Here Are The Most Notorious Criminals In NFL History

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The NFL is the world’s best reality TV.

In 2023, NFL games were 93 of the year’s top 100 most-watched television shows. The Super Bowl has garnered the highest TV viewership every year since 1967. As a result, almost everything surrounding that league is high profile.

Including the crimes.

Here are the most notorious criminals in NFL history.

O.J. Simpson

It’d be almost criminal in itself to begin a list like this with anyone but O.J. Simpson.

In 1994 “The Juice” was accused of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. He escaped punishment through the highly publicized 1995 trial, but wasn’t able to stay out of jail for long.

In 2008 O.J. was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping after stealing back items that he claimed were stolen from him. Simpson spent nine years in prison as a result.

Aaron Hernandez

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In 2015 Aaron Hernandez, a star for the New England Patriots, was convicted of killing Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In 2017 Hernandez was found dead in his cell by apparent suicide just days after being acquitted in a separate double-murder case.

Rae Carruth

Rae Carruth was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder after his pregnant girlfriend was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting. Carruth’s girlfriend, Cherica Adams, died about a month later.

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Adam Jones

Adam “Pacman” Jones played 12 years in the NFL. In 2007 he was suspended by the league for having 10 separate interviews with police for alleged criminal activity.

In 2005 Jones was arrested in Nashville for alleged felony vandalism. In 2006 he was arrested for throwing a punch at a police officer. Over the next year, Jones was questioned and detained over several public disturbances, most of them occurring inside nightclubs and bars.

For good measure, Jones was arrested in 2023 for causing a public disturbance at an airport.

Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor, the man some football fans say was the best defensive player to ever live, had several run-ins with the law. While most of them involved the use of drugs, Taylor pleaded guilty to charges of patronizing a prostitute and sexual misconduct in 2011.

Cecil Collins

Cecil Collins was convicted in 2001 of burglary after breaking into a woman’s home “to watch her sleep”. He was released in 2013 and currently works as an electrician in Houston.

Donte Stallworth

Donte Stallworth drunkenly killed a pedestrian in March 2009. He pleaded guilty and served 24 days of his 30-day sentence.

Michael Vick

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Mike Vick, the fastest quarterback the NFL has ever seen, spent nearly two years in prison for his crimes related to running a dog fighting ring.

Lawrence Phillips

Lawrence Phillips was steeped in various hard crimes before he died in 2016. The list includes domestic abuse against his former girlfriends, assault with a deadly weapon, and murder against his jail cellmate.

Ray Lewis

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Ray Lewis was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in 2000. Less than a month into the trial, the murder charges for Lewis were dropped. He eventually settled with the victim’s family for an undisclosed amount of money.

Other notable criminal convictions for former NFL players include Gene Atkins (domestic abuse), Leonard Little (vehicular manslaughter, Jim Dunaway (wrongful death), Tommy Kane (second-degree murder), and Robert Rozier (murder).

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