Top 20 Athletes Who RUINED Their Careers With One Play

#20: Tony Romo

When the Dallas Cowboys met the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Round in 2007, it came down to the wire. With the Cowboys in the hot seat, all Tony Romo had to do here was control the snap, and the win would’ve been in the bag. But in a truly bizarre fourth-quarter mishap, Romo totally fumbled the ball as he received it, messing up what should have been a routine play. His attempts to improvise and run for a touchdown were stifled by a truly excellent tackle. But all in all, he could never truly shed the impact this fumble had on his legacy. Sure, he had some bright spots - but there was a constant narrative that he was a ‘choke artist’.

#19: Simone Zaza

Simone Zaza might not deserve the blame he received for his stupidly theatrical penalty style, but in reality, a miss is a miss. When Italy met Germany in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, Zaza was subbed in with a minute left in extra time specifically for his penalty-taking prowess. However, this turned out to be a total disaster. When Zaza’s time to step up came, his ridiculously over-the-top trot towards the ball resulted in him missing the target spectacularly. Zaza himself maintained that his technique was not at fault and that everybody misses eventually, but the fans were not convinced. His career unfortunately never recovered.

#18: Victor Ortiz

Victor Ortiz is the proud owner of one of the most hilarious pieces of instant karma to ever play out in a boxing ring. Fighting a grinning Floyd Mayweather must be the most frustrating thing imaginable. However, Ortiz became so frustrated that he decided to blatantly head-butt Floyd as soon as he got up close and personal with him. This was very clearly an illegal move - and Ortiz was rightfully punished for it. But when he tried to overdo his apology to Mayweather, he made a crucial mistake. Instead of immediately defending himself, Ortiz went completely over the top and so, Floyd KO’d him for it. It was the biggest fight of his life, and he totally bottled it.

#17: Ronda Rousey

There might not be a fighter in combat sports history who handled a loss worse than Ronda Rousey. Holly Holm might have had a legendary pro-boxing background, but seeing her piece up the seemingly unbeatable Rousey over two rounds was wild. Ronda was utterly exposed for her incredibly one-dimensional game in this bout. So when Holm finished her with a brutal head-kick in the second round, it was no lucky shot. It wasn’t just Ronda’s sub-par striking skills that caused the fans to turn on her, or her pre-fight trash-talking of the modest and soft-spoken Holly Holm. No, it was the way she refused to even address the media in the bout’s aftermath.

#16: Earnest Byner

When a fumble is so disastrous that it’s known simply as ‘The Fumble’, you know that’s a bad thing. Byner had been turning in an otherwise excellent performance, but one key moment defined his career forever. A heroic charge into the end zone was seemingly enough for Byner to score a massive touchdown - but there was one problem. Denver Broncos defender Jeremiah Castille had managed to force him to fumble the ball. And so, Byner ran empty-handed into the end zone - sealing his team’s doom. But the Earnest Byner story would thankfully have a much more successful final chapter. A trade to Washington finally brought about a Super Bowl ring for him in 1991.

#15: Mitch Williams

Mitch Williams was always seen as a bit of a wild card by Philadelphia Phillies fans. Poor judgment led him to throw a fastball right onto Joe Carter’s sweet-spot - contributing to his team’s demise. Given that it was Game 6 of the World Series, Williams' reputation took a massive hit. All of a sudden, Williams was not trustworthy in big moments and as you might expect, Phillies fans turned on him. He was traded shortly after. Though he tried to mount a comeback with other teams, his confidence never fully returned. That one pitch became his legacy, overshadowing a solid career. These days, whenever the name ‘Mitch Williams’ is mentioned, this is always the first thing that comes to mind.

#14: Patrik Stefan

If you need proof of just how badly one moment can stain a player’s legacy, look no further than the former number-one draft pick, Patrik Stefan. Once seen as a major prospect out of Central Europe, his time in the NHL was derailed due to injuries, inconsistencies, and one truly unforgivable error. Missing an empty net like this is the type of mistake that can haunt you - but it was his casual demeanour and lackadaisical attitude that really sealed it. This, plus all of his other issues caused the Dallas Stars to opt against renewing his contract - ending his time in the NHL. Hip problems then caused his retirement at the age of 27. To this day, he is considered a major draft bust.

#13: Lindsey Jacobellis

Was it ego that totally derailed Lindsey Jacobellis on the final stretch of the 2006 Winter Olympics snowboard cross final? Or was she simply trying to inject some fun into a tense competition? Well, with victory within reaching distance - Lindsey decided to cap off her performance with an ill-advised board-grab - which ended up causing her to crash. She lost her pole position in this race and understandably became the object of ridicule for years later. However, this story does have a happy ending. 16 years later, she would somehow fight her way back to the top of the mountain, winning a gold medal at the 2022 games in Beijing.

#12: Brett Favre

With age catching up with him, 2009 marked a real ‘now or never’ season for the icon, Brett Favre. His form was good all year and his Vikings team was performing well. But in the NFC Championship Game, Favre’s resolve was put to the test in a huge way. The New Orleans Saints were bringing some real physicality to the table - nailing Favre over and over again with some incredibly rough and borderline illegal hits. Late in the fourth quarter, their intensity finally paid off. Favre threw a disastrous interception that lost the Vikings their best chance of sealing the game’s result. Sure, it didn’t tank Favre’s career entirely, but it was undeniably the beginning of the end.

#11: Andrés Escobar

When Colombia entered the 1994 World Cup, they did so with a generational group of players at their disposal. Never before had expectations been so high - and yet, it all came crashing down in a split second. In a crucial group game against United States, defender Andrés Escobar would botch an attempt at a block, inadvertently sending the ball into his own net. This would give the U.S. the momentum they needed to win the game 2-1. Colombia couldn’t recover sufficiently in game 3 and subsequently failed to make the knockout-stage. However, the real tragedy came just five days later when Escobar was shot and killed in the streets of Medellín - supposedly as retaliation for his grave error. He was 27 years old.

#10: Mark Sanchez

During a 2012 Thanksgiving game, the New York Jets trailed 14-0 against the New England Patriots in the second quarter. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez seemed to be confused with what play they were running and, in desperation, ran straight into the butt of fellow teammate Brandon Moore, fumbling the ball. The Patriots would not only recover the ball, but score in the process. A quarterback who was once meant to herald in a new era and bring an end to the Jets’ misery, the butt fumble spelled the beginning of the end for Mark Sanchez’s career.

#9: Luis Suárez

During Uruguay’s final group stage match against Italy at the 2014 World Cup, Uruguayan striker Suárez decided to bite down on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. This isn’t Suárez’s first time sinking his teeth into opponents. In fact, he’s done it twice before. Although he wasn’t reprimanded during the game, FIFA later banned him from 9 international games, as well as all football for 4 months and fined him a total of 100,000 Swiss francs. Interestingly enough, before the tournament, Suárez insisted he’d sworn off those antics and didn’t deserve his bad boy image. Well, this incident would not only prove that he does deserve it, but has earned it for life, in turn casting a dark shadow over his career.

#8: Nick Anderson

In Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic’s Nick Anderson needed to make one shot after being fouled with 10.5 seconds left to give Orlando the series lead. After missing both of his free throw attempts, he got another chance to make things right after the Rockets were charged with yet another foul. Instead, it was just another wasted opportunity. This mental break would prove costly as Houston would send the game to overtime and eventually sweep the Magic en route to becoming repeat champions. Looking back, Anderson stated that “I tried not to let it affect me, but my confidence wavered.” Having since been labelled as “Nick the Brick” and “Brick Anderson,” his scoring and free throw percentage plummeted, and he was never the same player.

#7: Zinedine Zidane

This was probably the last way anybody expected the French team captain Zinedine Zidane to end his career. During the 2006 World Cup final match, Zizou was constantly jawing with Italian player Marco Materazzi. Eventually, the trash talking came to a head, literally. After an exchange of words, Zidane proceeds to headbutt Materazzi’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Zidane was subsequently handed a red card and sent off. Italy would go on to win the game after outscoring France during the penalty shoot-out, where Zidane’s presence and scoring ability was clearly missed. Although Zizou still had an illustrious career, it’s this very incident that will forever be etched in our memories.

#6: Chris Webber

In the final seconds of the championship game of the 1993 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Chris Webber of the Michigan Wolverines suffered a couple of mental mistakes. After grabbing a rebound from a missed UNC free throw, Webber travels, runs up the court into a double team where he calls time out. Michigan had none left, however, and a technical foul was called, giving UNC two free throws and possession of the ball. This lapse in judgment put the game out of reach. While the blunder is still brought up, it didn’t have a lasting impact on Webber’s NBA career, as he would declare for the 1993 draft a few weeks later, where he was picked first overall and played nearly 15 seasons.

#5: J.R. Smith

When you’re facing one of the most dominant NBA teams of the decade, make sure you know the score. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for J.R. Smith in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors. After grabbing the rebound from a missed free throw, J.R. gave the Cavs a chance to win. Instead, Smith ran out the clock, much to the chagrin of a visibly frustrated LeBron James, before realizing the game was still tied. The Warriors would later not only beat the Cavaliers in overtime, but went on to sweep the entire series. To this day, many consider his blunder as one of the worst gaffes in NBA history. Don’t feel too bad though, Smith did win a championship with the Cavs back in 2016 and another with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

#4: Bill Buckner

If you ever hear anyone say you Buckner’d it, it’s not a compliment. With the game tied during the 1986 World Series, the Red Sox were one out away from ending the 10th inning. Mets batter Mookie Wilson hit the ball straight up the first base line and it rolled past Buckner’s glove, resulting in a Boston loss. This forced a game 7, which the Mets would go on to win. Although it was no guarantee the Sox would have won the World Series had Buckner not misplayed the ball, the iconic moment added to the Curse of the Bambino and extended Boston’s championship drought another 18 years until 2004. Fans at the time went so far as to send Buckner death threats believing he cost them the title.

#3: Roberto Baggio

It’s no easy feat making a penalty kick, but when you’re premier Italian soccer player Roberto Baggio, you have to find the back of the net. The 1994 FIFA tournament final came down to a shootout and it was up to Baggio to keep Italy’s hopes alive against Brazil; all he had to do was make one shot. There was no reason to believe Baggio couldn’t do it, considering his ability to pull through in the clutch and the fact that he contributed to much of Italy’s success during the world cup, having scored 5 goals in their last 3 games. However, when it came time to shoot the ball, he sliced it way over the net and with the miss, Brazil claimed their fourth championship. Arguably the best player of the tournament, it’s this moment that would define his career. Looking back at the mishap, he stated that; “It felt exactly as you would expect.”

#2: Marty McSorley

It’s something you never want to see in hockey, or any sport. In the closing seconds of a game between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, Bruins enforcer Marty McSorley slashed Vancouver’s Donald Brashear in the head. The brutal attack left Brashear unconscious on the ice with a grade 3 concussion. McSorley, for his part, claimed he was trying to tap Brashear on the shoulder to start a fight. A British Columbia judge found him guilty of assault with a weapon and he was sentenced to 18 months on probation. The NHL suspended him for an entire year and, during that time, his contract lapsed. He never played another NHL game. On the other hand, Brashear returned to action a few months later and continued his NHL career for another 9 seasons.

#1: Todd Bertuzzi

Tensions were high when the Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Colorado Avalanche on March 8, 2004. The Canucks targeted Avs player Steve Moore for a questionable hit on their captain Markus Naslund that went unpenalized. In the third period, Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched Moore and pushed him to the ice and a bench clearing brawl erupted. Moore was left seriously injured with three fractured vertebrae and a concussion. The injuries were so severe that Moore would never play again. Although Bertuzzi would return to the game after multiple court hearings, suspensions and fines, any attempt at a comeback was simply out of reach. His production decreased, he bounced around different teams and was constantly booed and heckled by opposing team’s fans. Things were never the same for Bertuzzi after this ugly incident.

But did we miss any examples of a truly dismal moment for any professional athlete? Let us know in the comments!