Worst Villains in NFL History

Some truly vile human beings have suited up in the NFL.

The NFL shows you what it wants you to see — superstars and highlights and advertisements and awesome games that get big ratings. As the league rakes in billions of dollars every year, there’s a concerted effort on the NFL’s part to keep the dark side of the game away from the public eye.

But it’s there. And believe us when we tell you, some truly vile human beings have taken the field for NFL teams over the years. They include some of the greatest to ever play the game.

It takes a lot to be called a villain, but when the shoe fits, we insist that you wear it. These are the worst NFL villains of all time.

30. Art Schlichter

Art Schlichter was selected No. 4 overall in the 1982 NFL draft. Fred Vuich / AP Photo

Born: April 25, 1960 (Bloomingburg, Ohio)

Position: Quarterback

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 210 pounds

High school: Miami Trace High School (Washington Court House, Ohio)

College: Ohio State

Career: 4 seasons (1982-85)

Teams: Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts

Bottom Line: Art Schlichter

Former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter has spent over a decade in prison. Terry Gilliam / AP Photo

After he was chosen by the Colts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft, Art Schlichter took a gambling addiction he’d had since high school to another level and racked up almost $1.5 million in debts on sports gambling in his first year as a pro. He was suspended in 1983 and out of the league for poor play by 1985.

Over the next 20 years, Schlichter served over 10 years in prison for conning people out of money and passing bad checks to fuel his gambling habit — an estimated $1.5 million by 2007.

He conned and stole another $2 million to 3 million in the next five years and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012. He was released in August 2020.

29. Ryan Leaf

Ryan Leaf was almost selected over Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL draft. Mark Humphrey / AP Photo

Born: May 15, 1976 (Great Falls, Montana)

Position: Quarterback

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 235 pounds

High school: Charles M. Russell High School (Great Falls, Montana)

College: Washington State

Career: 4 seasons (1998-2001)

Teams: San Diego Chargers (1998-2000), Dallas Cowboys (2001)

Bottom Line: Ryan Leaf

Ryan Leaf’s career went downhill shortly after being drafted No. 2 overall in 1998. Mark Lennihan / AP Photo

Ryan Leaf started and ended his career as one of the more unlikeable quarterbacks in NFL history. His terrible play, poor attitude and inability to focus alienated him from fans and teammates alike.

Leaf’s life has been a series of drug arrests and convictions since his career ended. He was sentenced to seven years in prison on drug and robbery charges but only served two years.

He was arrested again in May 2020 for domestic battery.

28. Ray Rice

Ray Rice never played again in the NFL after video surfaced of him violently attacking his fiance in an elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey. David Kohl / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 22, 1987 (New Rochelle, New York)

Position: Running back

Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 212 pounds

High school: New Rochelle High School (New Rochelle, New York)

College: Rutgers

Career: 6 seasons (2008-13)

Teams: Baltimore Ravens

Bottom Line: Ray Rice

Ray Rice walks into court with his then-fiance Janay Palmer. Jason DeCrow / AP Photo

All you need to know about Ray Rice can be seen in the video of him beating his fiancee unconscious in an elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in February 2014, then trying to drag her lifeless body out and away from where people could see her.

Rice, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and is their second-leading career rusher, was suspended by the NFL and then by the team. He was arrested on assault charges, but they were dropped when he agreed to undergo court-ordered counseling.

Rice never played in the NFL again after the incident.

27. Richie Incognito

Richie Incognito is still in the NFL, despite repeated incidents of racism and bullying. D. Ross Cameron / AP Photo

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

Position: Guard

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 325 pounds

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

College: Nebraska

Career: 16 seasons (2005-present)

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

Bottom Line: Richie Incognito

Richie Incognito has a history of violence dating back to his college career at Nebraska. Bill Wingert / 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.

26. Michael Vick

Michael Vick was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. Rob Carr / AP Photo

Born: June 26, 1980 (Newport News, Virginia)

Position: Quarterback

Height/weight: 6-foot, 210 pounds

High school: Warwick High School (Newport News, Virginia)

College: Virginia Tech

Career: 15 seasons (2001-15)

Teams: Atlanta Falcons (2001-08), Philadelphia Eagles (2009-13), New York Jets (2014), Pittsburgh Steelers (2015)

Bottom Line: Michael Vick

Michael Vick walks into a federal courthouse in Virginia in 2008. Harz N. Ebanon / AP Photo

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was convicted of conspiracy in interstate commerce/aid of unlawful animal cruelty and sentenced to two years in federal prison after a federal investigation uncovered proof that his company, Bad Newz Kennels, was a front for an interstate dogfighting ring.

Vick was three years into a nine-year, $130 million contract, when he was convicted along with four other men and served two years at Leavenworth Federal Prison.

Vick returned to the NFL after his prison sentence and eventually signed another $100 million contract, this time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

25. Bill Romanowski

Bill Romanowski won four Super Bowls. Bob Galbraith / AP Photo

Born: April 2, 1966 (Rockville, Connecticut)

Position: Linebacker

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 245 pounds

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)

Bottom Line: Bill Romanowski

Bill Romanowski had to appear in court after being sued by teammate Marcus Williams for $3.8 million. 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.

24. Saleem Rasheed

Saleem Rasheed was illegally married to multiple women in multiple countries at the same time. Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Born: June 15, 1981 (Birmingham, Alabama)

Position: Linebacker

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 233 pounds

High school: Shades Valley High School (Irondale, Alabama)

College: Alabama

Career: 4 seasons (2002-05)

Teams: San Francisco 49ers

Bottom Line: Saleem Rasheed

Saleem Rasheed stands with fellow 49ers draft pick Mike Rumph and head coach Steve Mariucci. Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Saleem Rasheed’s villainous ways covered a wide array of misdeeds and began while he was still playing in the NFL.

First, Rasheed was found guilty of lying on an immigration form when he claimed a Moroccan woman as his wife. He was already married to an American woman but claimed he could have multiple wives under Islamic Sharia law.

In 2012, he was given an eight-month sentence for falsifying information for approximately $5,000 in food stamps, and in 2013, he was sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with two students while he was a teacher at Woodlawn High in Birmingham, Alabama.

23. Larry Bethea

Larry Bethea committed suicide in 1978. DemBoyzNation / Twitter

Born: July 21, 1956 (Florence, South Carolina)

Died: April 23, 1987 (age 30, Hampton, Virginia)

Position: Defensive line

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 251 pounds

High school: Ferguson High School (Newport News, Virginia)

College: Michigan State

Career: 6 seasons (1978-83)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys

Bottom Line: Larry Bethea

Larry Bethea was a first-round draft pick by the Cowboys out of Michigan State in 1978. WestHamCanada / Twitter

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Larry Bethea didn’t live up to the hype after he was a first-round pick in 1978.

His life spiraled into tragedy due to his drug use and a bizarre set of crimes, from domestic violence to pleading guilty to setting a series of fires in the Mount Rainier Forest in Washington to stealing his mother’s life savings of $65,000 out of her home in Virginia.

In 1987, Bethea was wanted for a series of robberies in Virginia but killed himself in the backyard of a friend’s home before police could find him.

22. Leonard Little

Leonard Little killed a woman in a drunk driving accident in 1998. Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 19, 1974 (Asheville, North Carolina)

Position: Defensive end

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 255 pounds

High school: Asheville High School (Asheville, North Carolina)

College: Tennessee

Career: 12 seasons (1998-2009)

Teams: St. Louis Rams

Bottom Line: Leonard Little

Leonard Little has a history of stalking and harassing women and multiple DUI arrests. James A. Foley / AP Photo

Leonard Little doesn’t have a long string of crimes to land him on this list of NFL villains, but the ones he did have were bad enough to earn him a spot.

As a rookie with the St. Louis Rams in 1998, Little drove drunk, ran a red light and smashed his Lincoln Navigator into 47-year-old Susan Gutweiller, a wife and mother who was driving to pick up her teenage son at a concert.

In the next five years, as Little’s NFL fame grew, his intellect did not. He was charged with stalking and harassing an ex-girlfriend in 2003 and arrested again for DUI in 2004. For his crimes, Little has only been sentenced to probation.

21. C.J. Spillman

C.J. Spillman was convicted of rape and sentenced to five years in prison. Brandon Ware / AP Photo

Born: May 6, 1986 (Louisville, Kentucky)

Position: Safety

Height/weight: 6-foot, 199 pounds

High school: Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky)

College: Marshall

Career: 6 seasons (2009-14)

Teams: San Diego Chargers (2009-10), San Francisco 49ers (2010-13), Dallas Cowboys (2014)

Bottom Line: C.J. Spillman

C.J. Spillman played six seasons in the NFL before his arrest for rape in Texas. Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office

C.J. Spillman played six seasons in the NFL after going undrafted despite being a two-time All-Conference USA pick at Marshall.

Spillman made his career as a special teams standout in the NFL with three different teams but ran into trouble off the field toward the end in the form of a restraining order from the mother of his three children after he allegedly pulled a gun on her and an accusation of attempted rape by a massage therapist.

Spillman’s troubles finally caught up with him when he was convicted of the 2014 rape of a woman at a Dallas-area hotel and sentenced to five years in prison in 2016.

20. Greg Hardy

Arrests for domestic violence and cocaine derailed Greg Hardy’s NFL career. Bob Leverone / AP Photo

Born: July 28, 1988 (Millington, Tennessee)

Position: Defensive end

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 266 pounds

High school: Briarcrest Christian School (Memphis, Tennessee)

College: Ole Miss

Career: 6 seasons (2010-15)

Teams: Carolina Panthers (2010-14), Dallas Cowboys (2015)

Bottom Line: Greg Hardy

Greg Hardy walks out of court after a hearing in his domestic violence case in 2014. Chris Keane / AP Photo

Greg Hardy was one of the NFL’s dominant defensive ends in his first three seasons in the league, but his arrest for domestic violence in 2014 revealed an incident in which he’d almost killed his girlfriend.

The victim refused to testify at trial, and Hardy was suspended but given another chance by the Cowboys, which he blew. Hardy was arrested in Dallas for cocaine possession in 2016 and never played in the NFL again.

He’s been a professional MMA fighter since 2017 with a record of 7-3-1 fighting mostly in the UFC.

19. Darryl Henley

Darryl Henley grew up in Los Angeles and starred at UCLA and for the Los Angeles Rams. Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 30, 1966 (Los Angeles, California)

Position: Cornerback

Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 172 pounds

High school: Damien High School (La Verne, California)

College: UCLA

Career: 6 seasons (1989-94)

Teams: Los Angeles Rams

Bottom Line: Darryl Henley

Darryl Henley tried to have a hitman murder the judge in his drug trial. CrimeInSports / Twitter

Darryl Henley was born and raised in suburban Los Angeles and became an All-American defensive back at UCLA before playing six seasons for the Los Angeles Rams.

Henley got mixed up with a cocaine trafficking ring and was convicted on drug charges in 1995 and received a 20-year sentence. It wasn’t long after that he was convicted for trying to hire a hitman to murder the judge in the case along with the key witness for the prosecution — a former Los Angeles Rams cheerleader named Tracy Donaho.

That earned Henley another 20 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be released in 2031, when he’s 65 years old.

18. Nate Webster

Nate Webster was arrested for false imprisonment when he was still in college. Jack Dempsey / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 29, 1977 (Miami, Florida)

Position: Linebacker

Height/weight: 6-foot, 232 pounds

High school: Northwestern High School (Miami, Florida)

College: Miami

Career: 9 seasons (2000-08)

Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-03), Cincinnati Bengals (2004-05), Denver Broncos (2006-08)

Bottom Line: Nate Webster

Nate Webster was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sex crimes against minors. WCPO / YouTube

Nate Webster’s legal troubles began when he was still at the University of Miami and was arrested for false imprisonment after he kidnapped his ex-girlfriend in 1999. Webster pleaded down to three counts of battery and avoided prison time by agreeing to a diversion program.

He won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became a high school coach and teacher after his career was over. That’s when he was convicted of four counts of sexual imposition, sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor — a Bellevue (Kentucky) High student he also threatened with a gun.

In June 2012, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his crimes.

17. Thomas ‘Hollywood’ Henderson

Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson played briefly in the NFL. AP Photo

Born: March 1, 1953 (Austin, Texas)

Position: Linebacker

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 221 pounds

High school: Douglass High School (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

College: Langston

Career: 7 seasons (1975-81)

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1975-79), San Francisco 49ers (1980), Houston Oilers (1980), Miami Dolphins (1981)

Bottom Line: Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson

Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson won $28 million in the Texas Lottery in 2000. AP Photo

Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson was a linebacker with speed that has been unrivaled at this position to this day. He reportedly ran the 100-meter dash in 9.8 seconds at Langston University.

But Henderson had such a severe cocaine addiction that he snorted liquid cocaine out of an inhaler he kept in his pants during games. Henderson was out of the NFL after seven seasons, and in 1983, he was convicted for raping a wheelchair-bound teenager in California and sentenced to 28 months in prison.

Allegedly sober since his release from prison, Henderson made news again in 2000 when he won $28 million in the Texas lottery.

16. Jerramy Stevens

Jerramy Stevens has been in trouble with the law since he was in high school. Chris O’Meara / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 13, 1979 (Boise, Idaho)

Position: Tight end

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 260 pounds

High school: River Ridge High School (Lacey, Washington)

College: Washington

Career: 9 seasons (2002-10)

Teams: Seattle Seahawks (2002-06), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-10)

Bottom Line: Jerramy Stevens

Jerramy Stevens goes over some documents ahead of a court appearance for his wife, soccer star Hope Solo. Mike Siegel / AP Photo

Jerramy Stevens never seemed to run out of second chances. In high school, he and a friend attacked a classmate with a baseball bat and kicks to the head and broke his jaw. On probation for the attack, Stevens failed a drug test, and coaches at the University of Washington vouched for him, and he was let out for training camp.

In college, Stevens was charged with rape, but the case was dropped despite DNA evidence. He’s been charged a further two times for assault — of nightclub bouncers in Tampa and his wife, soccer star Hope Solo.

He’s also dangerous on the road, with three DUI arrests and an incident where he drove his truck into a retirement home.

15. Lance Rentzel

Lance Rentzel was traded from the Cowboys to the Rams after being arrested for indecent exposure in 1970. AP Photo

Born: Oct. 14, 1943 (Flushing, New York)

Position: Wide receiver

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds

High school: Casaday School (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

College: Oklahoma

Career: 10 seasons (1965-74)

Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1965-66), Dallas Cowboys (1967-70), Los Angeles Rams (1971-74)

Bottom Line: Lance Rentzel

The NFL did not suspend Lance Rentzel after his conviction for indecent exposure. Dave Taylor / AP Phot

If not for some on-it journalism in the 1970s, Lance Rentzel’s perversion may have taken a different turn. When Rentzel was arrested for exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl in Dallas in 1970, newspapers dug up an almost forgotten 1966 arrest in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he’d been arrested for exposing himself to two young girls in the same manner.

Rentzel’s wife at the time, actress Joey Heatherton, left him after the second arrest, but he was somehow able to continue playing in the NFL for another four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.

The NFL only suspended Rentzel once — not for the indecent exposure but for a conviction for marijuana possession in 1973.

14. Cecil Collins

Cecil Collins didn’t play one full season in the NFL before he was arrested for breaking into a woman’s house to watch her sleep. dentsidepride / Twitter

Born: Nov. 19, 1976 (Fort Knox, Kentucky)

Position: Running back

Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 207 pounds

High school: Leesville High School (Leesville, Louisiana)

College: McNeese State

Career: 1 season (1999)

Teams: Miami Dolphins

Bottom Line: Cecil Collins

Cecil Collins was sentenced to 13 years in prison and released in 2013. Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo

Like many of the NFL villains who ended up on this list, the problems with Cecil Collins were evident way before he made it to the pros. Collins was kicked out of LSU after Baton Rouge police labeled him a “sexual predator” for breaking into the homes of multiple women while they slept.

Collins was kicked out of McNeese State after he failed a drug test, and his NFL career lasted just eight games with the Miami Dolphins before he was cut after an arrest for breaking into a woman’s apartment while she slept, after months of harassing the woman.

Collins was sentenced to 15 years in prison, served 13 and was released in 2013.

13. Tommy Kane

Tommy Kane murdered his wife in Montreal in 2003. Amazon

Born: Jan. 14, 1964 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Position: Running back

Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds

High school: William Dawson School (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

College: Syracuse

Career: 5 seasons (1988-92)

Teams: Seattle Seahawks

Bottom Line: Tommy Kane

Tommy Kane was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2004 for murdering his wife. CrimeInSports / Twitter

Tommy Kane was a once-in-a-lifetime athlete out of Montreal. He made it all the way to big-time college football at Syracuse University and then five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

Once injuries ended his football career, Kane began to spin out of control with drugs and alcohol to the point where his wife, Tammara Shaikh, left him and took their four children with her. Kane brutally beat and stabbed Shaikh to death during a planned intervention at his mother’s house in 2003.

During his trial, it was revealed Kane once assaulted a female police officer at Syracuse. Kane was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2004.

12. Kevin Allen

Kevin Allen, left, was the No. 9 overall pick in the 1985 NFL draft. Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo

Born: June 21, 1963 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Position: Offensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 285 pounds

High school: Northwest High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

College: Indiana

Career: 2 seasons (1985-86)

Teams: Philadelphia Eagles

Bottom Line: Kevin Allen

Kevin Allen, right, only served three years of a 15-year prison sentence for rape. George Widman / AP Photo

Widely considered one of the worst players in NFL history, Kevin Allen was the No. 9 overall pick in the 1985 NFL draft, and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan once said, “(Allen) is good if you want someone to just stand there and kill the grass.”

The Eagles cut Allen after he tested positive for cocaine at the beginning of the 1986 season, which was around the same time Allen and a companion attacked a couple in New Jersey and Allen’s companion beat the man unconscious while Allen raped the woman.

Allen received a 15-year jail sentence and somehow only served three years. He was banned from the NFL for life but reinstated in 1991, although he only ever played again in the Arena Football League.

11. Dave Meggett

Dave Meggett, with ball, was convicted of rape and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kevin Rivoli / AP Photo

Born: April 30, 1966 (Charleston, South Carolina)

Position: Running back/return specialist

Height/weight: 5-foot-7, 190 pounds

High school: Bonds-Wilson High School (North Charleston, South Carolina)

College: Towson

Career: 10 seasons (1989-98)

Teams: New York Giants (1989-94), New England Patriots (1995-97), New York Jets (1998)

Bottom Line: Dave Meggett

Dave Meggett was an NFL All-Pro return specialist who turned out to be a serial rapist. WPRI / YouTube

Dave Meggett was a beloved player when he was with the New York Giants and head coach Bill Parcells. Undersized at 5-foot-7, Meggett was a dynamic offensive player who Parcells took with him to his next two coaching stops in New England and with the New York Jets.

It turned out Meggett’s true nature was being a serial rapist who terrorized women for decades, finally ending with his conviction for rape and robbery in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2010.

Meggett was sentenced to 30 years in prison and not eligible for release until 2034.

10. Eric Naposki

Eric Naposki, No. 91, played in the NFL and in NFL Europe. Amilcar de Leon / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 20, 1966 (New York City, New York)

Position: Linebacker

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 230 pounds

High school: Eastchester High School (Eastchester, New York)

College: Connecticut

Career: 2 seasons (1988-89)

Teams: New England Patriots (1988-89), Indianapolis Colts (1989)

Bottom Line: Eric Naposki

Eric Naposki murdered his lover’s boyfriend in 1994 but wasn’t convicted until 2009. H. Lauren Au Jr. / AP Photo

Eric Naposki had a middling career in the NFL for a few seasons in the late 1980s, but was a star in the World Football League for a few years after that.

When he returned to the United States, he bounced around Newport Beach, California, working as a nightclub bouncer and fitness instructor before he became involved with Nanette Johnson, who was dating a millionaire named Bill McLaughlin.

Naposki initially was a suspect when McLaughlin was found shot to death in his home in 1994 but wasn’t arrested until 2009, after investigators found new evidence in the case. Both Naposki and Johnson were given life sentences without the possibility of parole.

9. Darren Sharper

Darren Sharper, left, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of rapes. Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 3, 1975 (Richmond, Virginia)

Position: Safety

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds

High school: Hermitage High School (Henrico, Virginia)

College: William & Mary

Career: 14 seasons (1997-2010)

Teams: Green Bay Packers (1997-2004), Minnesota Vikings (2005-08), New Orleans Saints (2009-10)

Bottom Line: Darren Sharper

Darren Sharper and several friends drugged and raped women in at least three different states. Mario Anzuoni / AP Photo

Darren Sharper was one of the premier safeties in the NFL for over a decade, but his true nature came to light after he retired in 2010.

Turns out that Sharper was a serial rapist who drugged and raped women across the U.S., including four in a 24-hour period, in two states. He was convicted on multiple sexual assault and drug charges, along with friends Erik Nunez and Brandon Licciardi, a sheriff’s deputy in a suburb of New Orleans.

Sharper was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea.

8. Keith Wright

Keith Wright’s NFL career was brief. Tampa Bay Bucaneers

Born: June 8, 1980 (Santa Clara, California)

Position: Defensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 290 pounds

High school: Arizona Boys Ranch (Arivaca, Arizona)

College: Missouri

Career: 4 seasons (2004-06)

Teams: Indianapolis Colts (2003-04), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-05), Detroit Lions (2006)

Bottom Line: Keith Wright

Keith Wright was sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years for a series of home invasions and sexual assaults in California. CrimeInSports / Twitter

Keith Wright was a two-time All-Big 12 selection at Missouri, and his NFL career lasted about as long as you’d think for a sixth-round pick — four seasons with three different teams.

Wright’s true nature as a serial sex offender was revealed after his playing career was over when he was arrested for a string of home invasions, rapes and robberies in Sacramento, California, in 2011.

In October 2012, Wright was found guilty on 19 charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, forced oral copulation, first-degree burglary and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to a life sentence plus 120 years in prison.

7. Lawrence Phillips

Lawrence Phillips committed suicide in prison in 2016. L.G. Patterson / AP Photo

Born: May 12, 1975 (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Died: Jan. 13, 2016 (age 40, Kern Valley State Prison, Delano, California)

Position: Running back

Height/weight: 6-foot, 224 pounds

High school: Baldwin Park High School (Baldwin Park, California)

College: Nebraska

Career: 4 seasons (1996-99)

Teams: St. Louis Rams (1996-97), Miami Dolphins (1997), Barcelona Dragons (1998), San Francisco 49ers (1999)

Bottom Line: Lawrence Phillips

Lawrence Phillips’ legal problems began while he was still at the University of Nebraska. Dennis Grundman / AP Photo

Lawrence Phillips went from growing up in foster homes in California to football stardom when he led the University of Nebraska to back-to-back national titles in 1994 and 1995. But Phillips’ success came at a high price for those around him.

In college, he showed a propensity for violence with two disturbing assault arrests. He burned every bridge he could in four NFL seasons before he was drummed out of the league, and in 2009, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison for assaulting his former girlfriend and running over three teenagers after a dispute in a pickup football game.

Phillips murdered his cellmate in 2015 and, facing the death penalty, hung himself to death in his cell in 2016.

6. Rae Carruth

Rae Carruth’s NFL career with the Carolina Panthers was brief. Rick Havner / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 20, 1974 (Sacramento, California)

Position: Wide receiver

Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds

High school: Valley High School (Sacramento, California)

College: Colorado

Career: 3 seasons (1997-99)

Teams: Carolina Panthers

Bottom Line: Rae Carruth

Rae Carruth was convicted of hiring hitmen to murder his pregnant girlfriend and served 18 years in prison. John Simmons / AP Photo

Rae Carruth hired an associate to murder his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who was eight months pregnant with his child. Adams died, the child lived, and Carruth was captured as he tried to flee from the authorities.

Carruth was convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and sentenced to 18-24 years in prison. He was released in October 2018 after serving 18 years in prison.

Carruth’s son, who was born with severe disabilities, was raised by Adams’ mother.

5. Kellen Winslow Jr.

Kellen Winslow Jr. was a Pro Bowl tight end and won a national championship at the University of Miami. Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Born: July 21, 1983 (San Diego, California)

Position: Tight end

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 240 pounds

High school: Scripps Ranch High School (San Diego, California)

College: Miami

Career: 10 seasons (2004-13)

Teams: Cleveland Browns (2004-08), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009-11), New England Patriots (2012), New York Jets (2013)

Bottom Line: Kellen Winslow Jr.

Kellen Winslow Jr. was convicted of being a serial sexual predator and sentenced to 12 to 18 years in prison. Nelvin C. Cepeda / AP Photo

When Kellen Winslow Jr. was arrested for burglary in 2018 at a mobile home park in California, it unraveled a trail of sex crimes dating back 15 years. Winslow was eventually arrested for four separate rapes, including raping an unconscious 17-year-old girl in 2003, when he was 19 years old.

Winslow was arrested for exposing himself while out on $2 million bail for the rape charges in 2019 and placed back in custody, but somehow struck a plea deal that will see him sentenced to 12 to 18 years after pleading guilty to the 2003 rape and sexual battery.

That means he’ll probably be out on the streets within the next decade, which just doesn’t seem right.

4. O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson’s life as a popular football player, pitchman and actor ended in the mid-1990s. AP Photo

Born: July 9, 1947 (San Francisco, California)

Position: Running back

Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 212 pounds

High school: Galileo High School (San Francisco, California)

College: USC

Career: 11 seasons (1969-79)

Teams: Buffalo Bills (1969-77), San Francisco 49ers (1978-79)

Bottom Line: O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson was acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in “The Trial of the Century” in 1995. Reed Saxon / AP Photo

O.J. Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in July 1994.

Simpson hired a team of the nation’s best attorneys and beat the double-murder rap, thanks to a brilliant cross-examination of the county’s forensic team by attorney Barry Scheck, and an “incendiary defense” that alleged a vast racial conspiracy against Simpson by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Years later, Simpson served 10 years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping in Nevada and was released in 2018.

3. Robert Rozier

Robert Rozier joined a cult and began murdering random white people as part of his initiation process. CrimeInSports / Twitter

Born: July 28, 1955 (Anchorage, Alaska Territory)

Position: Defensive end

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 240 pounds

High school: Cordova High School (Rancho Cordova, California)

College: California

Career: 1 season (1979)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals

Bottom Line: Robert Rozier

Robert Rozier violated probation and was sentenced to 25 years to life in 2001. CrimeInSports / Twitter

Robert Rozier was drummed out of the NFL after less than one season because of issues with drugs, then played professionally in the Canadian Football League for a stretch before joining a cult led by Yahweh ben Yahweh.

As part of Rozier’s initiation into the cult known as The Brotherhood, he began killing random white people. Rozier killed at least four people before he was arrested, but testified against Yahweh and the cult in exchange for a 22-year sentence, of which he only served 10 years before he was released with a new identity.

Rozier violated parole by writing bad checks and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2001.

2. Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith played seven seasons in the NFL. brgridiron / Twitter

Born: June 28, 1967 (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)

Position: Defensive end

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 265 pounds

High school: Northeastern High School (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)

College: Arizona

Career: 7 seasons (1991-97)

Teams: Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

Bottom Line: Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole. hollywoodhill / Twitter

Few villains in NFL history have woven such a complicated path of death and destruction as former Oakland Raiders defensive end Anthony Smith, who was once married to pop star Vanity and simply left the league after seven seasons and with one year remaining on a $7.6 million contract.

Smith, with a central motivation of seeking revenge for business deals gone bad, went on trial twice for firebombing a furniture store in 2003, and the charges were dropped after both jurors deadlocked.

In 2011, he went on trial for the torture and murder of Maurilio Ponce, which ended with another hung jury. While awaiting retrial, Smith was charged and convicted with the murders of three more men and given three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after a trial.

1. Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez only played three seasons in the NFL. Charles Krupa / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 6, 1989 (Bristol, Connecticut)

Died: April 19, 2017 (age 27, Leominster, Massachusetts)

Position: Tight end

Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 245 pounds

High school: Bristol Central High School (Bristol, Connecticut)

College: Florida

Career: 3 seasons (2010-12)

Teams: New England Patriots

Bottom Line: Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for the murder of his fiance’s sister’s boyfriend. AP Photo

Aaron Hernandez, one of the NFL’s best tight ends, was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for the murder of his fiance’s sister’s boyfriend, Odin Lloyd. He was acquitted of a separate double murder in 2017.

After a Boston sports talk show revealed that Hernandez reportedly was known to be either bisexual or homosexual and had multiple affairs with men before and after he’d been in prison, Hernandez hung himself in his cell two days later.