10 Athletes That Fell From Grace
10 Athletes That Fell From Grace
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for ten athletes who had a dramatic fall from grace.
#10: Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was a crossover superstar who was in the middle of making his G.O.A.T case concrete. Lucrative endorsements, video game deals, and more major trophies than anyone of his era, Tiger was truly the gold standard. But when it emerged that he was a serial cheater and that his infidelity had largely been covered up to preserve his image, it changed the way we looked at him forever. Tiger lost everything - his status in the golf world, his credibility as a public figure, and a number of big-money deals. Sure, he pulled off one hell of a career comeback to win the Masters in 2019, but that comeback was so great because of how far he had to fall.
#9: Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson was a hero to many Canadians and athletes worldwide when he pushed the boundaries of what was possible for an athlete in 1988. Winning Olympic gold in the 100m sprint was quite the achievement, of course. But to do so with a record-setting 9.79 seconds elevated his status to a totally different level. But when it emerged that Johnson had been doping, it all fell apart. He went from national hero to the guy who betrayed the love and trust of millions. And according to Johnson himself, he is still being punished for it to this day. It does make you wonder whether it was all truly worth it. He remains a legendary figure, but his reputation is truly beyond repair.
#8: Roger Clemens
Baseball has been rocked by many PED scandals over the years. Who can forget Mark McGwires feeble attempts to downplay his own clear steroid usage? Or how about Barry Bonds having his entire legendary career called in question after he got caught red-handed? Well, for our money, few have fallen further than Roger Clemens. And it wasnt just his PED usage either. No, he spent years lying to the fans about playing the game clean and then lost even more respect from the masses when he engaged in an extra-marital affair with an underage country singer. Roger Clemens is proof that having both your personal reputation and professional reputation is a damn near impossible thing to bounce back from.
#7: Mike Tyson
As the youngest champion in the history of the heavyweight division, Iron Mike Tyson could not go anywhere without being mobbed by fans. And though a shocking loss to Buster Douglas exposed some issues of overconfidence, he was still very much in his prime. But when he was sentenced to six years in prison for the assault of Desiree Washington, everything changed. Not only did he cause public opinion to do a 180, he also lost out on a large portion of his best fighting years. The Tyson who returned to the ring a few years later was more of a loose cannon and far less successful in terms of fighting. Biting Evander Holyfields ear off didnt help things either.
#6: Michael Vick
Michael Vick mightve been a very good quarterback once upon a time, but these days hes known for one pretty unflattered reason. Vick was revealed to have a very odd interest in illegal dogfighting. In fact, he personally sponsored and ran a dogfighting operation on his own property. Athletes are certainly no strangers to all manner of irredeemable behaviour - but theres just something particularly cruel about messing with dogs. And for Vick, even after he served 21 months behind bars, his reputation never fully recovered. People tend to take it personally if you profit from the pain of mans best friend.
#5: Tonya Harding
Spending much of her early life training as a figure skater, Tonya Harding reached the highest of highs and then ultimately, the lowest lows. After nailing a triple axel in competition, Tonya was truly on top of the world. But when she allegedly orchestrated a brutal attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan during a practice session, it was seen as one of the dirtiest tactics in the history of sport. Footage of Nancys immediate reaction is hard to watch - even to this day. And seeing Harding turn to trashy reality TV in order to save her career gave people a greater insight into just how desperate she was.
#4: Oscar Pistorius
The story of Oscar Pistorius is a pretty tragic one. He was once seen as a role model to any athlete who competed with some form of disability. And his performances at the Olympics and Paralympics were the stuff of legend. The Blade Runner was bringing a whole lot of positive energy and attention to his sport. But in 2013, everything changed. Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. According to Oscar himself, he believed that she was an intruder, but many things in his story simply did not add up. He ended up serving nine years of a thirteen year sentence and has virtually disappeared from the public eye ever since.
#3: Aaron Hernandez
The story of Aaron Hernandez's life was one that grew increasingly chaotic up to his very sudden death. Once regarded as a star tight-end in college and later the NFL, Hernandez was indicted for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, although he was later acquitted. However, in 2013, he was arrested for the murder of his friend Odin Lloyd - who was dating Hernandezs fiancées sister. He would eventually be sentenced to life in prison on first-degree murder charges, but just a few days after being acquitted of the first double-homicide, he took his own life at the age of 27.
#2: Lance Armstrong
No PED saga in the history of sports has managed to leave so many disappointed as the story of Lance Armstrong. He was the face of cycling, won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, a cancer-survivor and a consistent supporter and organiser of charitable-endeavours. He was truly a model athlete. But after years of vehemently denying any form of steroid use, when his house of cards collapsed, it was a truly epic spectacle. Armstrong eventually was caught out later revealing that he had lied through his teeth to millions for his entire career. Cycling as a whole was shown to be ravaged by PED-use - but Lances attempts to shift blame onto the culture just made him look even worse. A true hero-to-zero story.
#1: O.J. Simpson
The trial of O.J. Simpson was one of those cultural events that shook an entire nation to its core. Simpson was once revered as one of the standout running-backs in NFL history, but his stellar credentials and crossover success only made his eventual fall that much worse. Simpson was arrested after a dramatic police chase for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The subsequent trial was truly one of the biggest media cycles of the decade. Ultimately, Simpson was controversially acquitted of the crime. His lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, managed to pull off a legal miracle, but Simpsons reputation was forever ruined.
Which athlete do you think had the most shocking fall from grace? Let us know in the comments!
