors still didn't believe
19:01that was enough and appealed once more. They were successful in 2017, as Pistorius' sentence
19:05was more than doubled to 13 years and five months.
19:123. Tanya Harding
19:15She was the first American woman to nail a triple axel in a professional ice skating competition.
19:26Yet Harding's career took an infamous nosedive in 1994. Nancy Kerrigan, a competitor of hers,
19:31was violently struck on the knees and left injured. It was subsequently revealed that
19:35Harding's ex Jeff Gillooly and her bodyguard Sean Eckert had planned the affair, getting
19:40two men to carry out their plan. Still, Harding, who maintained her innocence, was controversially
19:44added to the USA team for the 1994 Winter Olympics, alongside Kerrigan. Later on,
19:49Harding admitted to obstructing justice. In addition to receiving probation time and a
19:53substantial fine, she was permanently barred from practicing her sport competitively by the
19:58U.S. Figure Skating Association.
20:112. Mike Tyson
20:13Mike Tyson was already seen as one of the wildest and most eccentric personalities in boxing.
20:17But nothing could prepare anyone for what was about to come during his rematch against Evander
20:22Holyfield in 1997. During the Sound and the Fury fight, Tyson didn't only bite his opponent's ear
20:28once, but twice. He was disqualified and later stated his actions were in response to Holyfield's
20:42unpenalized headbutting. Despite his accomplishments in the ring and the ferocious
20:54style which made him a household name in the sport of boxing, the ear bite would taint his career.
20:59Although, he doesn't think so.
21:121. O.J. Simpson
21:33The world watched as Simpson ran away from the police in a Ford Bronco and was then acquitted
21:38of the slaying of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994. Yet in 1997,
21:52he found himself losing a civil case and was deemed responsible for their passing,
21:56with the combined penalty being $33.5 million. His acting and broadcasting career were effectively
22:02over at this point. And after all that, you might expect him to keep a low profile. But he didn't.
22:08In 2008, he was in court for his role in a Las Vegas robbery and was handed a 33-year
22:28prison sentence, being granted parole in 2017. He's been free since 2021,
22:33though his name remains synonymous with scandal. He passed away due to prostate
22:52cancer in April of 2024. Did we miss any infamous athletes who ruined their own careers?
22:58Let us know in the comments.
23:03Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
23:15and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.