Sports Superstars Who Threatened To Leave Their Teams High & Dry

Darren - June 8, 2022

Sports Superstars Who Threatened To Leave Their Teams High & Dry

Darren - June 8, 2022

20. Raheem Sterling

Liverpool signed Sterling as an exciting teenager and developed him into an electric forward. It appeared as though he was the future of the team but he rocked them when he demanded to leave. This infuriated Liverpool who poured millions into his development but they didn’t stand in his way.

Sterling didn’t believe that Liverpool was in a position to compete for the top prizes. He also knew that Manchester City would pay him more money so it made sense. City signed him for almost $50 million and Sterling won many honors with the oil-rich franchise (via Bleacher Report).

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19. Francis Ngannou

Ngannou has an incredible story after he migrated to France as an illegal immigrant. Then he became one of the top UFC fighters on the planet. The Cameroonian possesses amazing punching power and knocks his opponents into oblivion. In 2021, he became the UFC heavyweight champion.

Then Ngannou threatened to leave the UFC hanging by refusing to fight unless they paid him his worth. Some people thought that he was greedy but others pointed at the prize money in boxing. It’s a sticky situation and Ngannou won’t back down (via TalkSport).

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18. LeBron James

James was en route to becoming a Cleveland icon with his electric performances for the Cavaliers. However, he rocked the franchise when he announced “The Decision” and left for the Heat. Fans knew that he threatened to leave his teammates cold but believed he’d stay.

He crushed their dreams of an elusive championship when he departed. It proved to be the right decision at the time because he won a couple of rings in Miami. James returned and achieved redemption with the Cavaliers as he won a title in 2016 (via N.Y. Times).

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17. Terry McLaurin

The average human doesn’t have enough fingers on their hands to count all of the wideouts who have had or threatened to have contract holdouts in 2022. McLaurin decided to push the Commanders as hard as he could for a lucrative extension.

McLaurin skipped some of his preseason obligations as a negotiation tactic. He wanted to apply pressure on the franchise ahead of the new semester. The wideout also knew that they had money after they failed to chase an elite quarterback in free agency (via Fansided).

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16. Rajan Rondo

Rondo brought toxic energy to the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. Things reached a head in the postseason when he effectively gave up on the court. The coaches made up an injury because his antics infuriated them so much. He never played for the franchise again.

This wasn’t the only time that the polarizing figure infuriated his teammates. Rondo also rubbed the Lakers the wrong way because he sat away from them during games. It was a bizarre move that alienated him and created bad optics (via SBNation).

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15. Lionel Messi

Messi became the most famous soccer player on the planet after he lit up the world with Barcelona. He became bigger than the club and had more influence than most of their executives. He forced the team president to quit because he wasn’t happy with the direction they were going.

It appeared as though Barcelona averted a crisis and prevented Messi from departing. But he quit the club for PSG in 2021 and left his teammates high and dry. They had a terrible start to the year before consolidating under the leadership of Xavi (via GOAL).

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14. Christian McCaffrey

In 2020, McCaffrey became the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The Panthers’ star had previously made headlines when he played for Stanford. He skipped the Sun Bowl because he didn’t want to risk his health ahead of the NFL Draft (via New York Times).

Nobody blamed him for this decision because an injury could have cost him millions of dollars. But the state of college football meant that he left his teammates high and dry. McCaffrey also disappointed Stanford fans who wanted to see him light up the showpiece event.

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13. Vince Carter

Carter became a huge fan favorite when he played for the Toronto Raptors. However, everything went South when he decided that he was sick of life beyond the border. But he didn’t go about seeking a trade in the right way. Instead, Carter burnt every bridge (via Sports Illustrated).

He gave up playing to his full potential and frustrated his teammates. There were even rumors of a physical bust-up between the player and his head coach. Finally, the Raptors traded him to New Jersey and received garbage in return. Toronto fans loath him now with every fiber of their beings.

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12. Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton makes this list for one of the strangest reasons. Unlike some of the other athletes, he didn’t threaten to leave or demand a trade. But he created a problem for Mercedes at the Miami Grand Prix because he wanted to wear his distinctive jewelry (via NBC Sports).

The FIA decided to enforce a ban on non-regulatory jewelry and clothing items. They only allowed exceptions for nose piercings and wedding rings. Hamilton said that he wouldn’t race unless they softened their rigid stance. In the end, he got his way and wore his bling.

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11. Ezekiel Elliott

On one hand, Elliott didn’t do anything wrong when he began his contract holdout. But context is an important thing considering what happened the previous season. The NFL hit him with a six-game suspension after domestic assault allegations (via NFL.com).

Elliott didn’t feel any sentiment toward the Cowboys as he demanded that they pay him his full value. Furthermore, he was only in the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract. He threatened to leave his team hanging ahead of the 2019 season.

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10. Kenny Pickett

Pickett has the unenviable task of replacing Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. He knows the stadium and the fans well because the city is his home. However, he invited controversy in 2022 when he opted to skip the Peach Bowl (via Fox Sports).

Some analysts believed he missed a massive opportunity to drive up his draft stock. Others thought that his fans and teammates deserved more because this was the pinnacle of the season for the Panthers. But Picket did the right thing for his career as a potential NFL starter.

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9. Diego Costa

Few players in world soccer polarize fans like Costa. The Brazilian-born, Spain international is a ferocious presence. Few things please him more than winding up defenders because he is a master of the dark arts. He also had an infamous fallout with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.

Costa traveled back to his native Brazil and refused to play for the team. He even threatened to go on strike for a full year because of his poor relationship with the coach. It was incredible drama as the team and fans paid the price for his absence (via Goal).

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8. Aaron Rodgers

It looked like the Packers had become a potential championship contender in 2021. But then Rodgers threw a spanner in the works because he wanted to leave. He missed preseason games as Green Bay threw Jordan Love into the mix. Finally, he agreed to stay for another year.

Then fans thought that he was halfway out the door to Denver. Instead, he played the situation perfectly as he flirted with the Broncos and tricked the Packers into handing him a massive deal. In the end, he stayed in Wisconsin with a giant new contract (via Yahoo!).

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7. Tom Brady

Nobody would have begrudged Brady if he retired in 2022 following a glorious career. He reportedly did retire but abruptly changed his mind. This was a relief for the Buccaneers’ front office and his teammates because of the lack of depth at quarterback.

They know that Brady won’t play forever but the summer was too early to allow him to leave. If he committed to his retirement they would have had to enter the QB carousel. Instead, they can wait until the 2023 Draft or see who is available in the next offseason (via GiveMeSport).

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6. Mohamed Salah

Salah is one of the most prolific players in English soccer history. The Egyptian forward starred for Liverpool as he inspired them to a host of honors. But he caused them to sweat in 2022 when he failed to agree on a new contract. He threatened to leave his teammates high and dry because he wanted more money.

Liverpool didn’t want to break their wage structure. But Salah refused to bow down and also threatened to join a rival as a free agent. It put the club in a precarious position because fans expected them to pay their top player (via Liverpool.com).

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5. Conor McGregor

McGregor is unique because he is the UFC’s only true mainstream star. But he has threatened to leave the promotion hanging on multiple occasions. Once he refused to perform his media duties because he was training in Iceland. Then the UFC pulled him from the main event of UFC 200.

The Irishman also retired several times because he wanted to use his power against his employers. This has mixed results because the UFC doesn’t appreciate this. However, McGregor has more sway than any other fighter so he doesn’t suffer any severe consequences (via Independent).

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4. Deebo Samuel

Samuel raised eyebrows in 2022 when he instigated a high-profile contract holdout after the Jaguars overpaid Christian Kirk. Samuel saw that wide receivers could earn more money after Jacksonville foolishly reset the position’s wage structure (via CBS News).

He was one of the 49ers’ most important players in 2021 but held no sentiment for the franchise. Samuel almost joined the New York Jets and opted out of OTAs. Finally, he returned to minicamp with the team to the relief of Kyle Shanahan. But he threatened to leave his teammates high and dry.

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3. Roy Keane

Keane was one of the most dominant midfielders of his generation. The Irishman played a crucial role in helping his country qualify for the 2002 World Cup. However, he played a central role in one of the most notorious bust-ups in soccer history (via Mirror).

The Manchester United star stormed out of their camp in Saipan. He left his teammates high and dry because he thought the organization was unprofessional.

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2. James Harden

Harden was the Rockets’ most important player. They built the team around his style and bowed to his wishes. Then he threw it all back in their face when he announced that he wanted to leave. This rocked the NBA.

He joined the Nets when they tried to buy a super team, but didn’t stay there for long. Finally, he ended up in Philadelphia and underperformed. It’s been a strange couple of seasons for Harden since he left his teammates high and dry (via Forbes).

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1. DeShaun Watson

In 2021, Watson became one of the most notorious figures in the NFL. The Texans suspended him for the entire season after sexual misconduct allegations emerged. But this came after Watson demanded a trade and threatened to leave the franchise hanging (via New York Post).

To be fair, Houston didn’t do themselves any favors by trading DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt before this. Watson believed that they were too dysfunctional to compete with the top teams in the AFC. In the end, the Cleveland Browns swooped in and offered him a foolish NFL-record contract.

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Sports Superstars Who Threatened To Leave Their Teams High & Dry