The Top 10 Easiest-to-Hate NFL Players

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Public figures can elicit a wide range of emotions when they are constantly in the news cycle. The most common response seems to be hate.

Certain players do not take any actions that should give people the right to harbor such disdain. Others simply cannot keep their foot out of their mouth or the arm of a competitor.

Then there is the phenomenon of "player hating." The most common definition of the term is to hate someone because of their success.

Hating someone because of their accomplishments is a reflection of the hater instead of the hated. However, the level of ill will is still genuine.

For a variety of reasons, the following 10 players are capable of working the crowds into a heated frenzy. 

Tim Tebow

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Tim Tebow may be the most polarizing person in the world now that Osama Bin Laden is no longer around. 

Depending on your outlook, you either hate the man or love him. And there are plenty who fall into the former category.

A Google search with the words "hate Tim Tebow" turns up 3.7 million results in 0.27 seconds. In fact, the website www.tebowhaters.com has dedicated years to the cause.

Tebow turns some people off with his up-front religious attitude that they perceive to be a holier-than-thou mindset. 

He has not done himself any favors with his on-field success either. 

Although to his credit, it doesn't appear to affect him one way or another. 

Ben Roethlisberger

Due to a string of incidents, there is not much support for Ben Roethlisberger outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers faithful.

And there are likely many dissenters within the congregation. 

In 2006, he was injured after crashing his motorcycle without a helmet. Critics observed this reckless behavior and immediately latched on to his lack of responsibility and dedication to his team.

Roethlisberger was able to survive the accident, but he permanently sunk his reputation in 2010. 

Ben went out and had a wild night in Milledgeville, GA. After reportedly buying a round of shots for all his "bitches," the quarterback allegedly attempted to forcefully continue the party in a bathroom with a young coed. 

Unfortunately, this wasn't his only sexual assault allegation. 

This is not the path to permanent reverence. 

James Harrison

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of employing intimidating linebackers. And few of them were loved by opposing fans.

James Harrison fits the mold. 

The latest edition has made his living laying out opponents with vicious hits. The NFL has taken notice and made him the poster boy for the fines-for-violence campaign. 

Yet, Harrison will not change the way he plays football and people will continue to despise him for it. 

Ndamukong Suh

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Physical play isn't limited to James Harrison and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ndamukong Suh has been bringing the mean to Motown for the last two years.

The Detroit Lions defensive tackle burst onto the scene by attempting to decapitate Jake Delhomme.

He continued with the rough stuff culminating in the infamous Thanksgiving Day stomp.

The Green Bay Packers were in town for a divisional clash. Suh and the interior of the offensive line had been battling all day.

Late in the first half, Suh snapped. He began bashing Evan Dietrich-Smith's head with his forearm and stomped on him while being held back.

While the unnecessary display would have been enough to engender disgust, his lack of remorse after the game certainly raised the ante.

Suh eventually apologized, but the words appeared to ring hollow.

The damage had been done. 

Tom Brady

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Tom Brady has led his New England Patriots to championships and been rewarded handsomely for it.

He has racked up individual awards and made mountains of cash throughout his career. In addition, Brady has assuredly made plenty from his many endorsements, including being the front man for Uggs.

Then there is the matter of the super-model wife.

These are exactly the types of things that will bring out the haters. People cannot stand when someone achieves that level of success.

Even Tom Brady's ex-girlfriend has gotten in on the act, naming their son John Edward Thomas.

Or J.E.T.

Chad Ochocinco

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People love to hate Chad Ochocinco.

The flashy wide receiver made his mark with the Cincinnati Bengals. His level of play was only exceeded by his creative celebrations.

Traditionalists thought the theatrics were an attempt to upstage the game. In fact, Ochocinco's antics are likely the reason behind the NFL's changed rules regarding post-play displays.

Haters also despise the way he lives and interacts with the public. Chad is not a shy guy and constantly says what is on his mind.

Regardless of whether anyone wants to hear it.  

Mark Sanchez

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Being a quarterback in New York is not an easy job. There is always going to be a certain amount of flack you will catch no matter how well you perform.

However, Mark Sanchez seems to get under people's skin in unprecedented fashion.

Similar to Alex Rodriguez, Sanchez's pretty-boy image wears thin with hardscrabble fans. The biggest difference between between the two players is that Rodriguez has backed it up on the field.

Sanchez has shown flashes and has led the New York Jets to two AFC Championship game appearances. But those teams were anchored by their defense.

Now that he has been given a large extension, expect the hate to grow exponentially. 

Vontaze Burfict

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He has yet to be named to the Cincinnati Bengals final roster, but Vontaze Burfict is already an easy addition to this list.

Fans see him as someone who was handed the world and spit in the eye of the handler. That doesn't mean that things were always easy for him, just that he has squandered the natural gifts he was given.

Burfict was once considered a first-round prospect. A poor 2011 and even worse handling of the pre-draft routine dropped him entirely from the draft.

The most important reason that fans can't stand the young man is his attitude. Nobody will forgive him until he mans up, truly admits his mistakes and works his way into their good graces.

Even then, that may just bring out the haters. 

Ray Lewis

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The Baltimore Ravens are akin to the Pittsburgh Steelers in playing style and attitude. Neither of which endear them to the outside world.

Ray Lewis is the emotional and physical leader of a defense that intimidates opponents into submission. His fiery attitude sets the tone for the entire team.

Lewis' biggest problem is that fans never forget.

Early in his career, Lewis was involved in a situation that resulted in a murder. He was prosecuted, but was given a plea agreement so long as he testified against his co-defendants.

The public may never know the truth. That won't stop many from assuming he got away with killing a man. 

Randy Moss

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Perhaps no receiver could match the natural talent of Randy Moss. Most assuredly, few players are on his level when it comes to upsetting people.

Moss set the world on fire in his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings. And then he went about becoming a constant in the NFL off-the-field news cycle.

From hitting a police officer with his car to freaking out about post-practice catering, he has seemingly found every way to make a scene. 

A report from nfl.com indicates that Moss is doing well with the San Francisco 49ers.

That will only add more fuel to the haters' fire. They will wonder where this attitude was all along.

At this point, there is probably no winning.