Top 10 Athletes Who Went Broke

Introduction

Athletes seem to have the best jobs in the world. They get to play sports for a living and they get paid for it. Sounds like a can't miss opportunity if you ask me. However, not all athletes are able to handle the fame and the money that come with being a star. It appears that athletes end up going broke more often than they should. Some get involved in failed business deals, some end up having too many kids to pay for, and others lose lawsuit after lawsuit. They are just too easy to take advantage of. People tend to be trusting, which makes athletes easy prey for people who want nothing more than a free ride to the top. If it ends up hurting the person that they make the cash off, they do not care. They had their free ride for a while.,

On the other hand, you have a guy like Vince Young. He's young and he still has a possible future in football. However, he's already blown through 26 million dollars. Yeah, I can not believe it either. He is the example of a guy who is handed too much money way too fast. He simply didn't know how to handle being famous. Hopefully VY can serve as an example for other young athletes out there.

What other athletes made our list of ten famous athletes that ended up going broke? Some may shock you, while others seem painfully obvious. However, you will have to click through to find out.

Former NFL QB Mark Brunell

Mark Brunell played football for a long time. He also made a decent amount of money doing it, but his off the field ventures came back to bite him. In 2010, Brunell filed for bankruptcy as he was facing 25 million dollars in liabilities. Don't worry though. He still has 11 Whataburgers.

Former NBA Star Latrell Sprewell

Latrell Sprewell was finally starting to make a difference in the NBA. As part of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was on a team that was a threat to win the Finals. However, Sprewell refused a new contract because he thought it was beneath him. In the end, he ended up losing a yacht and a house. Last time I checked, you couldn't feed your kids with a yacht.

NBA Champion Antoine Walker

For some strange reason, I was a huge fan of Antoine Walker. He was a maddening player to like, but he did manage to win a championship. However, all the money that he made wasn't enough to avoid bankruptcy in 2010. Hopefully he shimmied on his way into court.

Former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor was a man to fear on the football field. He must have ended up fearing the IRS like running backs feared him. He had to spend time on house arrest for tax evasion. Not a good thing to do.

Boxing Star Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield was once one of the biggest stars in boxing. However, he could not out run his money problems. He ended up losing a house while falling behind on his child support payments. There were still people wanting money from him after this. Sad tale right here.

Super Bowl Champion Warren Sapp

Warren Sapp was a man to fear on the football field. He made a lot of money in his playing days but even he could not escape money issues. He had to file for bankruptcy in 2012 due to some failed business ventures

NBA Champion Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen was a great, great basketball player. He was not a great guy to handle money. He lost a lot of money due to some business issues and child support. Don't fret too much though. He ended up marrying into money. Some guys have all the luck.

Disgraced Olympian Marion Jones

Marion Jones had a fall from grace that can not be rivaled. She was once a great Olympic champion but she quickly ended up broke. She was also embroiled in a check-counterfeiting scheme. Tough life I guess. She ended up playing in the WNBA in order to get some money back.

Ex-Baseball Player Lenny Dykstra

Lenny Dykstra was the man with the plan. He was going to open a business in order to cater to athletes and it was going to make him a lot of money. He was successful in the stock market and that quickly dried up. So did the rest of his money and his business plans. Nails is currently sitting in jail. Now that's a fall from grace.

Boxing Star Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson was once the most dominant boxer on the planet. He rode that skill to a top of the athlete pyramid until it all came crashing down. In 2003, Tyson filed for bankruptcy and ended up having to fight exhibition matches to pay bills. Things have gotten better, though. In 2010, he said he was still living check to check but he was enjoying life. I guess that's all we can ask for.