Every sports team has legends and icons that fans idolize. They range from all-star players who gave everything for the team and dazzled with their performances to elite coaches with brilliant minds who masterminded victory. But sometimes, these sports icons stay too long and it becomes obvious they should have quit earlier.
So today we’ll look at top players and coaches who didn’t know when to stop. Maybe their sport simply passed them by or the environment changed around them. But the results didn’t go their way and they endured humiliating ends to otherwise great careers. Remember the sports icons who stayed past their welcomes right here.
Ben Roethlisberger
‘Big Ben’ was one of the Steeler’s most iconic quarterbacks of all time but still should have quit earlier. The quarterback became a legend when he helped them to two instances of Super Bowl glory. This ensured his place with the team for the next decade or more. It’s easy to question his personal life and sordid antics outside football but there’s no denying he was a great player.
However, injuries caught up with him and took their toll on his body toward the end of his career. He missed most of the 2019 season with an elbow problem and was never the same after. It also delayed the Steelers’ ability to plan his succession because they still had their highly-paid franchise superstar on their roster (via CBS Sports).