Famous Athletes Who Went to Jail

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 10, 2007

Famous Athletes Who Went to Jail

Michael Vick

Once widely admired, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback plunged into infamy when he was convicted and sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring on his property in Virginia. His admission that he helped kill pit bulls that lost fights or failed to perform added to the public's outrage.

Maurice Clarett

In the wake of former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett's being handed a 7 1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, here's a gallery of some other notable athletes who did time in the slammer.

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 has a long history of cocaine and alcohol abuse. He began serving a one-year prison term in April 2006 related to probation violations.

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 in prison for probation violations stemming from a cocaine-possession charge.

Mike Danton

The former NHL player is serving a 7 1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. He tried to hire a hit man to kill his agent.

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.

Jamal Lewis

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

Bob Probert

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

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 is currently serving a 15-year sentence in an Ohio prison.

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.

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.