Top 10 Exact Moments Athletes Ruined Their Careers
#10: Paul Daley
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For a brief time, Paul Daley was one of the UFC’s biggest rising stars. With his lethal left hook and a brash and confident demeanor, “Semtex” was already making noise in a stacked welterweight division with knockouts over the likes of Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazlett. However, the hype train was soon derailed in a bout against fellow welterweight contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 113. With his wrestling skills, Koscheck was able to dominate Daley and dictate the fight. Frustrated by how the night went, and Koscheck’s trash talk throughout the fight, Daley sucker punched him after the bell. Immediately following the incident, UFC president Dana White announced that Paul Daley was banned from the UFC for life. Daley continued his MMA career fighting in other organizations, but not making nearly as big of a name for himself as he did while he was in the UFC.
#9: Metta Sandiford-Artest
Near the end of a 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Ron Artest) fouled center Ben Wallace. Wallace didn’t appreciate the gesture, and let it be known by attempting to confront Artest. Players, referees and coaches tried to defuse the situation, but it soon took a bizarre turn when Sandiford-Artest decided to lie down on the scorer’s table. But all hell broke loose, when a cup of beer was thrown directly at Sandiford-Artest. The moment that water bottle hit him, an inescapable shadow would be cast on his career. Upon being hit, he instantly ran to the stands attacking the first person he could get his hands on. Chaos between fans and players ensued, and the event became known as the “Malice at the Palace”. Sandiford-Artest was suspended a year, and although he later continued to excel as a defensive player and even went on to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, his career would never be the same.
#8: Lance Armstrong
He was the biggest star in cycling, at least until the truth came out. Throughout his career and many title winning victories, Lance Armstrong constantly denied using performance-enhancing drugs. It was hard to root against Armstrong, a survivor of testicular cancer and founder of the Livestrong Foundation, but the growing amount of evidence became too much to ignore. Armstrong ultimately confessed to Oprah and the rest of the world in a live interview in 2013. And with that confession, the beloved athlete who was once an inspiration to so many had tarnished his image.
#7: Todd Bertuzzi
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Tensions were high when the Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2004. The Canucks targeted Avs player Steve Moore for a questionable hit on their captain Markus Naslund that went unpenalized the previous game. In the third period, Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched Moore and pushed him to the ice and a bench clearing brawl erupted. Moore was left seriously injured with three fractured vertebrae and a concussion. The injuries were so severe that Moore would never play again. Although Bertuzzi would return to the game after multiple court hearings, suspensions and fines, any attempt at a comeback was simply out of reach. His production decreased, he bounced around different teams and was constantly booed and heckled by opposing team’s fans. Things were never the same for Bertuzzi after this ugly incident.
#6: Zinedine Zidane
During the 2006 World Cup final match, Zizou was constantly jawing with Italian player Marco Materazzi. Eventually, the trash talking came to a head, literally. After an exchange of words, Zidane proceeds to headbutt Materazzi’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Zidane was subsequently handed a red card and sent off. Italy would go on to win the game after outscoring France during the penalty shoot-out, where Zidane’s presence and scoring ability was clearly missed. Although Zizou still had an illustrious career, it’s this very incident that will forever be etched in our memories. This was probably the last way anybody expected the French team captain Zinedine Zidane to end his career.
#5: Oscar Pistorius
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A once prominent South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius has competed in both the Paralympics and Olympics and won gold on several occasions. But just five months after the 2021 London Paralympics ended, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius claimed that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years in prison. However, a later case appeal overturned the original sentence and charged Pistorius with homicide and his sentencing was later increased to thirteen. The conviction marked the end of Pistorius’ prestigious career and destroyed his image as an inspiration to many.
#4: Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez once played tight end for the New England Patriots. However, his football career came to an abrupt end in 2013 when he was arrested for the shooting and death of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was connected to Hernandez, as he was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. The motive behind the killing was never officially established, although some believe that Lloyd knew personal information that Hernandez wanted kept secret. Hernandez was also suffering from a neurodegenerative disease called CTE, and some believe that had something to do with it. Regardless, Hernandez was found guilty of homicide and sentenced to life in prison. The arrest not only led to the Patriots immediately releasing him, but his sentencing robbed him of any chance of making a comeback in the NFL. He tragically took his own life while in custody.
#3: Ray Rice
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Formerly one of the NFL’s elite running backs and biggest stars, Ray Rice would lose it all in an instant when CCTV footage from an elevator showed him assaulting his then-fiancée. The footage was only more disturbing when viewers saw what Rice did after he finished. Rice was suspended indefinitely and immediately cut by his former team, the Baltimore Ravens. While he was later reinstated into the league, Rice never played another snap of football again, and the affair just became another chapter of the NFL’s dark history dealing with violence amongst their ranks.
#2: Tonya Harding
Before the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by Shane Stant. He was contracted to injure her by Shawn Eckhardt, an associate of Jeff Gillooly, then-husband of U.S. figure skater Tonya Harding. The purpose? To ensure Kerrigan couldn’t compete so that way Harding could claim gold at the Championships and the Winter Olympics. Harding’s involvement was eventually uncovered and she was subsequently charged and banned from competing in figure skating for life. No longer able to participate in the sport, she has since been a reality television star and has tried her hand in boxing. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Mark Sanchez It Was The Beginning of the End for This Quarterback the Moment He Hit Those Butt Cheeks J.R. Smith The Decision To Run Out the Clock Made Zero Sense, And It Has Haunted Him Since Bill Buckner The Misplay By the Red Sox Pitcher Cost the Team a World Series and Saw Buckner Receive Death Threats Antonio Brown What Better Time To Quit Than In the Middle of a Game? Michael Vick His Involvement in Dogfighting, and His Subsequent Sentencing To Jail, Spelled the End of His Reign as The NFL’s Biggest Star
#1: Mike Tyson
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Mike Tyson was already seen as one of the wildest and most eccentric personalities in boxing, but nothing could prepare anyone for what was about to come during his rematch against Evander Holyfield in 1997. During “The Sound and the Fury” fight, Tyson didn’t only bite his opponent’s ear once, but twice! He was disqualified and later stated his actions were in response to Holyfield’s un-penalized head butting. Despite his accomplishments in the ring and the ferocious style which made him a household name in the sport of boxing, the ear bite would taint his career, although he doesn’t think so.
