Dirtiest Players in NFL History

These NFL players blurred the line between tough and illegal and earned a reputation for cheap shots, late hits and rough play.

Vontaze Burfict played eight seasons as a linebacker in the NFL and cemented his reputation as a dirty player. His career came to a close in 2019 due to the cheap shots and late hits he put on opponents.

But Burfict isn’t the first player known for dirty play in the NFL. Not by a long shot. The list of players defined by dirty play includes some of the greatest names to ever play the game, and goes back to the very origins of football.

These are the dirtiest players in NFL history and where they rank. You might be surprised where Burfict lands.

30. James Harrison, Outside Linebacker

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was nicknamed “Deebo.” Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

Born: May 4, 1978 (Akron, Ohio)

High school: Coventry High School (Akron, Ohio)

College: Kent State

Career: 14 seasons (2004-17)

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-12, 2014-17), Cincinnati Bengals (2013), New England Patriots (2017)

Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (2005, 2008), NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2008), four-time NFL All-Pro (2007-10), five-time Pro Bowl (2007-11)

Bottom Line: James Harrison

Mark Humphrey / AP Photo

It pains us to put James Harrison on this list because his career was pretty much the definition of a long shot becoming an NFL star. He spent two seasons on practice squads and in NFL Europe before he made the Pittsburgh Steelers roster in 2004.

Harrison’s list of violent incidents are too numerous to name here, but it should be pointed out that in a single game against the Cleveland Browns in 2010 he rendered two of their wide receivers unconscious — Mohammed Massaquoi and Harrison’s college teammate, Josh Cribbs.

29. Aqib Talib, Defensive Back

Denver Broncos defensive back Aqib Talib fights Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree

Aqib Talib could rankle opponents with the best of them. Ben Margot / AP Photo

Born: Feb 13, 1986 (Cleveland, Ohio)

High School: Berkner High School (Richardson, Texas)

College: Kansas

Career: 12 seasons (2008-19)

Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2008-12), New England Patriots (2012-13), Denver Broncos (2014-17), Los Angeles Rams (2018-19), Miami Dolphins (2019)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2015), two-time NFL All-Pro (2013, 2016), five-time Pro Bowl (2013-17)

Bottom Line: Aqib Talib

Kelvin Kuo / AP Photo

Aqib Talib was a talented player, no doubt. He made five Pro Bowls and was a two-time NFL All-Pro selection.

But he was as dirty as they come when it came to the cornerback position. The former University of Kansas All-American (not many of those) had a propensity for poking opponents in the eye and for sucker-punching teammates and cab drivers.

Talib has flipped the script on his career somewhat as an NFL analyst, but if you had any clue as an NFL fan during the 2010s, you know he’s one of the dirtiest players in league history.

28. Mark Schlereth, Guard/Center

Washington Redskins offensive lineman Mark Schlereth (No. 69) with teammates on the bench

Mark Schlereth, far right, played 12 seasons in the NFL. Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 25, 1966 (Anchorage, Alaska)

High school: Service High School (Anchorage, Alaska)

College: Idaho

Career: 12 seasons (1989-2000)

Teams: Washington Redskins (1989-94), Denver Broncos (1995-2000)

Career highlights: Three-time Super Bowl champion (1991, 1997, 1998), two-time Pro Bowl (1991, 1998), Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team

Bottom Line: Mark Schlereth

Eric Draper / AP Photo

If you understand high school football at all, then you know the massive odds working against any high school football player in Alaska who has dreams of making it to the NFL. So if Mark Schlereth had to mix in a few more cut blocks on his way to becoming a three-time Super Bowl champion, well, if only that was it.

Schlereth was maybe, in the literal sense, the dirtiest player in NFL history. He was also known to urinate on himself intentionally during games to make life worse for his opponents. Which is beyond gross.

Schlereth, in his defense, took it as well as he gave it out, and by the time he retired following the 2000 season, he’d undergone 15 knee surgeries.

27. T.J. Ward, Safety

Cleveland Browns safety T.J. Ward (No. 43) hits a Bengals player

T.J. Ward (No. 43) played his college ball at Oregon. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 12, 1986 (San Francisco, California)

High school: De La Salle High School (Concord, California)

College: Oregon

Career: 8 seasons (2010-17)

Teams: Cleveland Browns (2010-13), Denver Broncos (2014-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2015), NFL All-Pro (2013), two-time Pro Bowl (2013, 2014), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2010)

Bottom Line: T.J. Ward

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP Photo

T.J. Ward wasted little time establishing himself as a dirty player when he entered the NFL, racking up fines for helmet-to-helmet hits and taking cheap shots at his opponents.

Ward’s worst moment came in 2013, when he went low on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and tore his ACL. It was also unfortunate for Ward because the play largely overshadowed his only All-Pro season.

26. Lyle Alzado, Defensive End

Los Angeles Raiders defensive end Lyle Alzado roughs up Seattle Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg

Lyle Alzado was a nightmare for quarterbacks. Dave Ekren / AP Photo

Born: April 3, 1949 (Brooklyn, New York)

Died: May 14, 1992, 43 years old (Portland, Oregon)

High school: Lawrence High School (Cedarhurst, New York)

College: Yankton College

Career: 15 seasons (1971-85)

Teams: Denver Broncos (1971-78), Cleveland Browns (1979-81), Los Angeles Raiders (1982-85)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1983), NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1982), three-time NFL All-Pro (1977, 1978, 1980), two-time Pro Bowl (1977, 1978)

Bottom Line: Lyle Alzado

Gene Puskar / AP Photo

Few NFL players have been such a different person off the field as they were on the field as All-Pro defensive lineman Lyle Alzado, who made it to the NFL out of tiny Yankton College in South Dakota.

Alzado was beyond fierce on the field. In fact, the NFL had to make a specific rule for him about not ripping off an opponent’s helmet and throwing it. He played with a steroid-fueled rage, the consumption of which would lead to the end of his life in 1992, at 43 years old.

Off the field, Alzado was routinely described as a “gentle giant” by teammates and was known for his philanthropy and received many awards for his community service efforts.

25. Danny Trevathan, Linebacker

Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan makes a tackle

Danny Trevathan won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in the 2015 season before finishing his career with the Chicago Bears. Kamil Krzaczynski / AP Photo

Born: March 24 ,1990 (Youngstown, Ohio)

High school: Leesburgh High School (Leesburg, Florida)

College: Kentucky

Career: 10 seasons (2012-21)

Teams: Denver Broncos (2012-15), Chicago Bears (2016-21)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2015)

Bottom Line: Danny Trevathan

Chicago Bears inside linebacker Danny Trevathan

Kamil Krzaczynski / AP Photo

Danny Trevathan went from a sixth-round draft pick to a Super Bowl champion and the top available free-agent inside linebacker in 2016 when he bounced from the Denver Broncos to the Chicago Bears on a four-year, $28 million contract.

Trevathan is probably best known for a hit that almost ended the career of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devante Adams in 2017. Trevathan delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on Adams that knocked him unconscious and came when Adams was already locked up and defenseless.

It garnered Trevathan a two-game suspension and untold damage to his reputation.

24. Dominic Raiola, Center

Dominic Raiola played his whole career with the Detroit Lions. Duane Burleson / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 30, 1978 (Honolulu, Hawaii)

High school: Saint Louis School (Honolulu, Hawaii)

College: Nebraska

Career: 14 seasons (2001-14)

Teams: Detroit Lions

Career highlights: None

Bottom Line: Dominic Raiola

Rick Osentoski / AP Photo

Center Dominic Raiola played football with an intensity and level of violence that was sometimes hard to watch.

After an All-American career at the University of Nebraska, Raiola played his entire 14-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions — which could make anybody angry. Raiola’s career was littered with cheap shots and late hits (punk moves), but he was also a bully, verbally assaulting and mocking the University of Wisconsin band members during pregame warmups game in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2013.

In a rare move, the NFL singled out Raiola’s “apology” as having not been written by him, which he didn’t deny. “We have more important things to worry about, like wins and losses,” Raiola said.

In 14 seasons, Raiola had two winning seasons and went 0-3 in the postseason. One of his sons, Pinnacle (Arizona) High quarterback Dylan Raiola, is the No. 1 recruit in the nation for the Class of 2024 and committed to play for Georgia.

23. Brandon Meriweather, Safety

New England Patriots defensive back Brandon Meriweather

Brandon Meriweather started his career with the New England Patriots. Elaine Thompson / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 14, 1984 (Apopka, Florida)

High school: Apopka High School (Apopka, Florida)

College: Miami

Career: 9 seasons (2007-15)

Teams: New England Patriots (2007-10), Chicago Bears (2011), Washington Redskins (2012-14), New York Giants (2015)

Career highlights: Two-time Pro Bowl (2009, 2010)

Bottom Line: Brandon Meriweather

New York Giants strong safety Brandon Meriweather

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP Photo

There’s something in the water at Apopka High School. The tiny Florida town produced two of the players who can count themselves among the dirtiest in NFL history, safety Brandon Meriweather and Warren Sapp, both of whom also played college football at the University of Miami.

Meriweather brought home the Heavy Hitter Award at Miami but saw his draft stock slip during a wild brawl between Miami and Florida International, when Meriweather was seen stomping on several players on the ground.

In the NFL, that inclination toward dirty play continued. In 2013, following years and years of helmet-to-helmet hits and fines, Meriweather was finally suspended for two games. His response? Publicly saying he would “have to start blowing out guys’ ACLs.” What a jerk.

22. ‘Mean’ Joe Greene, Defensive Tackle

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene was an intimidating force on the field. AP Photo

Born: Sept. 24, 1946 (Temple, Texas)

High school: Dunbar High School (Temple, Texas)

College: North Texas

Career: 13 seasons (1969-81)

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers

Career highlights: Four-time Super Bowl champion (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979), two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1972, 1974), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1969), eight-time NFL All-Pro (1971-77, 1979), 10-time Pro Bowl (1969-76, 1978, 1979), NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th Anniversary Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team

Bottom Line: Mean Joe Greene

Harry Cabluck / AP Photo

There’s a reason someone gets tabbed with a nickname like “Mean.” And Mean Joe Greene’s nickname was one of the most ubiquitous in NFL history.

The ultra-intimidating defensive tackle was part of the legendary Steel Curtain defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers and won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, along with legions of fans. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was also a famous pitchman for Coca-Cola, creating one of the most famous commercials in pro sports history.

For all of the good press he got, Greene was almost uncontrollable on the field. Opponents were punched, spit on and kicked when they were on the ground. And few players have had a hatred for officials like Greene did.

21. Cortland Finnegan, Defensive Back

Tennessee Titans defensive back Cortland Finnegan grabs Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson

There was no love lost between Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson. Wade Payne / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 2, 1984 (Fayetteville, North Carolina)

High school: Milton High School (Milton, Florida)

College: Samford

Career: 10 seasons (2006-15)

Teams: Tennessee Titans (2006-11), St. Louis Rams (2012-13), Miami Dolphins (2014), Carolina Panthers (2015)

Career highlights: NFL All-Pro (2008), Pro Bowl (2008)

Bottom Line: Cortland Finnegan

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Cortland Finnegan made his reputation early on in the NFL as a world-class pest — a reputation that included goading and prodding opponents.

In one of the great moments of comeuppance in NFL history, Finnegan’s long-standing beef with Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson came to a head in 2010 when Johnson, one of the league’s most soft-spoken stars, finally came unglued after Finnegan continued to poke Johnson’s head and face off the line of scrimmage.

The sight of two NFL players with their helmets off, fighting on the field, proved infinitely rewatchable. As did the sight of Johnson pummeling Finnegan, who received little sympathy.

Both players were fined $50,000, and Finnegan joined Robin Ventura and Jose Bautista in the pantheon of pro athletes who caught hands in front of a nationally televised audience.

20. Deacon Jones, Defensive End

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Deacon Jones tackles San Diego Chargers running back Mike Garrett

Deacon Jones was a bad, bad man. AP Photo

Born: Dec. 9, 1938 (Eatonville, Florida)

Died: June 3, 2013, 74 years old (Anaheim Hills, California

High school: Hungerford High School (Eatonville, Florida)

College: Mississippi Valley State

Career: 14 seasons (1961-74)

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (1961-71), San Diego Chargers (1972-73), Washington Redskins (1974)

Career highlights: Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1967, 1968), eight-time NFL All-Pro (1964-70, 1972), eight-time Pro Bowl (1965-70, 1972), NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team

Bottom Line: Deacon Jones

AP Photo

One of the most intimidating defensive players in NFL history, it’s a shame that sacks weren’t recorded during Deacon Jones’ NFL career — which was probably because it was Jones who actually invented the term sack in the first place.

Jones’ devastating head slap move knocked many offensive lineman senseless during his career, and despite it not being illegal at the time, ear-holing someone is about as dirty as it gets in football on any level.

Jones died in 2013 at 74 years old.

19. Kevin Gogan, Guard/Tackle

Dallas Cowboys teammates Kevin Gogan, left, and Emmitt Smith

Kevin Gogan was 6-foot-7 and weighed over 300 pounds. Ed Reinke / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 2, 1964 (Pacifica, California)

High school: Sacred Heart Prep (San Francisco, California)

College: Washington

Career: 14 seasons (1987-2000)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1987-93), Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders (1994-96), San Francisco 49ers (1997-98), Miami Dolphins (1999), San Diego Chargers (2000)

Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (1992, 1993), NFL All-Pro (1998), three-time Pro Bowl (1994, 1997, 1998)

Bottom Line: Kevin Gogan

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Offensive lineman Kevin Gogan’s size made him intimidating, at 6-foot-7 and well over 300 pounds. His attitude — his nickname was “Big Nasty” — made him downright terrifying to opponents.

Gogan won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993, with the latter year seeing him as part of one of the greatest offensive lines of all time.

But all that success did little to temper Gogan’s propensity for dirty play, and in 1998, he became the first player ejected from the Pro Bowl since it moved to Hawaii in 1980 after he kicked defensive end Neil Smith in the groin.

18. Bernard Pollard, Defensive Back

Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Bernard Pollard battles Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor

Bernard Pollard was a hard hitter. Dick Whipple / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 23, 1984 (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

High school: South Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

College: Purdue

Career: 9 seasons (2006-14)

Teams: Kansas City Chiefs (2006-08), Houston Texans (2009-10), Baltimore Ravens (2011-12), Tennessee Titans (2013-14)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2012), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2006)

Bottom Line: Bernard Pollard

Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Bernard Pollard

Reed Hoffmann / AP Photo

Say whatever you want about Bernard Pollard — he almost derailed the career of one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history with an indefensible play.

On no level of football would it be OK for a safety on a blitz to come in low to hit the quarterback, which is what Pollard did in 2008 when he destroyed New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s knee.

While one play doesn’t make you a dirty player, Pollard continued to make dirty plays throughout his career, including a helmet-to-helmet hit on New England running back Stevan Ridley that knocked him unconscious, and Pollard racked up fines and penalties with four different teams over nine seasons.

17. Warren Sapp, Defensive Tackle

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp gives Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman the business

Warren Sapp made the Hall of Fame in 2013. Chris O’Meara / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 19, 1972 (Plymouth, Florida)

High school: Apopka High School (Apopka, Florida)

College: Miami

Career: 13 seasons (1995-2007)

Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995-2003), Oakland Raiders (2004-07)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2002), NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1999), six-time NFL All-Pro (1997-2002), seven-time Pro Bowl (1997-2003), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1995), NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team

Bottom Line: Warren Sapp

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp

Peter Cosgrove / AP Photo

Warren Sapp is still thought of as one of the greatest interior defensive linemen of all time. There’s very little he didn’t accomplish in his career, including winning a Super Bowl and being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.

The Hall of Famer was something else as well. He was one of the dirtiest players in NFL history and no play defines that more than his blindside hit on Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Chad Clifton.

Following an interception, Clifton was jogging away from the play when Sapp hit him. Clifton was hospitalized for one week and wasn’t able to walk unaided for five weeks.

16. Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane, Defensive Back

Detroit Lions defensive back Night Train Lane

Dick “Night Train” Lane had an amazing life story. Preston Stroup / AP Photo

Born: April 16, 1928 (Austin, Texas)

Died: Jan. 29, 2002, 74 yeas old (Austin, Texas)

High School: Anderson High School (Austin, Texas)

College: Scottsbluff Junior College

Career: 14 seasons (1952-65)

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (1952-53), Chicago Cardinals (1954-59), Detroit Lions (1960-65)

Career highlights: Seven-time All-Pro (1956, 1957, 1959-63), seven-time Pro Bowl (1954-56, 1958, 1960-62), NFL 100th Anniversary Team

Bottom Line: Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane

Harold P. Matosian / AP Photo

Night Train Lane’s life was one of the great stories in not only NFL history, but all of North American pro sports. Abandoned in a dumpster at three months old, Lane only played one season of college football at a junior college in Nebraska and served four years in the military before he landed a tryout with the Los Angeles Rams and made the team in 1952.

Lane set the NFL single-season interceptions record as a rookie, was a seven-time All-Pro and married jazz singer Dinah Washington in 1963.

He also was a dirty player. The NFL literally created a rule for him after Lane began grabbing players by their facemasks to take them down. In his defense, he played in the first era of facemasks. But still.

15. Johnny Sample, Defensive Back

New York Jets defensive back Johnny Sample mixes it up with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III

Johnny Sample won an NFL championship and Super Bowl in his career. AP Photo

Born: June 15, 1937 (Cape Charles, Virginia)

Died: April 26, 2005, 68 years old (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

High school: Overbrook High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

College: Maryland State

Career: 11 seasons (1958-68)

Teams: Baltimore Colts (1958-60), Pittsburgh Steelers (1961-62), Washington Redskins (1963-65), New York Jets (1966-68)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1969), two-time NFL champion (1958, 1959), AFL champion (1968), five-time All-Pro (1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968)

Bottom Line: Johnny Sample

AP Photo

Johnny Sample’s career was defined by two of the greatest games in NFL history. Sample, a defensive back, won an NFL championship with the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants in 1958 in “The Greatest Game Ever Played” and ended his career with the New York Jets, winning a Super Bowl over the Colts in Super Bowl III in one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

How do we know Sample was dirty, other than his opponents saying so? He titled his 1970 autobiography “Confessions of a Dirty Ballplayer.” So that kind of gave it away.

Sample, one of the greatest HBCU players of all time, had one of the more interesting post-NFL careers of anyone we’ve ever come across. He was the No. 1 over-45 men’s tennis player in the U.S. for an extended period and became a chair umpire in all four of tennis’ Grand Slam events.

14. Dick Butkus, Middle Linebacker

Dick Butkus: “When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately — unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something.” AP Photo

Born: Dec. 9, 1942 (Chicago)

High School: Vocational High School (Chicago)

College: Illinois

Career: 9 seasons (1965-73)

Team: Chicago Bears

Career highlights: Eight-time Pro Bowl (1965-72), eight-time All-Pro (1965-72), two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1969, 1970), NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame (1983)

Bottom Line: Dick Butkus

AP Photo

Only a handful of players can say they truly defined their positions in NFL history. Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus is one of those.

Tales of Butkus’ exploits would make you think he played several decades in the NFL, but his career was just nine seasons — eight of which he made the All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl, with back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1969 and 1970.

Perhaps the most intimidating human being to ever step on a football field, Butkus makes this list because of one trait opponents seem to unanimously agree on … dude liked to bite people during games.

13. Steve Wisniewski, Guard

Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski

Steve Wisniewski (No. 76) was nicknamed “The Wiz.” Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Born: April 7, 1967 (Rutland, Vermont)

High school: Westfield High School (Houston, Texas)

College: Penn State

Career: 13 seasons (1989-2001)

Teams: Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

Career highlights: Eight-time NFL All-Pro (1990-96, 2000), eight-time Pro Bowl (1990-95, 1997, 2000), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1989), NFL 1990s All-Decade Team

Bottom Line: Steve Wisniewski

Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Steve Wisniewski spent the entirety of his career with the Raiders, following the team from Los Angeles to Oakland and earning eight NFL All-Pro nods in the process.

Wisniewski’s success came at a price — mainly for his opponents. Wisniewski vehemently denied being a dirty player on the basis that he “didn’t even wear jewelry.”

But anyone who watched him play saw an offensive lineman who seemed to take out kneecaps and hit players low and from behind more than any almost any player in NFL history.

12. Albert Haynesworth, Defensive Tackle

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth

Albert Haynesworth (No. 92) was not Mr. Popular in the NFL. John Russell / AP Photo

Born: June 17, 1981 (Hartsville, South Carolina)

College: Tennessee

High school: Hartsville High School (Hartsville, South Carolina)

Career: 10 seasons (2002-11)

Teams: Tennessee Titans (2002-08), Washington Redskins (2009-10), New England Patriots (2011), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2011)

Career highlights: Two-time NFL All-Pro (2007, 2008), two-time Pro Bowl (2007, 2008)

Bottom Line: Albert Haynesworth

Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth

Tim Larsen / AP Photo

Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth earned what was then the longest suspension in NFL history for an on-field incident — five games — after he cleat-stomped Dallas center Andre Gurode’s face during a nationally televised game.

Gurode was severely injured on the play but declined to press charges against Haynesworth, who signed a seven-year, $100 million free-agent deal with the Washington Redskins two years later and is widely considered the biggest free-agent bust in NFL history.

11. Richie Incognito, Guard

Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito

Richie Incognito knew how to make enemies and anger people. David Duprey / AP Photo

Born: July 5, 1983 (Englewood, New Jersey)

High school: Mountain Ridge High School (Glendale, Arizona)

College: Nebraska

Career: 17 seasons (2005-21)

Teams: St. Louis Rams (2005-09), Buffalo Bills (2009, 2015-17), Miami Dolphins (2010-13), Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2019-21)

Career highlights: Four-time Pro Bowl (2012, 2015-17)

Bottom Line: Richie Incognito

Tom Gannam / AP Photo

Signs of trouble with Richie Incognito began when he was at the University of Nebraska, where he had at least a half-dozen violent incidents involving his teammates, opponents and an arrest where he was charged with three counts of assault.

NFL teams have been happy to keep him in the fold the last two decades despite the fact he’s a proven racist, as evidenced by his treatment of former Miami Dolphins teammate Jonathan Martin and the team’s athletic training staff, where he would single out Asians and threaten them bodily harm over the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

10. Jack Tatum, Safety

Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum

Jack Tatum was a dangerous football player. Richard Drew / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 18, 1948 (Cherryville, North Carolina)

Died: July 27, 2010, 61 years old (Oakland, California)

High school: Passaic High School (Passaic, New Jersey)

College: Ohio State

Career: 10 seasons (1971-80)

Teams: Oakland Raiders (1971-79), Houston Oilers (1980)

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1976), two-time NFL All-Pro (1974, 1977), three-time Pro Bowl (1973-75)

Bottom Line: Jack Tatum

AP Photo

Jack Tatum was one of the most vicious hitters the NFL has ever seen. That reputation has come to overshadow much of what he accomplished in the game — two national championships at Ohio State and a Super Bowl championship with the Oakland Raiders.

Tatum’s career in the NFL is largely defined by one play. On Aug. 12, 1978, Tatum’s hit on New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley during an exhibition game rendered Stingley a quadripelegic for the rest of his life. Stingley said Tatum never made an attempt to apologize, outside of a planned television appearance to promote Tatum’s autobiography that Stingley canceled when he realized the cause for the meeting.

Tatum died in 2010, at 61 years old.

9. Roy Williams, Defensive Back

Dallas Cowboys defensive back Roy Williams

Roy Williams played in 114 NFL games. M. Spencer Green / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 14, 1980 (Redwood City, California)

High school: Logan High School (Union City, California)

College: Oklahoma

Career: 9 seasons (2002-10)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (2002-08), Cincinnati Bengals (2009-10)

Career highlights: Five-time Pro Bowl (2003-07), NFL All-Pro (2003)

Bottom Line: Roy Williams

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Roy Williams authored one of the craziest plays you’ll ever see in college football when the Oklahoma safety leapt over a Texas offensive lineman to force an interception and seal the win in the 2001 Red River Shootout. It’s a play that wouldn’t even be legal today, but was awesome back then.

Williams’ violent style of play shortened his NFL career — he lasted just nine seasons — but not before he changed the league forever. How’d he do it? Williams, instead of actually learning to tackle, was the master at the horse collar tackle, which was almost singularly outlawed because of how often he used it.

Football fans 30 years and younger should be happy you don’t have to watch dudes getting horse collared and their careers ended. Of all the dirty ways to tackle, this was the dirtiest. And Williams was its Mozart.

8. Rodney Harrison, Safety

San Diego Chargers defensive back Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison started his career with the San Diego Chargers and ended it with the New England Patriots. Paul Connors / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 15, 1972 (Markham, Illinois)

High school: Marian Catholic High School (Chicago Heights, Illinois)

College: Western Illinois

Career: 15 seasons (1994-2008)

Teams: San Diego Chargers (1994-2002), New England Patriots (2003-08)

Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (2003, 2004), three-time NFL All-Pro (1998, 2003, 2004), two-time Pro Bowl (1998, 2001), San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team, New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team

Bottom Line: Rodney Harrison

New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison

Gene Puskar / AP Photo

Rodney Harrison became an NFL star out of Western Illinois University — no easy task. He did so by leaving a battered trail of wide receivers in his wake using some pretty questionable methods.

Harrison became known for his dirty play during the first eight seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers and cemented that reputation during back-to-back Super Bowl winning seasons with the New England Patriots.

Harrison’s go-to move for putting out an opponent was a helmet-to-helmet hit, and he was voted the NFL’s dirtiest player by his peers three times in his career.

7. Chuck Cecil, Safety

Green Bay Packers defensive back Chuck Cecil

A little blood never hurt Chuck Cecil. PackerChat / Twitter

Born: Nov. 8, 1964 (Red Bluff, California)

High school: Helix High School (La Mesa, California)

College: Arizona

Career: 7 seasons (1988-93, 95)

Teams: Green Bay Packers (1988-92), Phoenix Cardinals (1993), Houston Oilers (1995)

Career highlights: Pro Bowl (1992)

Bottom Line: Chuck Cecil

AP Photo

In an interesting twist, Chuck Cecil’s famous Sports Illustrated cover from 1993 — “Is Chuck Cecil Too Vicious For The NFL?” — was the second time a player from the Cardinals was featured on the SI cover for dirty play, following offensive lineman Conrad Dobler in 1977.

Cecil, the 1987 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year at Arizona, was a safety who played with reckless abandon, and many pictures of him from that era featured him with a bloody nose.

Even in an era where players knew better, Cecil constantly led with his head on tackles and left his feet. Dirty as they come.

6. Charles Martin, Defensive End

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Charles Martin

The NFL was a different league when Charles Martin played. AP Photo

Born: Aug. 31, 1959 (Canton, Georgia)

Died: Jan. 23, 2005, 45 years old (Houston, Texas)

High school: Cherokee High School (Canton, Georgia)

College: Western Carolina/Livingston

Career: 5 seasons (1984-88)

Teams: Green Bay Packers (1984-87), Houston Oilers (1987), Atlanta Falcons (1988)

Career highlights: None

Bottom Line: Charles Martin

AP Photo

Charles Martin’s NFL career essentially boiled down to one dirty play that became a precedent setter in the league’s history.

Playing linebacker for the Green Bay Packers in 1986, Martin body slammed Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon following a play, becoming the first player ejected from an NFL game for an on-field incident outside of a play and the first suspended for one as well when he was sidelined for two games. McMahon, who was trying to lead the Bears to a second straight Super Bowl win, was out for the season following the play.

Martin was much more than that one dirty play, though. He had a history of on-field and off-field violence dating back to high school. He was cut from the Packers for his role in a wild bar fight and famously speared Pittsburgh running back Earnest Jackson while he played for the Houston Oilers in 1987.

5. Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong Suh was once voted the “dirtiest player” in the NFL by his peers. David Richard / FR25496 AP

Born: Jan. 6, 1987 (Portland, Oregon)

High school: Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)

College: Nebraska

Career: 13 seasons (2010-22)

Teams: Detroit Lions (2010-14), Miami Dolphins (2015-17), Los Angeles Rams (2018), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-21), Philadelphia Eagles (2022)

Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (2021, 2022), five-time NFL All-Pro (2010, 2012-14, 2016), five-time Pro Bowl (2010, 2012-14, 2016), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2010)

Bottom Line: Ndamukong Suh

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

There’s an interesting argument to be made about Ndamukong Suh’s legacy. Were he not thought of as one of the dirtiest players of all time, would we hear more talk about him being one of the greatest interior defensive linemen of all time?

We won’t ever know, thanks to what we saw of Suh on the field, especially early in his career.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, Suh had more personal fouls than any NFL player through his first two seasons and in 2012 was voted the NFL’s dirtiest player in an anonymous poll of fellow players.

Suh’s go-to move? Stomping on opponents once they were already on the ground. How brave.

4. Hines Ward, Wide Receiver

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward

Hines Ward did more than just catch passes. pcoffmanSSC / Twitter

Born: March 8, 1976 (Seoul, South Korea)

High school: Forest Park High School (Forest Park, Georgia)

College: Georgia

Career: 14 seasons (1998-2011)

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers

Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (2005, 2008), Super Bowl MVP (2006), three-time NFL All-Pro (2002-04), four-time Pro Bowl (2001-04)

Bottom Line: Hines Ward

Don Wright / AP Photo

People love Hines Ward in Pittsburgh, where he played his entire NFL career, and in Georgia, where he played in high school and in college, at the University of Georgia.

Everywhere else? Not so much. Ward was the king of the cheap shot when it came to crackback blocks — maybe the dirtiest play in all of football.

Ward’s ferocity in hitting players from the blind side resulted in the play being banned after he broke Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers’ jaw with such a block in 2008.

3. Bill Romanowski, Linebacker

Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski

Bill Romanowski is one of the most hated players in NFL history. Ed Reinke / AP Photo

Born: April 2, 1966 (Rockville, Connecticut)

High school: Rockville High School (Vernon, Connecticut)

College: Boston College

Career: 16 seasons (1988-2003)

Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1988-93), Philadelphia Eagles (1994-95), Denver Broncos (1996-2001), Oakland Raiders (2002-03)

Career highlights: Four-time Super Bowl champion (1988, 1989, 1997, 1998), two-time Pro Bowl (1996, 1998), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1988)

Bottom Line: Bill Romanowski

Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski

Ben Margot / AP Photo

There’s a laundry list of incidents with opponents we can point to that underline what a vile human being Bill Romanowski is — most notably spitting in the face of wide receiver J.J. Stokes and breaking Kerry Collins’ jaw with an illegal hit — but it’s an incident with one of his teammates that truly reveals his character.

In 2003, Romanowski pulled off the helmet of Oakland Raiders backup tight end Marcus Williams during a scrimmage and sucker-punched him, shattering his eye socket. The injury cost Williams his football career, and it cost Romanowski $340,000 when a jury awarded that to Williams after he sued for lost wages and medical expenses.

2. Vontaze Burfict, Linebacker

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict hits Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown

Vontaze Burfict had a history of violence on the field. John Minchillo / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 24, 1990 (Los Angeles, California)

High school: Centennial High School (Corona, California)

College: Arizona State

Career: 8 seasons (2012-19)

Teams: Cincinnati Bengals (2012-18), Oakland Raiders (2019)

Career highlights: NFL All-Pro (2013), Pro Bowl (2013)

Bottom Line: Vontaze Burfict

Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict

Peter Joneleit / AP Photo

Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s history of illegal hits dates back to his high school days in Corona, California.

What’s the evidence he’s one of the dirtiest players in NFL history? In eight seasons, Burfict was suspended for a total of 19 games for illegal hits, plus another four games for using performance-enhancing drugs.

In Week 4 of the 2019 NFL season, Burfict received one of the longest suspensions in NFL history — 12 games — for “repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules.”

1. Conrad Dobler, Guard

St. Louis Cardinals offensive lineman Conrad Dobler

Conrad Dobler was as nasty as it gets on a football field. Ray Stubblebine / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 1, 1950 (Chicago, Illinois)

Died: Feb. 13, 2023, 72 years old (Pueblo, Colorado)

High school: Twentynine Palms High School (Twentynine Palms, California)

College: Wyoming

Career: 10 seasons (1972-81)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1972-77), New Orleans Saints (1978-79), Buffalo Bills (1980-81)

Career highlights: Three-time Pro Bowl (1975-77)

Bottom Line: Conrad Dobler

AP Photo

Recency bias puts former NFL linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the top spot as the dirtiest player in NFL history. True NFL fans and historians understand that only Conrad Dobler can claim that status.

Dobler, an offensive lineman, was known for trying to injure opposing players and featured on a Sports Illustrated cover in 1977 as the NFL’s dirtiest player — he famously punched Mean Joe Greene, kicked Merlin Olsen in the head and spit on injured Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey after he’d suffered a career-ending injury. Dobler died in Feb. 2023, at 72 years old.

They don’t make football players — or humans — meaner than Dobler.