25 Sports Stars Who Freaked Out and Ruined Their Careers

Darren - January 8, 2022

25 Sports Stars Who Freaked Out and Ruined Their Careers

Darren - January 8, 2022

13. Julio Machado

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Venezuela. Machado became a major star in his home country after he broke out in MLB. He started his career with the New York Mets before a spell with the Milwaukee Brewers. However, he never achieved his full potential. That’s because he freaked out and ruined his life in one of the craziest incidents on this list.

Machado was involved in a car crash in Caracas in 1991 (via AP News). A woman jumped out of the car to confront him and the MLB star shot her. Finally, he went to jail after evading the authorities for a few weeks. They sentenced him to 12 years behind bars. After his release, Machado became a youth baseball coach in Venezuela. It was a shameful waste of life and talent.

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12. Plaxico Burress

Burress was a talented wide receiver in the NFL. His career-defining moment came when he caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII. However, a lot of people remember him for another reason as he became a figure of fun after a ridiculous incident in 2008. Burress shot himself in the leg and killed off his football career (via Sportscasting).

The wideout was in a nightclub when a handgun he was carrying on his waistband slipped. Burress freaked out and tried to catch it. Then the gun went off and he accidentally shot himself in the leg. The main issue wasn’t the injury but the legal consequences. Law enforcement charged him because he didn’t have a license for the weapon. In the end, he served 20 months in a New York jail.

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11. Mario Balotelli

Balotelli was one of Italy’s most exciting prospects. The striker starred for Inter Milan and attracted the attention of Europe’s giants. However, there were questions about his mentality. These proved to be justified because he’s a lunatic. He once crashed his car into the side of a women’s prison. On another occasion, emergency services raced to his home after he let off fireworks indoors.

After flopping at Liverpool, he moved to Nice. Balotelli revitalized his career in the south of France. He achieved a decent goalscoring record and even had ambitions of playing for Italy again. But then he freaked out and his relationship with coach Patrick Viera broke down (via Sky Sports). This proved damaging for his future because he left the team. Later, he played for increasingly obscure sides across Europe.

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10. Angel Matos

Most people hadn’t heard of Matos before the Beijing Games in 2008. However, he entered Olympic folklore after he dramatically freaked out. Matos competed in the 80kg Taekwondo division. He fought a Kazakhstani opponent when he hurt his toe. Taekwondo athletes have one minute to recover. When Matos didn’t stand up, the referee awarded the win to his rival.

Then Matos reacted stunningly. He blasted the official in the head with a roundhouse kick. Incredibly, it was also with his broken toe. Of course, this was a terrible act but it was also special in a strange way (via Havana Times). Matos received a lifetime ban from international competition after the incident. However, Fidel Castro defended his fellow countryman.

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9. Greg Hardy

Hardy had a decent career in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. The defensive end had a great 2013 and even made the Pro Bowl. He wasn’t a world-beater but he was consistent. Of course, he wouldn’t be on this list for any good reasons. In 2014, he freaked out and battered his partner. Allegedly, he attempted to strangle her and also threw her onto a pile of guns.

The Panthers released him after a judge found him guilty. However, he didn’t receive any legal punishment because the victim dropped the charges. Finally, after a brief spell with the Dallas Cowboys, he fell out of the NFL. Then he became an MMA fighter and joined the UFC. The promotion attempted to push him but their fans loathed him (via Bleacher Report).

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8. Jon Jones

It may seem extreme to say that Jones ruined his career. However, he curtailed his chances of developing into a global superstar. The former UFC champion is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever. He is famous in the MMA world but he isn’t a mainstream figure like Conor McGregor. This is largely his fault because of his inability to avoid trouble.

The first significant controversy came when he crashed his vehicle into a pregnant woman (via N.Y. Post). Then he ran away from the scene. But there have been many more incidents. One of the most recent occurred on the same day of his Hall of Fame induction. Later, he freaked out and attacked his wife. Jones has also committed several doping violations and DUIs.

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7. Oscar Pistorius

Paralympic athletes rarely experience mainstream fame. However, the brilliance of Oscar Pistorius transcended his sport. He even competed against non-disabled sprinters because he was so fast. The South African was a superstar in his native country. But the world came crashing down around him after he shot his wife. Pistorius’s trial seized global attention.

He killed Reeva Steenkamp when she emerged from the bathroom of their home. Pistorius claimed that he freaked out because he thought there was an intruder. After multiple trials, Pistorius finally went to jail for 15 years. Originally, a judge convicted him of culpable homicide. Then it went to retrial and they upgraded it to murder (via Reuters).

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6. Carlos Monzon

Monzon was a tremendous boxer who became a folk hero in Argentina. He was an undisputed middleweight champion and had an incredible nine successful defenses. But Monzon was a complex individual. The Argentine public loved him despite his intense flaws. Monzon had two wives and many affairs. However, the boxer battered every woman he was involved with.

He even freaked out and attacked the media on multiple occasions. His most controversial moment came in 1988. That’s when he pushed his wife Alicia over the side of a balcony. She died from her injuries and Monzon went to prison for 11 years (via The Independent). Monzon died in a car crash while on temporary release. He was a brilliant boxer but a difficult human being.

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5. Ray Rice

Rice was one of the best running backs in the NFL during his heyday. The Ravens star had electric feet and the ability to dance past opponents. He was a three-time Pro Bowler with the franchise and also won a Super Bowl. However, he contrived to ruin his career in the most disgraceful way. In short, Rice freaked out and battered his wife in an Atlantic City casino.

Video footage captured the NFL star dragging her unconscious body from an elevator. He punched her head and slammed her against the side of the elevator. Naturally, this was a major scandal and the NFL made it worse. Roger Goodell failed to punish him properly (via Baltimore Sun). Finally, the Ravens cut him during his suspension. Nobody wanted to touch him after that.

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4. Ron Artest

Few figures stirred up as much controversy on the court as Artest. It’s easy to forget that he was genuinely talented. He was a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year as well as a Finals winner. However, his career went downhill after the Malice at the Palace. This brawl between the Pacers and the Pistons was one of the most dramatic in sporting history.

Artest received an 86-game ban for his central role in the chaos (via Business Insider). However, he infuriated his teammates by requesting a trade after it ended. They stood by him throughout the scandal after he freaked out and wreaked havoc. While he had some success after his return, he never made the same impact as before. He became something like a caricature of himself.

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3. Tiger Woods

There was a time when Woods was one of the most clean-cut athletes on the planet. However, everything changed in 2009. Firstly, he crashed his Cadillac outside his mansion after a night of pills. Then his world spiraled out of control. Dozens of women, including strippers and adult film stars, emerged within a couple of weeks. They claimed to have had affairs with the golfer (via People).

Woods freaked out after this and entered rehab. The scandal came at the worst time because he was also suffering from injuries. He struggled to recapture his brilliance and didn’t win another Major until 2019. Woods should have enjoyed much more success over the years. But he wasn’t in a position to compete for a few years because of his mental and physical conditions.

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2. Hope Solo

Sometimes the best thing to do is to stop talking. Unfortunately, nobody told Solo because of her inability to stay quiet. The USWNT goalkeeper was one of the team’s most recognizable faces. She was also extremely vocal and had no problem giving her opinion. In 2016, the USA played Sweden in the Olympic semifinals. Finally, the Nordic nation defeated the defending champions on penalties.

After the game, Solo freaked out and called the Swedes ‘cowards’ because of their defensive performance (via The Guardian). The Swedish coach laughed it off because of the emotion of the occasion. However, the American soccer federation suspended her from playing for the team. This infuriated Solo and her teammates because she was a vocal advocate for equal pay. They wanted to remove her from the public eye.

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1. Antonio Brown

Brown was already an extremely controversial figure before his wild incident in 2021. That’s because the wide receiver had a history of off-the-field problems. These even included sexual assault allegations and ultimately cost him his Patriots’ career. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recognized his talents and brought him in from the cold. It was a case of the last-chance saloon for the temperamental wideout.

Things went well in his first season as the Bucs won the Super Bowl. But his second year in Florida ended on a sour note. Tampa played the Jets in Week 17 when Brown freaked out. He took off his pads, helmet, and jersey in the third quarter and stormed off. Later, Bruce Arians said that Brown was no longer on the team. However, Brown accused the organization of plotting against him (via Sky Sports) by forcing him to play on an ankle that an MRI proved he needed serious surgery on. The team of course denied that, setting up a potential legal battle between the two sides. Brown’s football future remains in limbo, but it’s difficult to envision him getting more chances.

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25 Sports Stars Who Freaked Out and Ruined Their Careers