The prestige of playing in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl ring is something that hundreds of players have achieved during the more than 100 years of the league’s founding. But when a player is loved, respected and admired by the fans he is considered a ‘big player’ and he doesn’t need a ring to get there.
An error can destroy the a NFL player career overnight, a fight with a wife or girlfriend that leaks on the internet is a career-ending event that is an act of violence taken by the media and is strongly condemned on social media.
But there are players who were forgiven by the law even though they lost the fans admiration and respect forever. Their careercontinues but with a lower profile and it is unlikely that they will return to where they were before.
8 NFL players who lost fans admiration due to their actions
To clarify things, all the players that appear on the list were accused of some crime and that was what changed the relationship between them and the fans. Some went to jail while others are free or passed away like Hernandez.
OJ Simpson: He was a legend known by all football fans regardless of their teams, he was ‘The Man’, also OJ was a good actor (Norberg), but Simpson was sentenced to jail by the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman.
Darren Sharper: Among the best safeties in the league, Sharper played for the Packers, Vikings and Saints. With the latter he won a Super Bowl ring, he was also a member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team. Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2016 after being accused of raping more than 12 women.
Deshaun Watson: The only player on the list who is still active in the NFL is Watson, in his best seasons with the Texans he was considered a big leader and Watson is a multi-award winning player who could be inducted into the HOF. But things ended badly for him in Texas due to 20 civil lawsuits related to inappropriate conduct and sexual assault.
Antonio Brown: His future is uncertain even though he has not officially retired from the NFL but it is unlikely that he will play in the 2022 season. Brown is a Super Bowl champion with the Buccaneers and his career is kinda special for a Wide Receiver. Between the accusations against Browns and his misbehavior and he lost the fans respect he ever had.
Ray Rice: Some say Rice’s career shouldn’t have ended because of that elevator ‘little incident’ with his wife. Ray was a Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, his only NFL team, and during his early years he was considered a top running back, winner of multiple awards and admired by all. His career ended in 2014 after the incident, he never went to jail, he and his wife are still together but no NFL team called Rice again.
Clinton Portis: This is one of two famous NFL players who after their career turned into con artists. But Portis’ career was not as impressive as others although he was very loved among the Washington Commanders fans due to his sacrifice with the team. He was named among the 80 Greatest Redskins. Portis will spend six months in prison for defrauding the NFL’s health care plan.
Brett Favre: A 20-year long career ruined by greed after he was the role model for kids and college players across the country. Favre won only one Super Bowl with the Packers and will always be remembered as an eternal Packer. But now things are taking a dark turn for Favre as he may be involved in a case of misusing federal welfare funds.
Aaron Hernandez: Sad story since he wasn’t a big player but was projected as a likely Super Bowl champion in the upcoming seasons. Aaron was a top college football player and an inspiration to many, but his life ended early because he was convicted of first-degree murder and committed suicide in prison. Later it was discovered he suffered from serious CTE.