Lists

40 Sports Stars Who Ruined Their Own Careers

Darren Ryding - April 26, 2023

Lists

40 Sports Stars Who Ruined Their Own Careers

Darren Ryding - April 26, 2023

Imagine rising to the top and then throwing it all away. Being a sports star is the dream of so many young boys and girls around the world. However, few ever manage to be an elite athlete. You need the perfect balance of natural talent, hard work, and marketability to make it at the highest level.

Then, when you get there, you have to deal with ludicrous pressure. Some athletes just can’t handle it and end up succumbing to various vices or making very bad decisions. That’s what we’re going to look at today. This list will check out 40 sports stars who ruined their own careers in one way or another.

Some used drugs and/or drank themselves into oblivion. Others decided to try to kill people. A couple even turned to God and yoga. Check our some of the sadder downfalls in sports below.

Neymar. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

40. Neymar

It might seem harsh to put Neymar on this list, but it can’t be denied that his lifestyle has definitely stunted his career. He’s achieved a lot in the game, but the Brazilian loves to party and that’s definitely given him a bad reputation. The former Brazil captain definitely isn’t helping himself.

He also has an attitude problem. Consequently, that’s why PSG fans have now turned their backs on him and boo his every touch. Is he capable of improving? Yes. m ost definitely. But right now, he’s stuck in a state of purgatory and it’s all his own fault. It’s hard to feel sorry for him.

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39. Bryant McKinnie

A typical example of a man with a lot of talent who wasted it. McKinnie is notorious for two incidents. First of all, there was the Minnesota Vikings boat scandal in 2005. Basically, he helped organize a bunch of prostitutes to come and perform sex acts with the players.

The party animal was also involved in a night club incident back in 2008. In short, he was charged with aggravated battery after getting into a street brawl. The Vikings tackle spat in the face of a bouncer before hitting him in the face with a heavy pole. He only got community service, but his career was permanently hindered as a result.

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38. Len Bias

One of the saddest stories on this list is that of Len Bias. A brilliant prospect at the University of Maryland, he became an All-American college basketball forward. Bias impressed fans with his incredible athleticism and jumping ability. In short, many viewed him as the next Michael Jordan. But sadly, it was not meant to be.

In June 1986, he was selected by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick on the NBA Draft. Consequently, Bias went back to Maryland to celebrate with his friends. They spent the night snorting cocaine. Bias had a seizure and died of a heart attack. 11,000 people attended his funeral. A tragic waste.

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37. Loris Karius

One of the weirdest stories on this list, Karius has fallen a long way from grace. His vice is so 2019. In short, he’s addicted to Instagram and it’s made him into a parody figure. The German moved to Liverpool in 2017 and was seen as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the world. It turned out not to be.

He played in the 2017/18 Champion’s League final and committed two howlers against Real Madrid. Afterward, he released a statement online saying he had been concussed. Now, few take him seriously. Many think Karius needs to remember that he’s a soccer player and not a model.

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36. Gilbert Arenas

If you’re reading this then you’re probably a sports fan. So, there’s a good chance you’ve put on a bet on a game at some point in your life. There’s nothing wrong with gambling if you can control it. The problem is that many athletes can’t. Enter Arenas, who definitely liked to gamble it up.

In 2009, he was involved in a wacky incident with his teammate Javaris Crittenton over gambling debts. After pulling a gun out in the locker room he allegedly said: ‘Javaris, I will burn your car while you’re in it. Then we’ll find an extinguisher to help your a** out.’ They were both charged in Washington D.C.

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35. Allen Iverson

Iverson had a magnificent career but it all ended in tears. He played 14 seasons in the NBA and was an 11-time NBA All-Star. In short, he was a brilliant player and became a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer in 2016. However, his vices began to take over towards the end of the career.

Bizarrely, he decided to go to Turkey to play basketball. It’s not exactly a basketball hotbed. So as you might expect, it didn’t work out well. Then, he was facing alleged alcohol and gambling issues in his mid-30s. They affected him badly enough that he stepped away from the game. His career ended with a whimper.

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34. Art Schlichter

Talent is never enough if you want to be a successful athlete. In fact, some sports stars reach the highest level because they were willing to put in the work despite their limitations. Schlichter definitely doesn’t fall into that category. He’s more renowned for his four-decade compulsive gambling habit than for anything else.

By his own count, Schlichter has committed more than 20 felonies. After gambling away his NFL, Arena League, and radio salaries, he ran up massive debt. To settle these, he wrote bad checks and would steal from friends and family. Between 1995 and 2006, he served the equivalent of 10 years in 44 different county and federal jails.

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33. Rae Carruth

Does sheer stupidity and maliciousness count as a vice? Maybe not, but cheating on your girlfriend definitely counts. Rae Carruth was casually seeing a woman named Cherica Adams. He got her pregnant and then tried to pressure her into aborting the child. But she didn’t want to, so his natural reaction was to have her shot.

To sum up, he got a friend to pull the trigger and then went on the run. Police found him hiding in the boot of a car in West Tennessee. He was charged with conspiracy to commit murder but managed to avoid the death penalty. The child survived but was born with cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage.

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32. Stephon Marbury

Don’t ever sleep with the intern because it’s never going to end well. Marbury obviously didn’t get the memo because that’s just one of the many idiotic things he’s done. The former NBA star has had massive fallouts with two former coaches and also broadcasts his life to the world 24/7.

Now he’s plying his trade in China, where he has a statue. Of course, Dennis Rodman unveiled it at the ceremony in Beijing. We feel like that tells you a lot about the life of Stephon Marbury. Now he’s the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters. We wish them luck.

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31. George Best

One of Manchester United’s greatest ever players, Best has a tragic story. The Northern Ireland international was a genius with the ball at his feet, but his life off of the pitch ruined everything. Possessing incredible skill, Best became one of the first celebrity soccer players in the UK. However, he wasn’t able to handle it.

He fell into alcoholism and spent a lot of his fortune on drinking, women, and fast cars. That sounds like a good life, but if you can’t control it, suddenly things aren’t so bright. Involved in controversies on and off the field, his career petered out. Best sadly died in 2002 after complications with his medication after a liver transplant. He was only 59 at the time.

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30. Theo Fleury

The majority of the entries on this list have had problems with either drugs or drink. Fleury is no exception. Famed for his attacking style, Fleury got into many fights during his time as a hockey player. However, that’s not what got him into real trouble.

Drug and alcohol problems shortened his career and got him into problems off the ice. After a long battle with his addiction, he retired in 2003. It would take him a further two years to get clean. However, he’s managed to stay on the straight and narrow since then. It’s just a pity his career fell apart the way it did.

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29. Paul Gascoigne

The name Paul Gascoigne is a warning to every soccer player. It’s a reminder that a moment of indiscipline can cost you everything. ‘Gazza’ was lighting up the Premiership with Tottenham Hotspurs, when he rashly tackled Gary Charles in the FA Cup final. He suffered devastating damage to his knee and it triggered a downward spiral.

Before this, Gascoigne had been outstanding for England in the World Cup as well as in the club game. But it would take him two years to get back to fitness. Problems with drink, drugs, and his diet would effectively cost him his career. To this day, Gascoigne has not mentally recovered. It’s one of the tragedies of English sport.

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28. Manny Ramirez

Baseball has a reputation for doping. Ramirez is an embodiment of this sad truth. In short, the Dominican-American had more juice in him than a racehorse at Coachella. A complete hitter, Ramirez was regarded as one of the best right-handed hitters of his generation. However, his legacy is as tainted as his test samples.

Ramirez tested positive in 2009 after taking hCG, a women’s fertility drug that is often taken after steroids. This offense landed him a 50-game ban. Then, to make matters worse, he was informed of another violation and his ban was increased to 100 games. Ramirez never played in the Majors again.

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27. Adel Taarabt

A total waste of potential, Taarabt just never had the discipline to make it in the Premier League. Taarabt’s temperament was his biggest problem. He fell out with almost every manager he dealt with and had the eating habits of a pregnant bear. The man loved his pizza.

Since leaving Spurs, the soccer player has embarked on a nomadic career. It’s a pity because he’s so skilled that he really could have made it at the very top of the game. Unfortunately, if you’re not willing to work then you’re just not going to make it. Taarabt is now with Benfica in Portugal.

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26. Ronaldinho

You might think it’s daft to include Ronaldinho on this list, but you can’t deny that after leaving Barcelona he was never the same player. The Brazilian maestro is a World Cup winner and always played with a smile on his face. You still can’t put him in the same category as a Ronaldo or a Messi because of his indiscipline.

After achieving incredible success in Spain, he moved to AC Milan in 2008. However, his form would never recover. ‘Ronny’ loved to party and struggled to maintain his weight and fitness. This triggered a nomadic end to his career, basically taking him on a tour of Brazil. In short, he should have won more than one Ballon d’Or.

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25. Tank Johnson

Johnson loved his guns. He loved them so much that he brought them everywhere, even to places that he really shouldn’t. Johnson was first arrested back in 2005 for having a handgun in his SUV outside a nightclub. He got 18 months probation for that offense.

The former Bengals tackle was arrested again when police searched his house and found unlicensed assault rifles. He’d serve 45 days in prison and missed half of the regular season in 2007. The Bengals finally had enough with Johnson when he was arrested for driving at almost twice the speed limit.

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24. Oliver Miller

Did you know that the average salary of an NBA player is $3 million a year? So you’d think that you could comfortably afford to hire a personal chef or even subscribe to a meal plan. But not Miller. Nope, the big man literally ate everything in sight except the basketball. He ballooned up to 300 pounds at one point.

Miller still managed to play in the NBA for seven seasons. We’d imagine that if he was willing to look after himself he’d have lasted for much longer. Hilariously, he was once arrested for pistol-whipping a man at a BBQ cookout. Miller spent a year in the county jail. His victim must have gone for the last hotdog.

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23. Conor McGregor

The Irishman was on top of the world not all that long ago. However, his drop in stock has been outrageous. Many fans believe that he no longer has the hunger to compete at the highest level and is more interested in partying. Maybe that’s too harsh because he’s made more money than most people will ever dream of. But it’s clear that the party life has changed him.

It’s also a major reason why ‘The Notorious’ has been getting into trouble with the law. You just can’t punch old men in bars. McGregor spent the night in a Florida jail for breaking a fan’s phone outside a nightclub. He also launched a booze-fueled assault on Brooklyn’s Barclay Center in 2018.

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22. Vin Baker

Another man with a drinking problem is Vin Baker. The former Boston Celtics star admitted that he used to go wild after bad games. Former Celtics coach Jim O’Brien once even smelled alcohol on Baker’s breath during a training session. He clearly had a problem.

Baker ended up ballooning up to a massive 300 pounds. He had the mobility and ability of a Sherman tank, so his game suffered tremendously. The four-time All-Star got his weight back down to 250 pounds. Unfortunately, the Celtics lost faith and suspended him before his subsequent release. The recovering alcoholic would only play for two more years.

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21. Ugueth Urbina

Don’t try and kill your gardeners. It’s not going to end well for you. As tempting as it may be to set fire to your incompetent staff, it’s usually not the smartest solution. The Venezuelan two-time All-Star helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series in 2003. Then he decided to go wild with a machete.

We’re not suggesting drugs were involved at all, but Urbina went crazy on his farm in Venezuela. He accused a worker of stealing a gun and decided to try and light his staff on fire by pouring gas on them. Urbina then went off on a rampage with a machete. Maybe he was trying to make friends but the court saw it as attempted murder. Don’t do it, folks.

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20. Shawne Merriman

Merriman was once one of the most feared linebackers in the NFL. With his style of play, it was always a case of all or nothing. The problem with that was that he’s also a volatile madman. That makes it all the more ironic that the person who was directly responsible for destroying his career was tiny reality star Tia Tequila.

She accused him of choking her, sending his career into a downward spiral from which it has never recovered. His prospects were further damaged after testing positive for banned substances. A couple of bad decisions can do a lot of damage, but still, it’s nowhere near as bad as some of the former stars on this list.

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19. David Thompson

Thompson has had more snow in his nose than an Alaskan husky. During the height of his drug addiction, the former NBA star was spending $1000 per day on cocaine. Needless to say, this had a detrimental effect on his career and his personal life.

One of the game’s premier dunkers in the 1970s, Michael Jordan even said that the whole meaning of vertical-jump started with Thompson. Too bad he couldn’t keep it up. It turns out you’ll end up in jail if you batter your wife. After his release from prison, Thompson became a committed Christian.

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18. Shawn Kemp

Kemp led a very entertaining life, but not for the reasons he would want us to remember him for. The six-time All-Star battled with extreme weight problems throughout his career. At one point he ballooned to 315 pounds. He moved to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000, and that’s when things got really bad.

His first season in Portland ended early when he entered a drug rehab center. Kemp signed as a free agent for Orlando Magic and things didn’t get better. Struggling with his weight, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, he would end up playing out his career in the Italian League.

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17. Milton Bradley

No, not the board game company Milton Bradley. We’re talking about the angry baseball player with the same name. The outfielder led a nomadic career in a life beset by legal problems. He’s the type of player to snap bats over his leg when he gets angry. His anger issues have made him unsuitable for any team, which is a sad reality.

Bradley was once suspended by his team for not being able to keep his mouth shut. He’s also got a long and unpleasant history of domestic violence. Most notably, he was charged for an assault on his wife in 2013. Bradley would spend almost 40 months in prison. When he came out, he was untouchable.

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16. Richie Incognito

It might be an overstatement to say Incognito has ruined his career – but it’s fair to say he’s got a tarnished reputation. Incognito definitely doesn’t live up to his name. He’s got a reputation for making bad tackles and gouging his opponents. So it’s no wonder he’s not popular.

There was also a major bullying scandal when he was with the Miami Dolphins. In short, Incognito is not a very nice guy. He’s actually the type of dude who’ll walk through a funeral home smashing caskets because the director wouldn’t allow him to take his father’s head home for ‘research purposes.’ Yes, that actually happened.

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15. Darryl Strawberry

Strawberry had a good career but he definitely underachieved. Unfortunately, MLB suspended him three times for substance abuse. Despite this, he was one of the most feared sluggers in the game. Imagine how good he could have been if he just stayed clean? It’s incredible, really.

Strawberry’s list of misdemeanors is as long as it is varied. Strawberry didn’t pay his child support on time, he used a lot of cocaine, and he once solicited a prostitute who turned out to be an undercover cop. I hate it when that happens. The rightfielder missed a lot of game time because of this, but he still performed well.

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14. Mike Tyson

Tyson took ruining your career to the next level. The former heavyweight champion of the world was an absolute destroyer in his prime. You could line his opponents up and Tyson would knock them down. That brutal power would fell an elephant on ketamine. But it was all too much, too young, and Tyson went crazy.

The worst moment for Tyson was when he was arrested for rape in 1992. He’d serve three years out of a six-year sentence. After his release from prison, he’d recapture two of his belts but age was starting to catch up with him and he was never the same fighter. Biting Evander Holyfield’s ear didn’t help either.

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13. Latrell Sprewell

Imagine turning down a $21 million contract because you think it won’t be enough to feed your children. That’s the ridiculous situation that Sprewell created for himself back in 2005. Ever a volatile character, he was a great player but prone to bouts of madness. Just ask PJ Carlesimo.

Sprewell had an issue with the Golden State Warriors coach and actually choked him. The NBA suspended him for 68 games. He waited for teams to get desperate when he turned down the mega-money Timberwolves contract. They didn’t and he never played again. Oh, and his ex sued him for not paying child benefits.

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12. Roy Tarpley

The first thing that young professional athletes should learn is that drugs and alcohol are bad. It’s really not rocket science, although the behavior of some stars would make you think otherwise. Enter Roy Tarpley, who brought alcohol and drug abuse to the next level.

Three strikes and you’re out. That’s the way the NBA rolls. Tarpley was suspended three times in the space of a year for violating the NBA Code of Conduct. He would eventually move to Europe where he’d play with success. Still, it’s hardly the pinnacle of the game.

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11. Steve Howe

Another tragic entry on this list, Howe was a very talented pitcher. It’s too bad then that he spent more time getting high than trying to improve on the playing field. The 1980 Rookie of the Year had a lot of problems with drugs, which would eventually cost him his life.

Drugs and alcohol totally derailed the young man’s career. The MLB suspended him seven times for drug-related offenses. Howe was even banned for life, but this was overturned. Tragedy occurred in 2006 when he died in a single-vehicle accident. There were drugs in his system.

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10. Israel Folau

Folau was a brilliant rugby player. We say ‘was’ because he’s no longer able to play in Australia. In short, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, leaving the Australian rugby federation no choice but to sack him. The highest try scorer in Australian Super League history, this was no small decision by the Ozzies.

Folau is hyper-religious. He loves to go off on a rant about who is welcome in the kingdom of God and who isn’t. That’s effectively what cost him his job. Instead of keeping his views on same-sex marriage and homosexuality private, he declared them loudly and publically.

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9. Mario Balotelli

One of the most entertaining characters in the world of soccer, Balotelli remains an enigma. He’s incredibly talented but we’ve only seen him at his best in flashes. That’s because he has the self-discipline of an alcoholic in a brewery. None at all.

His list of misdemeanors is endless. Balotelli once shot a youth team player with an air rifle. The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker deliberately drove a car into a women’s prison. He accidentally lit his house on fire. Now he’s back in Italy with Brescia.

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8. Adam Jones

On the face of it, Jones is a physical specimen. However, he never used his gifts consistently and ran into trouble with the law more times than we can count. Jones’s most infamous incident took place at a strip club. After making it ‘rain,’ he decided that he wanted his money back. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Jones got angry and slammed a stripper’s head off the floor. A member of Jones’s entourage later allegedly shot three people outside the venue. The NFL suspended him for a year. As well as hitting another stripper, he’s also had run-ins with traffic police and a long history of alcohol abuse.

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7. John Daly

The only thing more atrocious than John Daly’s trousers is his behavior off the golf course. Daly is basically a lunatic. He’s an alcoholic, a gambler, and goes off on ridiculous, embarrassing tirades. Such is his reputation that he actually has a drink named after him. Oh, and he once fell asleep outside a nightclub and urinated himself.

Daley was once the antihero on the golf course. He was an everyman who helped change golf’s image as a white-collar game. Now he’s just a caricature of himself which is sad. He’s the only man from Europe or the United States to never be selected for the Ryder Cup after winning two championships. That says a lot.

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6. Alex Karras

Gambling addictions can be cruel. Karras was one of the best interior linemen of all time, and also a prolific gambler. If you’re playing a sport at the highest level, this really isn’t the best combination. Things are going to end badly.

Things came to a head for Karras. His links to gambling and organized crime saw him sit out the entire 1963 football season. When he returned he rejected the referee’s attempted coin toss. “I’m not allowed to gamble,” he said. At least he still had a sense of humor.

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5. Dwight Gooden

Gooden had one of the best right arms in baseball before ruining things for himself. He’d have snorted the wire of a pair of Apple headphones if you told him it was a line of cocaine. Gooden battled cocaine addiction the whole way through his career.

The former New York Mets player even went to rehab as he tried to conquer his drug addiction, but he could never shake it loose. Gooden served suspensions for his drug use and never really seized the Major Leagues by storm. Despite this, he’s still in the Mets Hall of Fame.

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4. Mickey Mantle

Mantle is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He spent the entirety of his career with the Yankees and was a phenomenal switch-hitter. So why is he on this list? The short answer is because he curtailed his own potential.

Mantle partied like a wild man. The amount of alcohol he consumed and the damage he did to his own body was ridiculous. Sure, he had a magnificent and distinguished career, but it probably could have been even better. It comes as no surprise that he was eventually diagnosed as an alcoholic.

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3. Ricky Williams

The former running back left football behind to study holistic medicine and yoga. Williams was a man with exceptional talent, but a lot of problems in his life. Unfortunately, he suffered from depression and anxiety, causing him to turn to marijuana. It’s only recently that many states have legalized it to treat issues like the ones Williams battled.

He was banned for a year from the NFL after testing positive for marijuana. Williams moved to the CFL, spending the season in Toronto. That’s where he got into yoga. He’d eventually quit the game to dedicate his life to it properly. What a story.

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2. Barret Robbins

Barrett Robbins was once a key cog for the Oakland Raiders. So naturally, they were shocked when he disappeared the day before the Superbowl and turned up incoherent. Some members of the coaching staff actually wanted him to play the next day, but he would be checked into the Betty Ford Center.

After battling with bipolar disorder, Robbins would get his career back on track. Unfortunately for him, he’d then test positive for steroids. To make matters worse, Robbins was arrested when crack-cocaine was found in his car.

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1. Tiger Woods

Do you remember when Woods was on top of the world? The legendary golfer’s image and reputation were squeaky-clean. But then it emerged that the billionaire had had affairs with multiple women. Say what?

Woods would spend time in a sex addiction rehabilitation in Mississippi. However, he’s never been the same since before the revelations. Woods has suffered more injuries and struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the world’s most recognizable athletes. Despite this, he did win the Masters in 2019, his first major in 11 years.

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40 Sports Stars Who Ruined Their Own Careers

40 Sports Stars Who Ruined Their Own Careers

40. Neymar

39. Bryant McKinnie

38. Len Bias

37. Loris Karius

36. Gilbert Arenas

35. Allen Iverson

34. Art Schlichter

33. Rae Carruth

32. Stephon Marbury

31. George Best

30. Theo Fleury

29. Paul Gascoigne

28. Manny Ramirez

27. Adel Taarabt

26. Ronaldinho

25. Tank Johnson

24. Oliver Miller

23. Conor McGregor

22. Vin Baker

21. Ugueth Urbina

20. Shawne Merriman

19. David Thompson

18. Shawn Kemp

17. Milton Bradley

16. Richie Incognito

15. Darryl Strawberry

14. Mike Tyson

13. Latrell Sprewell

12. Roy Tarpley

11. Steve Howe

10. Israel Folau

9. Mario Balotelli

8. Adam Jones

7. John Daly

6. Alex Karras

5. Dwight Gooden

4. Mickey Mantle

3. Ricky Williams

2. Barret Robbins

1. Tiger Woods

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