Top 10 Players Blacklisted From The NFL
#10: Merle Hapes
After one season with the New York Giants in 1942, Hapes’s second in 1946 was a lot more eventful for the fullback. That year, the NFL Championship Game saw the Chicago Bears beat the Giants 24-14. However, Hapes was accused of taking a bribe to throw the match and was indefinitely suspended from the NFL. So, to keep making a career in football, he headed north to Canada. Another player implemented in the 1946 scandal was quarterback Frank Filchock. After getting a ban, he, too, went to Canada in the aftermath. However, unlike Hapes, Filchock was reinstated in 1950. But being 33 years old and with the Giants not willing to sign him, Filchock finished his playing career in Canada.
#9: Will Allen
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This cornerback had a great run in the NFL with stints at the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins. After finishing his career with the New England Patriots, things began to unravel for the former star. In 2017, Allen was found guilty of fraud. It turns out he, along with his partner, had been operating a Ponzi scheme. Taking advantage of Allen's connections, the pair had made illegal loans to professional athletes. They made cash by claiming the loans had a higher interest than they did. According to the prosecution, Allen and his partner took in $35 million while paying out just $22 million. Allen was sentenced to 6 years in prison and ordered to pay $16.8 million in restitution.
#8: Dave Meggett
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While his career on the pitch went well, including a Super Bowl win with the New York Giants in 1991, Meggett’s personal life tarnished his athletic reputation. In fact, his career as a running back came to an abrupt end due to an alleged assault allegation, leading to the New York Jets releasing him from his contract. With Meggett’s history, no other NFL team reportedly wanted to sign him. In the years after, Meggett developed financial issues. He even had to sell his Super Bowl ring to make some cash. In 2010, Meggett was in court for burglary and assault charges after an attack on a college student and ended up getting 30 years in prison.
#7: Keith Wright
This defensive tackle had a relatively short professional career of just 3 years, which ended in 2006. Wright had played for teams like the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but mostly in the practice squads. In 2012, the wheels of Wright’s life fell off in a big way. That year, he found himself in court for a series of serious charges, including armed robbery, false imprisonment, and assault. With evidence of three invasions, he had forcibly broken into people’s homes to steal their goods and cash while threatening them with a firearm. Wright was sentenced to a massive 234 years and 8 months in prison.
#6: Darryl Henley
An All-American recipient, Henley was a cornerback drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1989, playing for the team until 1994. But away from the pigskin, Henley’s life descended into chaos. In 1995, he found himself in court for trafficking illegal substances after accusations from former Rams cheerleader Tracy Ann Donaho. She was previously sentenced for her role in the plan in 1993. Not content with one serious charge, Henley then tried to put a hit out on Donaho and the district judge of the case. Unfortunately for him, the assassin Henley asked was an undercover officer. In the end, he received a 20-year sentence for masterminding the trafficking scheme and an additional 21 years for attempting to hire a contract assassin.
#5: Tommy Kane
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Coming from Canada, Kane signed for the Seattle Seahawks in 1988. But by 1992, injuries piled up, and the wide receiver was released. He then found his way back home to play football briefly before calling it a career. But off the pitch, Kane’s life became a violent mess in 2003. Due to his substance use disorder, his estranged wife, Tammara Shaikh, and a counselor from Kane’s church attempted to get him to a detox center. Instead, Shaikh was beaten and stabbed by Kane. Sadly, she didn’t survive the attack. Kane pled guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter because of his diagnosis of severe depression. Kane was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
#4: Aaron Hernandez
In 2013, semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd was fatally shot. Shockingly arrested for his slaying was New England Patriots tight end, Hernandez. The team quickly released him from his contract. Hernandez was found guilty at the trial and sentenced to life in prison with no parole. Numerous sponsorship deals terminated contracts with the former NFL star as a result. Also, during the Lloyd trial, Hernandez was charged with the double slaying of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012. In 2017, he was acquitted of these crimes. However, days after the announcement, Hernandez took his own life in his prison cell with chronic traumatic encephalopathy strongly believed to have played a part in his behavior.
#3: Darren Sharper
Kicking off his career in 1997, Sharper had a long career as an NFL safety, even winning the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010. But once he stepped away from the gridiron and became an NFL analyst, things went downhill for Sharper, with many allegations of assault and use of illegal substances. In 2014, he was charged with several horrible incidents across Louisiana, California, Nevada, and Arizona. In the end, Sharper received an overall sentence of 20 years for his crimes after a plea deal. In 2016, further controversy erupted when Sharper became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, causing many sports analysts to take sides in the debate.
#2: Rae Carruth
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After getting drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 1997, the stage was set for Carruth to become a premier wide receiver for the team. But in 1999, Cherica Adams was shot multiple times by Van Brett Watkins Sr. At the time, Adams was eight months pregnant with Carruth’s child. Speaking to 911, Adams said that Carruth was driving a car in front of her. He slowed down, and another vehicle pulled up and shot at her. Carruth then drove off. She sadly passed away from her injuries while her son was saved. But due to being starved of oxygen, he sustained brain damage. Carruth was found guilty of his involvement and sentenced to at least 18 years in prison. He was released in 2018. Before we unveil our #1 pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions Ray Rice No Team Wanted Anything to do With This Running Back After The Release of The Infamous Tape Johnny Manziel Poor Play and Off-Field Controversies Saw This Quarterback Get Released by the Cleveland Browns and He Hasn’t Played A Snap in the NFL Since Vontaze Burfict His Constant Violation of NFL Player Safety Rules Have Made Him Practically Untouchable Greg Hardy Teams Steered Clear of This Defensive End due to his Domestic Violence Case and Inexcusable Behavior While Playing for the Dallas Cowboys Kellen Winslow Jr. The NFL Comeback Attempts Came to End For This Once Promising Tight-End After Misconduct Towards Several Women
#1: O.J. Simpson
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Spending his career with the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers as a running back, Simpson raked in a host of individual awards. But years later, his life was engulfed by scandal. First, he was tried for the slaying of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman but was found not guilty. But a civil suit in 1997 was judged against him and ordered him to pay the surviving families $33.5 million. Then, in 2008, Simpson was in court for his involvement in an armed robbery at Palace Station in Nevada. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison. In 2017, less than nine years later, he was released. Simpson was officially taken off parole in 2021.
