40 Sports Stars Who Went From Heroes To Villains Overnight

19. Mike Tyson

Few people injected fear into the hearts of their opponents like “Iron Mike.” The heavyweight champion knocked out everybody that stood in his way before a shock loss to Buster Douglas. He became one of America’s sporting heroes.

Then, Tyson went to jail after a court found him guilty of rape. It’s impossible to support a convicted rapist so he lost many fans immediately. However, he returned to boxing after his release from prison and rehabilitated his image (via Chicago Tribune).

18. Neymar

Many people believed that Neymar was a future world player of the year after his success for Brazil. The country has many soccer heroes and he became one of them. However, he lost the respect of everybody else when he joined PSG (via GiveMeSport).

It appeared as though he gave up on his legacy and wanted to make as much money as possible. Meanwhile, Neymar enjoyed partying and socializing more than playing soccer. It’s a shame because so much talent went to waste.

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17. Michael Vick

Vick redefined the quarterback role during his time with the Falcons. It appeared as though he was a future Hall of Famer. But then he served two years in jail after a federal investigation into a dogfighting ring. Vick was the ringleader.

It rocked the NFL because it was such a horrible crime. Furthermore, the details disgusted animal lovers across the world. Vick joined the Eagles after he left prison and still had some productive seasons. But he was never at the same level (via MARCA).

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16. Greg Norman

In recent years, Saudi Arabia made a massive push to host sports events. That’s because it wants to sports wash its image and change how people perceive the country. One of these events is their breakaway golf league (via The Guardian).

Several high-profile players attended including Norman who defended his participation. It would be reasonable if he admitted that the money was too good to turn down. But then he downplayed their killing of journalists and tarnished his own image.

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15. Tiger Woods

Woods enjoyed phenomenal success in the 2000s before his sordid sex scandal. The golfer was one of the most clean-cut sports heroes but it instantly changed. After a drunken crash, dozens of women accused him of extramarital affairs.

This ruined Woods’ marriage and his career. He entered rehab and had several years in the wilderness because of injury. There was a time when he was clearly on track to be the greatest ever (via People).

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14. Jon Jones

The UFC doesn’t have many heroes in the clearest definition of the term. But Jones began his career in style as he became the youngest champion ever. It was an incredible achievement and he became a superstar.

But Jones is a disaster of a human being and this cost him dearly. His most notorious incident saw him crash into a pregnant woman’s vehicle. This hit-and-run incident caused the UFC to strip him of the title, and he is battling his demons to this day (via N.Y. Post).

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13. Tonya Harding

Harding was once America’s golden girl. The figure skater became the first U.S. woman to pull off the triple-axle in competition. Meanwhile, her background made her a relatable figure to many people across the nation.

But one fateful moment ruined her career and changed the direction of her life. Her ex-husband hired a thug to attack her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. She descended into darkness and endured further legal problems (via Screenrant).

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12. Ray Rice

Rice became a villain in an instant. Video footage captured the Ravens star as he dragged his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator. It was horrendous and a high-profile domestic assault case began (via CNN).

Eventually, the NFL cleared him to play football again but he was damaged goods. Nobody wanted to associate with him because of his stained reputation. The fan backlash would be massive because fans hate abusers.

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11. Lance Armstrong

There was a time when Armstrong was one of the most inspirational sporting heroes on the planet. He won seven consecutive Tour De France titles at the turn of the century. Armstrong catapulted cycling into the spotlight. He also survived a bout with cancer.

But Armstrong ruined everything when news of his doping emerged. This occurred on a grand scale and World Cycling scrubbed his biggest wins from the record books. Meanwhile, Armstrong lost millions of dollars in endorsements (via Reuters).

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10. Kyle Larson

Larson is one of NASCAR’s top drivers but also a controversial figure because of an odd incident. He was participating in an online racing game when he dropped a racial slur. Larson didn’t realize that his microphone was live.

He apologized for his words but the damage was done. First, his racing team fired him, and then NASCAR suspended him. However, he received a second chance and continues to perform well. But it was a bad look for the sport (via NBC).

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9. Gervonta Davis

Davis is a brilliant boxer, but he’s also a thug. The Baltimore native burst onto the scene as Floyd Mayweather’s protege. However, he tarnished his image with multiple legal issues. First, there was a public display of domestic violence (via TMZ).

Then his Lamborghini was involved in a hit and run in 2021. Meanwhile, “Tank” had several street fights and can’t stay out of trouble. Some sports stars are heroes but Davis simply isn’t a good role model.

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8. Zinedine Zidane

One of France’s greatest-ever players, Zidane was a true superstar. He decided that the World Cup in 2006 would be his final tournament. They made it to the Final against Italy but it ended in tears for Zizou. This was a notorious moment.

He head-butted Marco Materazzi after the Italian insulted his sister. This moment cost his team dearly. Italy had an inferior squad but dragged France to the penalty shootout. Then they won the game as Zidane sat and watched (via NZHerald).

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7. DeShaun Watson

Watson was one of the few good things that the Texans had going for them. The quarterback was a star but things came to a head in 2021 when he demanded to leave. Then a sexual harassment scandal rocked the NFL.

22 masseuses accused of him touching them inappropriately. They also claimed that he forced them to perform sex acts on him. This didn’t stop the Browns from signing him but he is no longer one of the NFL’s heroes (via CNN).

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6. Kevin Durant

Durant became one of the Thunders’ heroes after leading them to the NBA Finals. They hoped that he’d lead them to glory the following season against the Warriors. But then he crushed everybody’s dreams when he joined their conquerors (via The Ringer).

This was a bitter pill for fans to swallow because he joined the team that beat them. In the end, Durant won a pair of rings so he made the right decision for his career. But he also became one of the most hated players in basketball.

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5. John Terry

Terry captained Chelsea and the England national team. He was also one of the best defenders of his generation. But then the news broke that he had an affair with a teammate’s girlfriend. It was humiliating for everybody involved.

Things became worse for Terry after a racism scandal. He was unable to play for his country again because of the image. It was shameful but showed the type of person that Terry is (via Sky Sports).

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4. Henry Ruggs III

Ruggs is one of the biggest wastes of talent in NFL history. The wide receiver had a tough rookie season but started to show his real potential in his second year. He established rapport with Derek Carr and became one of the team’s heroes.

Sadly, his downfall occurred in the blink of an eye after a fatal car crash. Ruggs drank too much and drove his vehicle into another car. He killed the driver instantly and ruined his own life in the process (via AL.com).

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3. LeBron James

James was once one of Cleveland’s biggest heroes. But he rocked the NBA when he announced “The Decision.” Fans hoped that he’d bring an elusive first championship. Instead, he abandoned them for the Miami Heat and broke their hearts.

He won two rings with the Heat before he returned to the Cavaliers. But those titles had a hollow feel because he didn’t have the same connection to the team. Later, he helped Cleveland win a championship and redeemed his image (via SB Nation).

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2. Conor McGregor

McGregor was arguably the UFC’s first mainstream superstar. The Irishman was a two-weight champion and had incredible charisma. But he went from hero to villain with his antics outside of the cage when punched an old man in a bar (via Daily Mail).

Meanwhile, he became involved in multiple unsavory legal issues. These included sexual assault allegations and multiple speeding offenses. A woman also accused him of impregnating her at a party in Liverpool.

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1. Aaron Hernandez

Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski struck fear into the hearts of opposition teams. The Patriots duo were two of the best tight ends in the sport. However, Hernandez never achieved his full potential because he was a murderer.

On paper, Hernandez was a phenomenal athlete, who combined wideout speed with tight end strength. However, his struggles evolved into something much more toxic. He should have been one of the Pats’ biggest heroes (via Fansided).

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