- 3 months ago
They had fame, fortune, and global admiration — but behind the trophies were dark secrets.
From shocking crimes to unbelievable betrayals, these athletes remind us that greatness on the field doesn’t always mean goodness off it.
🏆 Discover the truth behind sports icons who went from heroes to villains.
⚠️ Viewer discretion advised — some stories are downright disturbing.
From shocking crimes to unbelievable betrayals, these athletes remind us that greatness on the field doesn’t always mean goodness off it.
🏆 Discover the truth behind sports icons who went from heroes to villains.
⚠️ Viewer discretion advised — some stories are downright disturbing.
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SportsTranscript
00:00The scene was set for what would eventually be called the trial of the century.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're giving our picks for the best athletes to grace their disciplines,
00:10only to be accused of doing horrible things away from the sports they were beloved in.
00:15His trial absorbed the world. Pistorius claimed to have shot Reva by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the house.
00:23Michael Vick. A multi-time Pro Bowl winner, Vick was tearing it up for the Atlanta Falcons.
00:30Here's the red zone, inside the 15, the 10, turns the pen, dives, touchdown!
00:36The Giants' defense, you can't play him in true man-to-man because you're turning your back to him.
00:41After all, in 2006, he was the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
00:47Yet by the following year, all that potential was destroyed.
00:49Vick and others were accused of running Bad News Kennels, an illegal dogfighting ring in Virginia.
00:54Bad News Kennels just started us wanting to breed pit bulls with the patches and the ones that, you know, look pretty and show dogs and we was going to sell them.
01:05And it just went from one aspect to another.
01:11During the investigation, he admitted to helping kill multiple dogs.
01:14In 2007, after agreeing to a plea deal, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail.
01:19In 2008, he received a three-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to dogfighting.
01:24Upon release and his NFL suspension ending, Vick resumed his career, which was forever under a cloud.
01:29I think you could draw the conclusion that Michael Vick, after serving his time, is an inspiration for other people.
01:38That getting back on the right track can lead to a productive life.
01:41Lance Armstrong.
01:42No cyclist had been as dominant as Armstrong.
01:45After all, between 1999 and 2005, he won the Tour de France seven times consecutively.
01:51He went from survivor to victor in what was called at the time, one of the most unbelievable comebacks in sports history.
01:58Armstrong wins the Tour de France.
02:00For seven straight years, he dominated arguably the hardest sporting event in the world.
02:05Making this even more impressive.
02:07He did this after battling cancer, leading to him founding the Livestrong Foundation to help others affected by the disease.
02:13However, Armstrong's legendary career was tarnished in 2012.
02:16After years of rumors, the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused him of trafficking substances and operating a doping ring.
02:24We did what we had to do to win.
02:26They stripped the cyclist of his achievements from 1998 onwards and banned him from competition for life.
02:31In 2013, any hopes his fans had that the USADA was wrong were dashed when Armstrong admitted to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
02:40Yes or no?
02:41Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?
02:45Yes.
02:46Mason Greenwood.
02:47Coming through the youth ranks of Manchester United, Greenwood had the hopes of the fans.
02:51It's Mason Greenwood, his first Premier League goal, and United want more than a point here.
02:58Greenwood, the goal scorer, he's always got a goal in him.
03:02The talented forward was one of the few bright sparks within the Premier League team at the time, earning him an England appearance as a teenager.
03:09However, in 2022, Greenwood's girlfriend released images, videos, and posts on social media that accused him of assaulting her.
03:15But the club moved quickly to suspend him after multiple allegations were published on an Instagram account.
03:23The police confirmed he was arrested and officers were seen at his home.
03:28As well as being suspended by United in losing endorsements deals, he was arrested and charged.
03:33However, in 2023, the case was dropped after key witnesses pulled out.
03:36After backlash from fans following reports that United wanted to bring him back, Greenwood was sent out to loan to Spain's Getafe.
03:43All those involved, including Mason, recognized the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United.
03:51It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford.
03:58He later joined Francis Marseille in 2024.
04:02Jim Brown, he's not considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history for nothing.
04:06Considered by most experts as the greatest pullback ever to play the game, Jimmy's harder to bring down than a wild steer.
04:12After all, as well as being an NFL champion, Brown was a three-time Most Valuable Player and smashed many records throughout his career with the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965.
04:23On top of acting, he was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.
04:26He left indelible images on Hollywood and as a community activist, but first on the football field, in a career that almost never happened at all.
04:37Yet throughout his life, Brown was accused several times of assault, often against women.
04:41However, he either wasn't charged or found guilty.
04:44That changed in 1999 when he was sentenced to a year of domestic violence counseling and community service for vandalizing his wife's car.
04:51After Brown refused to complete either punishment, he was sentenced to six months in jail, which began in 2002.
04:57Nobody will ever, now that's my anger, putting me on my knees, I am not a slave, I am not a slave mentality, I am a free, strong black man.
05:09Rather than accept the court-ordered conditions, in March of 2002, Brown went to jail.
05:15Floyd Mayweather Jr.
05:16After achieving a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics, Mayweather would morph into one of the best to enter a boxing ring.
05:23He's everywhere and then he's nowhere. You think you've got him, and you're missing.
05:27With 15 major championships across five weight classes, he ended his incredible career in 2017 with an undefeated 50-streak run.
05:36However, Mayweather didn't leave his skills in the ring.
05:39Multiple times throughout his career, he's been convicted of battery or domestic violence.
05:43You know, they blow things up bigger than what things are really made out to be, so things happen.
05:52This includes suspended sentences in 2002, 2004, and 2005 for domestic violence, battery against two women, and battery against a bouncer, respectively.
06:02It got worse for Mayweather in 2010 when he was accused of attacking his former girlfriend.
06:06In 2011, after agreeing to a deal and pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, the boxer was sentenced to 90 days in prison.
06:13Everything has been allegations. Nothing has been proven, so, you know, that's life.
06:18Born into a wealthy family that operated one of Germany's biggest steel and weapon manufacturers that bore their name,
06:28Krupp took part in the 1936 Summer Olympics, which infamously took place in Germany.
06:33He was a vital component in his team winning bronze and the 8-meter sailing.
06:36After supporting the fascist regime for years, in 1938, Krupp officially joined the ruling party.
06:42During World War II, the Krupp Company began using slave labor from prisoners of war and other sources, including those in concentration camps.
06:49Following the end of the war, in 1948, Krupp was sentenced to 12 years in jail for using slave labor.
06:55However, in 1951, he was released by the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, John J. McCloy.
07:00Oscar Pistorius
07:01Nicknamed the Blade Runner, Pistorius was one of the greatest Paralympic runners of all time.
07:06His place on South Africa's track team is the culmination of a difficult and at times controversial quest to become the first amputee track athlete to ever compete at an Olympics.
07:17Between 2004 and 2012, the South African collected six gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in multiple sprinting disciplines as he smashed world records.
07:26However, in 2013, shock reverberated through the sport when Pistorius was arrested for killing his partner, Riva Steenkamp.
07:32While the runner admitted to doing so, he claimed he believed she was an intruder.
07:36In 2014, he was found not guilty of murder, but of culpable homicide, earning him five years in jail.
07:42However, following his parole in 2015, the conviction was appealed.
07:46The verdict was unanimous and unexpected.
07:49South Africa's Supreme Court calling Pistorius' original jail sentence inappropriate and raising it.
07:56After being found guilty of murder and additional appeals, Pistorius was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2017.
08:03He was paroled in 2024.
08:05For five years, he'll live under conditions and could be returned to prison if he breaches them.
08:09Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs to grace the NFL in the modern age.
08:14Peterson was a dominant force for the Minnesota Vikings, earning him multiple Pro Bowls and an MVP award.
08:19Look at that shot!
08:20Goodness.
08:22That is a linebacker shot right there.
08:24Even his rookie year was incredible as he set the record for most rushing yards in a game with 296.
08:30However, his reputation took a massive hit in 2014 when he was arrested for hurting his son.
08:35Just yesterday, Adrian Peterson walked into a Conroe, Texas courthouse, ready to have his day in court.
08:41Peterson claimed he was disciplining the boy, something he'd also experienced as a child.
08:45After reaching a deal and pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault, the football star received probation.
08:52Peterson's legacy took a further blow in 2018 when he reportedly admitted that he still used physical punishment on his kids.
08:58At the end of the day, I just hope he'll be able to come at it better, just be able to learn from his past mistakes.
09:06Conor McGregor
09:06With the UFC's rapid growth in the 2010s, McGregor was one of the promotion's biggest names.
09:11After all, the Irishman became the first to win UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously.
09:17However, away from the octagon, McGregor was regularly in scandal.
09:21In 2019, he pleaded guilty to attacking a man in a pub, earning him a 1,000 euro fine.
09:26I was completely in the wrong, so there's no need to even discuss what began it, what was going on outside, inside, any of that.
09:35I was completely in the wrong. It was unacceptable behavior, and I accept that.
09:38In 2024, McGregor was in court for a civil case issued by Nikita Hand, who claimed he'd assaulted her in 2018 after prosecutors declined a criminal case.
09:47He was found guilty and was ordered to pay 250,000 euro in damages and around 1.5 million euro for Hand's legal fees.
09:55McGregor appealed the verdict, which he lost in 2025.
09:58Any further appeal by Mr. McGregor would have to get permission from the Supreme Court on the grounds of the interests of justice or on a point of law of general public importance.
10:07Before we continue, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
10:11Ray Rice, the Super Bowl champ's legacy, was destroyed when he was recorded attacking his partner.
10:16And his career got cut short because he did a very bad thing.
10:22No excuses.
10:24But what he's done since then, he's tried to make himself a better person.
10:30He never put fault on anyone.
10:34He never blamed anyone.
10:36And he's still out there helping people today.
10:39Chris Benoit, the celebrated wrestler, destroyed his legacy after murdering his wife and son.
10:44Nobody expects their friend to kill their family.
10:47Like, what?
10:47I can't point my finger at one thing and say, this is what caused my brother-in-law to snap.
10:55Ryan Lockheed, one of the most decorated swimmers in Olympic history, lied about a robbery in 2016.
11:01I'm a human.
11:02I made a mistake, and that's something that I'm going to have to live with.
11:06Wolfgang Schwarz, the Winter Olympics gold medalist, was convicted of trafficking and attempted kidnap.
11:11Mark Rogowski, the skateboarder, pled guilty to a 1991 murder and was sentenced to at least 31 years.
11:18He was a 1980s skateboarding pioneer, known across the globe by one name, Gator.
11:24But Mark Rogowski had a dark and violent side, which surfaced on March 21st, 1991.
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11:47OJ Simpson, known as the Juice, Simpson was one of the biggest names in NFL history,
11:52collecting many, many accolades during an outstanding career before moving into acting and broadcasting.
11:58Every time he ran the ball, it was almost like the Bills equivalent of throwing the ball deep.
12:05It might not work, but if you made a mistake, they would score.
12:09Yet in 1994, the country was shocked when he was arrested for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
12:17Dubbed the trial of the century, Simpson was found not guilty.
12:21However, in 1997, he was found liable for wrongful death in a civil case and ordered to pay $33.5 million to Goldman's family.
12:28For the anguished families of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, this was justice.
12:34Our family is grateful for a verdict of responsibility, which is all we ever wanted.
12:44And we have it.
12:45Thank God.
12:46In 2007, Simpson's reputation was further wrecked when he was arrested for armed robbery at a hotel casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
12:54He was found guilty and sentenced to 33 years before being released on parole in 2017.
12:59But in the end, at least publicly, OJ Simpson felt content about his place in the world.
13:05What other exceptional athletes who were alleged to be horrible people did we miss?
13:10Let us know in the comments.
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