Infamous Athletes

Hello bloggers, today I’m going to back to my old style of blogging.  Yes the podcast and video were a fun way to switch it up, but I’m tired of listening to the sound of my voice, so enjoy this one of a kind, written blog; I know I will.

Today’s post is about those athletes we love to hate, or in many cases, love to defend.  Today I’m going to rattle off a few of the past few years most controversial athletes.  Let’s face it, no one wants their dirty laundry aired for the entire world to see, but fortunately for us, we got to watch these athletes go down in flames. 

Tiger Woods

First in front of the firing squad we have the talented and newly discovered, freaky, Tiger Woods.  In November of 2009 the National Enquirer published a story about Tiger’s extramarital affairs with Rachael Uchitiel, then two days later he left his home in his Escalade and crashed in a fire hydrant, a tree and several hedges.  This was the beginning of the end for Tiger; as in the months to follow the world was informed of all of Tiger Woods many transgressions over the years, a few other tidbits that we could have gone without knowing.  A number of Tiger’s sponsorships dropped him and finally Tiger spoke about the scandal.  He apologized saying, “I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to," he said. "I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish."

 He announced a few weeks later that he would be returning to golf for the Masters Tournament on April 8 (he finished in forth place).  Shortly afterward, Woods' coach since 2003, Hank Haney, resigned the position; he was replaced in August bySean Foley.  The rest of the season went badly for Woods, who failed to win a single event for the first time since turning professional, while nevertheless finishing the season ranked #2 in the world.

Since then Tiger has rejoined the ranks of winning golfers, and I think for the most part, the world has given him, after all, he’s only human!

Michael Vick

I’m going to try and keep this next one brief, as I cannot even bear the thought of this athlete’s extra-curricular activity.  I’ve been reminded by numerous individuals that Michael Vick is an outstanding football player and I should not judge him based on what he did, however I find this quite hard to do.  For those of you who have been living under a rock or like me decided to block out the details of his actions I’ll do a quick summary.  Vic was staging dogfights in garage of the family’s home and disposing of them in absolutely inhumane ways. 

By August 20, Vick and the other three co-defendants agreed to separate ple bargains for the federal charges^. They were expected to each receive federal prison sentences between 12 months and five years.

On August 24, Vick filed plea documents with the federal court. He pleaded guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture". He admitted to providing most of the financing for the operation and to participating directly in several dog fights in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  He admitted to sharing in the proceeds from these dog fights. He further admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs that did not perform well. He admitted to being involved in the destruction of 6–8 dogs, by hanging or drowning. The "victimization and killing of pit bulls" was considered as aggravating circumstances that led prosecutors to exceed the federal sentencing guidelines for the charge. He denied placing any side bets on the dogfights

On August 27, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick's guilty plea.

To all those Vick fans out there I’ll say this, great football player; yes, decent human being; not a chance!

Donte Stallworth

My next pick for controversial athletes is one of the many professional athletes who get off easy with nothing more than a slap on the wrist for crimes that would send regular Joe Schmoe to jail for a long time.  Interesting how that works...  Donte Stallworth, an NFL player for the Washington Redskins who in 2009 hit and killed a pedestrian in Florida.  Stallworth admitted to drinking the night prior to the accident. He had taken a taxi home from the bar and had gone to sleep. The next morning, he woke up and drove to get some food and had no idea he was still drunk. According to early reports Stallworth was legally drunk at the time of the accident news sources reported that his blood alchol  was 0.12, over the nationwide legal limit of 0.08. 

Stallworth was charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter on April 1, 2009; he surrendered to police on April 2, 2009, and was released on $200,000 bail.  He pled guilty, and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, plus 1,000 hours of community service, 2 years of house arrest, and 8 years probation. He has also received a life-time suspension of his Florida state driver's license.

On July 10, 2009, Stallworth was released from jail after serving 24 days of a 30-day sentence.

The Associated Press reported on June 16, 2009, that Stallworth and the victim’s family reached a financial agreement, avoiding a civil lawsuit. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

On August 13, 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that Stallworth would be suspended for the entire 2009 season without pay. Stallworth was reinstated after Super Bowl XLIV.

My only hope is that Stallworth and all other professional athletes learned something of value from this horrific accident (other than they can commit a crime and not spend the rest of their life in prison).