Sports

30 Professional Athletes Who Were Arrested For Foolish Reasons

Darren - November 2, 2020
Sports

30 Professional Athletes Who Were Arrested For Foolish Reasons

Darren - November 2, 2020

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

5. Conor McGregor

Some exploits are so stupid that they become iconic. That’s exactly what happened in the case of McGregor in 2018. He had a massive rivalry with the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagamedov. When the Russian and his crew attempted to intimidate McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov, McGregor decided to react. Khabib was in Brooklyn, New York for UFC 223 so the opportunity was perfect.

Mandatory Credit: Bleacher Report

The Irishman gathered about 20 of his cronies and flew them by private jet to JFK. From there, they went to Brooklyn’s Barclay Center where they proceeded to storm the arena. Video footage captured McGregor throwing a dolly through the window of a bus containing several fighters including Khabib. Police later arrested the Irishman and he spent the night in a precinct jail cell.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

4. Pat McAfee

McAfee’s story is lovably foolish. The punter spent eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and always had a big personality. However, he had a brush with the law back in October 2010. The outspoken NFL name partied all night in the city before he decided to take a dip in the river. But the intoxicated NFL star didn’t pause to consider how this would look to the good citizens of the neighborhood.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

A woman alerted police to the fact that a massive man was walking around dripping wet near her car. They came over to investigate. Firstly, McAfee told them that it had rained. Then they asked him how much he had drunk. After clarifying that he had drunk a lot of alcohol, they brought him to the precinct for the night. Then the Colts suspended him for a game. At the end of the day, it was dumb but harmless.

Gilbert Arenas
Mandatory Credit: Bullets Forever

3. Gilbert Arenas

Arenas is one of the most foolish athletes in the history of humanity. First of all, there was the time that he and Javaris Crittenton pulled guns on each other in the locker room. But that’s not even why he’s on this list. No, we’re talking about another incident that’s almost laughably foolish. In short, if you’re going to carry illegal items in your truck, you should have the brains to drive slowly so as not to attract attention.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

However, let’s give him some credit because he was a professional athlete, not a professional criminal. In 2013, police pulled him over for speeding in L.A. But then they proceeded to uncover over 100 pounds of fireworks in his truck. The only thing that could have made this better is if one exploded and the whole truck lit up in different color flames. You almost have to admire his hustle.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

2. Patrick Kane

Kane is a player who has turned his life around since he was a young man. The Chicago Blackhawks star definitely wasn’t the most mature of individuals when he was young. In sum, he once punched a taxi driver for the grievous offense of short-changing him. Remember that Kane is worth millions of dollars from a number of lucrative contracts. But at the age of 20, he wasn’t taking anything for granted.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

We’re literally talking about 20 cents here but for Kane, it was a matter of principle. In his drunken state, he believed a tip wasn’t something that a person should take. Instead, you should make it clear that you’re giving it to the person. So he reacted violently when the driver didn’t have enough change for him. Then he ended up in a police cell on assault charges. That’s how the cookie crumbles.

Mandatory Credit: Bleacher Report

1. Plaxico Burress

New York has some of the strictest gun laws in the entire United States. Unfortunately, nobody told former Giants wide receiver Burress, who committed one of the most foolish crimes in the history of mankind. First of all, it’s a risk to possess an unlicensed weapon in that state so you would have to be extremely confident or dumb to bring it out in public. However, Burress accidentally shot himself in the groin with his handgun in a nightclub.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

The former star faced the full brunt of the law and spent 20 months in jail for his action. Meanwhile, the Giants tried to avoid paying him his one-million-dollar signing fee. However, a court of arbitration forced against their wishes. But after serving his time, he returned to the NFL where he won the Comeback Player of the Year award. What a story it is.

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