10 Professional Athletes Convicted Of Crimes

Crimes, no matter what degree, are damaging to society. However, once in a while, we hear stories of athletes committing crimes. It is not exactly clear what drive these athletes to commit those crimes, though too much fame and fortune may have a role why these athletes get out of hand.

The kind of sports they participated does not have a direct effect on how “bad” the crime they had committed. But on the other hand, it is very unfortunate that these sports figures had given sports a bad name. Hopefully, the world of sports will learn from these legal cases and they will be more proactive in handling athletes with criminal activities.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather is a heavyweight boxing champion. His former girlfriend, Josie Harris, had accused him of punching, arm twisting and hair pulling while their children are around.

In the past, Mayweather had dodged several jail terms for domestic violence cases but the Las Vegas judge had given him 90 days jail term after a plea deal in domestic violence. The plea deal avoided misdemeanor and felony charges which may have resulted to 34 years in jail.

Mayweather was also asked to pay the fine of $2,500 and to undergo domestic violence counselling program. He was released in August 2012.

Ryan Leaf

Ryan Leaf is a retired American football. He had played for Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys. In 2009, he was indicted for burglary and substance abuse. He was arrested by customs agents at the border while returning to the United States.

In 2010, he had pleaded guilty to the felony charges and the district judge sentenced him to 10 years of probation and was asked to pay $20,000 in fines.

On March 30, 2012, he was arrested for theft, burglary and drug charges in Montana. Four days after, he was again arrested on the case of burglary, illegal possession of drugs and theft.

On December 3, 2014, Leaf was released from prison and was placed under the supervision of a parole officer.