1.
Aaron Hernandez’s football career infamously ended in 2013 after he was arrested for the murder of his friend Odin Lloyd, with the Patriots dropping him just hours after the arrest. He was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. After being accused of murdering Lloyd, he was also accused of killing two men in 2012. He was later acquitted of those murders, though days later, he died by suicide in prison.
2.
Hernandez isn’t the only athlete accused of murder. Olympian Oscar Pistorius, a record-smashing sprinter who was the first-ever amputee to compete as a runner at the Olympics, lost his career abruptly when he killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013. He was initially found guilty of culpable homicide, as he claimed he’d thought she was an intruder when he shot her, but later was convicted of murder. He served nine years of a thirteen-year sentence and was released on parole earlier this year, though he has not retained a career in running and is not allowed to speak to the media.
3.
We can’t talk about potentially murderous athletes without mentioning NFL player OJ Simpson, who was accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goodman. He was ultimately (and infamously) acquitted, though a civil suit found him liable for the deaths. While he had already retired from football, he was still extremely famous and successful in Hollywood and sports commentating and had recently starred in a TV pilot. While he had already retired from football, the scandal effectively ended his successful career as an actor and sports commentator.
4.
Ryan Lochte became an Olympic darling in the 2010s, but a strange incident in 2016 greatly affected his career and public perception of him. During the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, he and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and James Feigen claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio. Police in Rio denied this, saying that the athletes had vandalized the gas station’s bathroom and then were asked to pay for the damage and leave by security guards with guns. Lochte initially claimed that an “armed robber” had aimed a gun at his forehead and cocked it — the police denied this, and Lochte later admitted he’d exaggerated the story.
Lochte ended up getting suspended and leaving the Olympics and was charged with filing a false police report, though the charge was later dropped. He later received a sanction for violating anti-doping rules, and he did not make the team for the 2021 Olympics, though he expressed interest in using future Olympic games to turn things around and become a role model. As many people’s last experience with Lochte was the Rio incident, his reputation seems to have been forever tarnished.
5.
Tonya Harding is an even more infamous Olympics-related example, mostly due to her case’s media attention. Ahead of the United States Figure Skating Championship, rival Nancy Kerrigan was attacked, receiving a leg injury that forced her out of the Championship. It soon came out that the attack had been planned by Jeff Gillooly, Harding’s ex-husband, and her bodyguard.
Harding denied all involvement and was still allowed to compete in the Olympics that summer, finishing eighth. However, she later stood trial for her role in hindering the following investigation. She did not receive jail time, but the U.S. Figure Skating Association banned her for life. She went on to have a short career in boxing.
6.
In some cases, what the player says, not what they do, gets them into trouble. In 1999, MLB player John Rocker spoke to Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman, who wrote an article that absolutely eviscerated Rocker, reporting on multiple racist, misogynistic, and anti-gay comments he’d made. He was suspended for 28 games in 2000 due to the interview, though the number was later lowered to 14. He also had to pay a penalty and receive sensitivity training. Rocker continued to play major league baseball for a few more seasons, but it was clear the interview played a large role in the decline of his career, which ended in 2003 when he was just 28 years old.
7.
Lance Armstrong was an American icon when I was growing up — I’m pretty sure everyone in my elementary school had a Livestrong bracelet. He won the Tour de France a record seven times in a row, an achievement made even more impressive by having survived cancer a few years earlier. Doping allegations followed him for years, but nothing ever stuck — until 2012, when he was officially charged and ultimately banned from competing (he had actually retired in 2011 after the allegations started ramping up). He then admitted to the claims in 2013.
While Armstrong has served as a sports commentator, his competitive biking career is over, and he has had to pay millions in settlements. His endorsements disappeared, though an early investment in Uber kept the Armstrong family on their feet. Most recently, Armstrong appeared on the reality show Stars on Mars, where he was confused for astronaut Neil Armstrong.
8.
Nigerian track and field star Blessing Okagbare also saw her career ruined by doping allegations. After smashing records (like the one for the 100-meter run at the Commonwealth Games), her performance at the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID-19) was eagerly anticipated. However, she was banned from participating after failing multiple drug tests in the summer of 2021. Her ban was ultimately extended to eleven years, meaning she will be in her late forties when it ends. Based on the usual ages of track and field athletes, it’s unlikely she will compete in future Olympics.
9.
While Ray Rice’s football career was undoubtedly affected by his 2014 arrest and charges of aggravated assault, it seemed like it might survive. He dealt only with a two-game suspension and entered a diversionary program that would lead to the charges being cleared after a year. But then, months later, TMZ released a video of the shocking and violent assault, pretty much instantly ending Rice’s career. Rice was quickly dropped from the Ravens and suspended from the NFL, though he appealed this decision, which was later overturned. Still, no team would sign him, and he has not played professionally since.
10.
After a successful career in college football led to being drafted into the NFL, Henry Ruggs looked like he was going to have a long, successful career in football. But then, during his second season with the Raiders, in 2021, he crashed into a woman while driving drunk at 156 mph, killing her and her dog. The Raiders immediately dropped him, and he was arrested, pleading guilty and getting sentenced to three to ten years in prison, which he is currently serving. It’s possible he could return after his prison time, but that’s highly unlikely.
11.
Rae Carruth was also arrested on serious charges just a few years into his professional football career. During his third year of a four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers, he was accused of carrying out a murder plot to kill Cherica Adams, who he was dating at the time. Adams, who was pregnant with Carouth’s child, died after arriving at the hospital, though their baby was delivered via C-section. He was arrested, dropped from the Panthers, and suspended from the NFL. He later was convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and using an instrument to destroy an unborn child, though he was acquitted of first-degree murder. He was eventually released in 2018 but has stayed out of the public eye since then.
12.
Let’s move on to some more recent examples. Baseball star Wander Franco was recently charged with sexual abuse, exploitation of a minor, and human trafficking after allegations that he’d engaged in a relationship with a 14-year-old in the Dominican Republic. The MLB has opened an investigation into Franco, and he is currently on leave during the case.
13.
24-year-old San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano recently received a lifetime ban from the MLB after betting on games.
14.
Basketball player Jontay Porter was similarly recently banned from the NBA for life for sports betting—he’d even once bet on his team losing.
15.
Football player Greg Hardy didn’t exactly ruin his career overnight, but it took a sudden nosedive when he was found guilty of the assault of an ex-girlfriend. He appealed, and the charges were eventually dismissed when the alleged victim did not attend court. He was not re-signed by the Panthers but was snatched up by the Cowboys, though he was suspended for four games. The Cowboys did not re-sign him, and his career with the NFL ended.
However, he did pivot into a career in mixed martial arts and boxing, which appears to still be active.
16.
In a bit of an odd example, soccer goalkeeper Carlos Roa didn’t completely ruin his career, but he missed out on a massive opportunity that could have skyrocketed his burgeoning career to new levels back in the late ’90s when Manchester United tried to sign him. However, he decided to retire from soccer instead due to religious reasons, believing that the world was going to end in the year 2000. He ended up returning to his team when the apocalypse did not occur, but he never achieved the heights it seemed he would based on his early career. He eventually left football playing behind in 2006 and turned to coaching.
17.
This one’s so recent that the final results remain to be seen, but NFL player Brandon McManus was recently released by the Washington Commanders (mere months after signing with them) after being sued for sexual assault by two female flight attendants on a flight with his then-team the Jacksonville Jaguars. McManus denied the allegations, and the Jaguars have claimed to be looking into the matter — it remains to be seen whether or not he will be successfully sued, putting the nail in the coffin of his career.
18.
And finally, we’ll end on an athlete that absolutely, without a doubt, didn’t deserve to have their career ruined: Colin Kaepernick. After protesting police brutality and racism in the US by kneeling while the National Anthem was played before games, Kaepernick faced heavy public backlash, including from former president Donald Trump. He has not been signed to a team since his 2016 season with the 49ers.