Famous Athletes Who Went To Jail

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 17, 2013

Famous Athletes Who Went To Jail

Ryan Leaf

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, taken one pick after Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft, was sent to Montana state prison In January 2013 after being kicked out of a residential drug program. The strong-armed quarterback from Washington State was at the rehabilitation center to start a five-year prison term. He would have been in line to serve only about 15 months of his sentence if he had successfully completed the rehab program. One of the violations that got him kicked out of the rehab program was threatening a staff member.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather was sentenced to six months of jail time (with three months to be suspended) on Dec. 21, 2012, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery domestic violence and harrassment charges stemming from a 2010 incident with the mother of his children.

Jayson Williams

For his role in the 2002 shooting death of a limousine driver, the former All-Star power forward was sentenced to five years in state prison with a minimum of 18 months to be served before parole.

Charles Barkley

Barkley failed a field sobriety test after getting pulled over in Scottsdale, Ariz., for running a stop sign on New Year's Eve 2008. A blood test revealed his blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit. A jail sentence of 10 days was reduced to three after Barkley entered an alcohol treatment program.

O.J. Simpson

Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson was sentenced up to 33 years in prison after being found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping and several other charges.

Marion Jones

The former Olympic gold medalist served six months in federal prison for lying to federal agents investigating the BALCO doping conspiracy.

Michael Vick

The NFL quarterback was sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.

Maurice Clarett

The former Ohio State running back was sentenced to 7 1/2 years after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Mike Danton

The former NHL player served 63 months in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. He tried to hire a hit man to kill his agent.

Mike Tyson

The former heavyweight champion served three years after being convicted in 1992 of raping an 18-year-old beauty-pageant contestant.

Pete Rose

Baseball's all-time hits leaders took a hit in 1990 when he was convicted of tax evasion. He spent five months in the federal prison in Marion, Ill.

Rae Carruth

The former Carolina Panthers wide receiver was sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison in 2001 for his role in the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend.

Darryl Strawberry

The 1983 NL Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star, Strawberry has had numerous run-ins with the law. He served 11 months for probation violations stemming from a cocaine-possession charge.

Art Schlichter

The former first-round draft pick out of Ohio State has had 10 convictions since 1995, many of them stemming from his gambling addiction, and was sentenced to 15 years in an Ohio prison.

Dwight Gooden

NL Rookie of the Year in 1984 and the Cy Young winner in 1985, when he led the majors in wins, strikeouts and ERA, Doc had a long history of cocaine and alcohol abuse. He began serving a one-year prison term in April 2006 related to probation violations.

Bob Probert

One of the most renowned fighters in NHL history, Probert served 90 days in jail after being convicted of smuggling cocaine across the U.S.-Canadian border.

Jamal Lewis

A former running back with the Baltimore Ravens, Lewis served four months after pleading guilty to using his cell phone to try to set up a drug deal in 2000.

Denny McLain

A former 31-game winner with the Detroit Tigers, a two-time Cy Young winner and a three-time All-Star, McLain did time after being convicted on charges of money laundering, embezzlement, mail fraud and conspiracy relating to the pension fund of a Michigan meat-packing company.

Hollywood Henderson

The former All-Pro linebacker, who admitted to using cocaine on the sidelines during his days with the Dallas Cowboys, was sentenced to two years in prison in 1983 after pleading no contest to threatening and assaulting two teenage girls.

Ugueth Urbina

The two-time All-star and 1999 National League saves leader was convicted of attempted murder charges and sentenced in 2007 to 14 years in prison stemming from a 2005 incident.