The dumbest professional athletes might not be the least intelligent athletes around but each is responsible for at least one really dumb decision, incident or mistake that forever tainted their reputations. From the football players who can't seem to stay out of jail to the baseball players who lie about steroid use to the basketball players who can't seem to stop cheating on their gorgeous NBA wives, all of these men and women are known nearly as much for their very public gaffes as they are for their athletic ability.
It's really easy to single out the many NFL players who have, or currently are, serving time in the clink for legal issues but few measure up to the many (alleged) crimes of O.J. Simpson. After being acquitted of murdering his wife and her friend in 1995, the former Heisman Trophy winner found himself sentenced to 33 years in prison after an armed robbery/kidnapping incident in Las Vegas.
Though other pro football players have done other horrible things, few can compare to the idiocracy of Simpson. Quarterback Michael Vick fought dogs on his own property. Plaxico Burress shot himself with his own gun in a night club. Brett Favre (allegedly) sent pictures of his junk to a team staff member. All stupid moves and all, with the exception of Favre, paid a huge price for the poor decisions.
Other dumb athletes either are not very book smart, like those who have scored record lows on the Wonderlic aptitude test (which measures how smart a football player is based in a series of different styles of questions) such as Vince Young and Morris Claiborne, or simply thought they could get ahead without anyone noticing. No one will ever forget those baseball players connected with the steroid era, like the shamed Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds, or even athletes like Tonya Harding who decided to hire a hitman to take out her closest competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. Spoiler: All of them were caught and it wasn't pretty.
So from the athletes who did dumb illegal things to the ones who lost the respect from their fans after very public adultery incidents to those who are just not smart, all of these athletes are examples of why it's important to for NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL players to abide by the law (and by pop culture laws and not land in any scandals or sordid situations) and play nice. Just because you're a rich and famous professional athlete doesn't mean you're above the law or even remotely close to being a genius.
http://www.ranker.com/list/dumbest-professional-athletes/sportsyeah,
Adam Jones
Made it rain at Vegas strip club and expected his money back, which led to a gun being fired into the crowd, injuring a bouncer. Also caught with drugs.
Albert Haynesworth
Stomped on an opponent's head when opponent wasn't wearing his helmet. Also, stopped trying after he got a $100 million contract from Washington.
Alex Rodriguez
Embroiled in second wave steroid scandal after getting caught once before.
Maurice Clarett
Tried to enter NFL Draft after freshman years, sued the league and lost. Ended up sitting out two seasons, got lazy, and washed out of the league. Ended up in jail for armed robbery.
Mike Tyson
Now a beloved figure, the former heavyweight champ has put himself in a number of dumb situations, like aligning himself with Don King, putting himself in the situation where he was convicted of rape. Constant drug and alcohol problems as well.
O. J. Simpson
Got off for the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Ron Goldman. But was convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas in 2007, thus losing his get out of jail free card.
Plaxico Burress
Shot himself in the leg at NYC nightclub in 2008, blowing a hole in his leg and the New York Giants Super Bowl chances. Spent nearly two years in jail.
Rae Carruth
Put out a hit on his ex-girlfriend and unborn child. The child survived and Carruth is currently in jail for conspiracy.
Ryan Leaf
Between his blowups and blowing off teammates, Leaf did the absolute minimum required and is considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Also in jail for drug possession and use after violating probation.
Tonya Harding
Hired a hitman to take out her chief rival. Got caught and eventually disgraced.