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In America, sports stars are idolized and given superstar status, perhaps even higher than that of government officials. Diehard fans buy sports cards, jerseys, posters - you name it. At a young age, kids already begin to name professional athletes as their role models. Is “role model” an appropriate title for them? Even though athletes provide an excellent example of determination and perseverance, there are also many pro athletes who are bad role models. In fact, there are many successful athletes made infamous because of their crimes. Let’s take a look at some.

Jayson Williams was a budding star. As a starting center/forward for the New Jersey Nets, he had become the second highest rebounder in the NBA. Williams had also been selected to the NBA All-Star team. Suddenly, his career was cut short in 1998 by a series of leg injuries. Williams disappeared from the media for a few years, quietly settling in suburban New Jersey.

Then in 2002, he resurfaced back on the scene. Costas Christofi, a chauffer, was found shot dead in the master bedroom of Williams’ estate. Williams was eventually taken to trial, and though he wasn’t convicted of murder, he was given four lesser charges for reckless manslaughter and trying to cover up the murder.

Tonya Harding was at her prime. She had just won her first ever U.S. national figure skating championship in 1991. Tragically, her career began to fall apart. She missed out of the medals in the 1992 Olympics and didn’t even qualify for Worlds in 1993. Meanwhile, Tonya’s chief rival, compatriot Nancy Kerrigan, was rising to the top, winning the 1993 U.S. championship.

Suddenly, weeks before the 1994 U.S. championship (which was the qualifying event for the 1994 Olympics), Kerrigan was attacked by a man after a practice session. She was injured and didn’t compete at nationals. Desperate to make the Olympics, Tonya Harding stormed back on stage and reclaimed her title as U.S. champion. However, she was found guilty a few months later of being part of the conspiracy in attacking Nancy Kerrigan. She was stripped of her national championship in the June of 1994 and was banned for life from the sport of figure skating.

Perhaps the most infamous sports criminal was O.J. Simpson. He had been a legend on the football field. O.J. had been a recipient of the coveted Heismann trophy in college, playing for Southern Cal. He was the first overall draft pick in the NFL and played 11 years for the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1979. Widely known as “The Juice,” O.J. broke the record for most rushing yards, was the league MVP, and played on six Pro Bowl teams. A few years after he retired, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, O.J. is best remembered not for his plays on the field, but for his malevolent actions. In June of 1994, O.J.’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman were found slashed dead outside of her condo in Chicago. He was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. Refusing to surrender, O.J. went to trial. More than a year later, the verdict was given, O.J. was found innocent, and he was freed. However, he will forever go down in history as a murderer, instead of a star.

There are others, Ray Lewis the famous Baltimore Ravens line backer was acquitted of murder, and Ricky Williams the pro-bowl running back for the Miami Dolphins was suspended for the whole season after failing multiple drug tests. After learning about these five athletes, among many, who, despite their fame and prosperity, went and committed horrible crimes, what should we conclude? Should we stop our sports obsessions and no longer follow them? My answer is no. Not all athletes are a reflection of the five we have examined. However, this should be a warning that we should be cautious of who we idolize. We need to be careful who we choose to be role models in our lives.

 

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