The NFL is made for the greats. However, some players fall from grace even before they reach greatness.

Below are some of the fallen NFL players who ruined their own careers.

1) Ryan Leaf

Leaf was imprisoned for five years in 2014 due to violations of his probation. He was on probation because of burglary charges.

He was the 1998 NFL Draft’s second top pick and played for San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. He had 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.

Leaf’s professional football career was halted not just by his imprisonment alone, but also his addiction to painkillers.

2) Todd Marinovich

Marinovich had to grow up with an abusive father around. Because of this, he never experienced a normal childhood. Although not confirmed, this could be one of the reasons why he resorted to substance abuse.

One time, while he was still playing, the police cops caught him at their neighbour’s backyard naked and high. In 2011, he claimed sobriety. However, he was arrested again for possession of marijuana, controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia in 2016.

Marinovich attempted to stage a comeback. He was with the World Developmental Football League.

3) Aaron Hernandez

Hernandez affiliated with gangs and lost the chance to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

He was accused of murdering two people in Boston in 2012 but found not guilty. However, he was found guilty of killing Odin Lloyd. 

In April 2017, he took his own life, leaving several notes to his family. Before committing suicide, though, Hernandez was diagnosed with severe CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).

4) Terrell Owens

Owens was unarguably one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. He was included in the NFL Pro Bowler and All-Pro for six and five times, respectively. He was also recently voted for Hall of Fame.

He was awarded a multimillion contract but lost all his earnings, amounting to $80 million, to bad investments. He also lost $2 million buying a home in New Jersey and another $750,000 for rental expenses.

All the money he made through playing football was never put into good use. Owens is currently into modelling.

5) Michael Vick

Vick used to be Atlanta Falcons’ star player as a quarterback. He even appeared in the Pro Bowl selection four times.

In 2007, he was arrested and pleaded guilty for dogfighting charges. Vick spent 23 months in prison. The league put him on indefinite suspension without pay.

In 2009, Vick was reinstated, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. His story has a good ending, though because he was chosen as the comeback player of 2010.

6) Johnny Manziel

Manziel is notorious for his party boy lifestyle. He showed up to Cleveland Browns practice hungover despite being under a concussion protocol.

The Browns released him because of that and other reasons mainly pointing to his performance. While he got all the hype as a dominant quarterback in college, he did not perform to expectations.

Manziel was known for his inability to adapt to the changing speed of the game while he was still with Browns.

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Rumours are circulating that the National Football League (NFL) will be inducting up to 20 football players in the Hall of Fame (HoF) class of 2020. But those are, well, rumours. The NFL has been criticised time and again about the limited number of inductees every year.

This is also the reason why some pro footballers should have already been living as Gold Jackets. If not for the deliberate snubbing of the committee, that is.

Here are the names of these players.

1) Ray Lewis

Lewis is the only NFL player who was selected for the Pro Bowls for 13 times. Other than being seven-time First-Team All-Pro, he was also the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team first-team linebacker.

Lewis was the defender to beat in the 2000s. If not for him, the Baltimore Ravens would not achieve what it had. The team won the Super Bowl XXXV. He received the Super Bowl MVP award as well as two Defensive MVP titles. 

2) Junior Seau

Seau is one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the NFL, playing for San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots from 1990 to 2009. He was a six-time First-Team All-Pro. He also appeared in the Pro Bowl 12 times.

He was included in the 1990s All-Decade Team as a first-team linebacker. The Chargers won the AFC championship title and appeared in Super Bowl XXIX because of Seau.

Unfortunately, he took his life in 2012 but chose to donate his brain so the medical community could study it. He wanted to contribute to understanding how several concussions may lead to physical discomfort later on in life.

3) Tony Gonzalez

Gonzalez played for 12 Pro Bowls. He was also a five-time First-Team All-Pro in addition to being included in the 2000s All-Decade team as the first-team tight end.

As one of the top tight end receivers, he was in the seventh ranking in receiving yards and sixth in touchdown catches. He led the record for all-time catches and touchdowns by a tight end in 2007. In 2008, he led the receiving yardage of all-time among tight ends.

Gonzalez has not any Super Bowl ring which could be the reason for the snub.

4) Will Shields

Like Seau and Gonzalez, Shields was a 12-time Pro Bowl selection. Shields was also voted twice to be included in the First-Team All-Pro. He was the 2000s All-Decade Team second-team guard.

Shields also became one of the starting players on his second game as a rookie. He was then included in the starting lineup in the next 2323 games that he played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

5) Brett Favre

Favre was a QB for Atlanta Falcon, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings. He appeared in 11 Pro Bowls games. Favre was also a three-time First-Team All-Pro member. In the 1990s All-Decade Team, he was named as a second-team QB.

He led the record for the number of touchdowns thrown as 235 touchdown passes. With this, he became an MVP from 1995 to 1997, the first player to win the title three times. He still holds the record for the all-time passing yardage for a QB with 65,127 yards.  He was one of the reasons the Packers won the Super Bowl XXXI.

 

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Who else do you think should be included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Let us know.

Quarterbacks and models are the most exciting combinations NFL fans have seen.

Here are some NFL’s power couples, like Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen.

8) Sterling Shepard and Chanel Iman

Sterling and Chanel met during at the party of Victor Cruz, an ex-NFL player. The wide receiver to New York Giants proposed to Victoria’s Secret angel on December 2017, making the newest couple to rival Tom and Gisele’s QB-model union. They got married on March 2018 and welcomed their first child, Cali, in August. Chanel is pregnant on their second child together. 

7) Nnamdi Asomugha and Kerry Washington

The famous couple’s relationship was a secret until they married in 2013. The couple has two children, a daughter and son they welcomed in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Nowadays, they enjoyed working together. Nnamdi was a co-producer in Kerry’s Broadway play, American Son.

6) Eric Decker and Jesse James

Eric and Jesse married in 2013, after which their E! reality show Eric and Jesse: Game on started airing. The show documented their life as a newly married couple as well as Jesse’s pregnancy. Eric retired from football in 2018 while Jesse launched Kittenish, a clothing line. The retired wide receiver and country singer are parents to three children.  

5) Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari

The former QB to Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins tied the knot with the former reality star in 2013. They started dating in 2010, broke up briefly in the same year, then reconciled in 2011. Jay and Kristin have two sons and a daughter, Camden, Jaxon, and Saylor. They now live in Nashville. Their family life is featured on E! Channel’s Very Cavallari. Kristin has started her jewellery and a home line called Uncommon James. 

4) Eric Johnson and Jessica Simpson

Eric and Jessica began dating in 2010, got engaged in the same year, but married four years later, in 2014. The former tight end has three children with the singer-turned-business mogul namely Maxwell, Ace, and Birdie. Their youngest was born in March 2019.

3) Tony Romo and Candice Crawford

Tono started dating Candice in 2009 then, married after two years. The ex-Dallas Cowboys retired officially in 2016 to focus on his growing family while serving as CBS Sports commentator. Tony and the former TV journalist have three sons together, Hawk, Rivers, and Jones. Candice, on the other hand, founded Hawk + Sloane, a fragrance company.

2) Russell Wilson and Ciara

The Wilson couple rivals Brady and Bundchen as the top power couple. Theirs was a whirlwind romance that ended up in a castle wedding in 2016. Russell and Ciara dated for almost a year. The Seattle Seahawks QB and songstress welcomed their daughter, Sienna Princess, in 2017. 

1) Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen

The list will never be complete without mentioning Tom and Gisele. In fact, they are the reason lists like this are created. The quintessential couple is relationship goals, having been married since 2009. The New England Patriots quarterback and Brazilian supermodel have two kids together, Benjamin and Vivian.  

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Do you want to see more of the NFL’s power couples? Let us know!