Top 10 Players We Wish Didn't Have Super Bowl Rings

Each season, sports fans and pundits alike use Super Bowl victories as the barometer for a player's career achievements. Talk centers on whether a player's legacy is solidified or tarnished by a Super Bowl ring or lack thereof.

For quarterbacks, a Super Bowl ring is the crown jewel of a career. For many other players, it is a personal and team achievement that is rarely spoken about. Thousands of players have won rings in their career and are never put in the spotlight. Meanwhile, plenty of big names never won a ring and are thus slapped with an asterisk.

In between, there are the select few who have won rings that we wish didn't. Notorious players who are remembered for the incredulous behavior on and off the field rather than positives they brought to their team and the sport. Inside, we remember 10 of those players.

Michael Irvin (WR) - 3 rings

Michael Irvin was a great player. He was one of the Dallas Cowboys "triplets" and built his Hall of Fame career around three Super Bowl wins.

However, Irvin was also known for his behavior on and off on the field. On the field, he was a flamboyant receiver who paved the way for many of the wide receiver divas sprinkled across the the league. The high stepping and boisterous end zone celebrations certainly got under the skin of many who weren't Cowboys' fans.

Off the field, Irvin continued his lewd behavior that started while at the University of Miami. Who can forget the image of Irvin appearing in court cloaked in mink and gold-plated sunglasses following his arrest for cocaine possession in a hotel room with strippers.

Irvin backed that up with an alleged incident, in which he and teammate Erik Williams confronted a woman with a gun and sexually assaulted her. The chargers were eventually rescinded.

Lastly, let's not forget Irvin accidentally or maliciously (still unknown to this day) cut the neck of a teammate while in a barber shop.

Oh, Irvin's run the gambit of highs and lows on and off the field—and that's just during his playing days.

Jeremy Shockey (TE) - 2 rings

The New York Giants thought they landed the next Mark Bavaro when they drafted Jeremy Shockey in the first round of the 2002 draft. Shockey was an All-Pro his rookie year and went on to make four Pro Bowls while with Big Blue.

However, that talent turned into a never-ending migraine during his later years in New York. Shockey made no effort to hide his frustration with the then-developing Eli Manning. Shockey often shouted at and belittled his quarterback on the field, took shots through the media and eventually everyone grew tired of his act.

Many Giants fans, this one included, believed one key element to the Giants' Super Bowl XLII run was Shockey's injury in Week 15 of the 2007 season. With Shockey out of Manning's hair, the Giants quarterback settled down and no longer dealt the Shockey's pressure and anxiety about getting him the ball.

In turn, the Giants forced Shockey to pay his own way to the Super Bowl where he remained in the luxury box and pounded tallboys of Coors Light rather than be on the field with his team

He ignored the Giants' ring ceremony and, the following summer, got into a publicized shouting match with general manager Jerry Reese. Shockey was promptly cast away from New York. Plenty of Giants fans rooted for the Saints on Sunday, but VERY few rooted for Jeremy Shockey.

Deion Sanders (CB) - 2 rings

Deion Sanders was pure entertainment during his first years with the Atlanta Falcons. But when "Prime Time" left the Falcons, he became a mercenary. He signed a one-year deal with the 49ers and won a Super Bowl. He then promptly bolted to Dallas where he won another Super Bowl the next season.

Sanders is arguably the best cover corner of all time and was entertaining when in the open field. However, for all the talking and swinging and barbs he threw while on the field, and talking he does in retirement, the one thing no one ever saw Sanders do was simply lay a big hit on someone.

Deion avoided contact like mice avoid cats. Just once it would have been nice to see him actually take a running back head on and stick him. It never happened, and he remains the example of cowardly defensive backs.

Jim McMahon (QB) - 2 rings

McMahon is still an idol today in Chicago, considering he is the only Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Bears history.

But in reality, McMahon is Trent Dilfer from another decade, with a funky hairdo and outlandish behavior. McMahon was the fifth-overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, but hardly measured up to that recognition over the length of his career. He finished with less than 19,000 career yards and a 100-90 TD/INT ratio. He also spend the back half of his career as a journeyman backup.

McMahon will forever be remembered for his "Super Bowl Shuffle" rap, mooning reporters anf his generally colorful behavior more than anything.

Corey Dillon (RB) - 1 ring

Before becoming a model citizen in New England, Dillon was a talented, yet bothersome running back for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dillon made no bones about his dislike of Cincinnati and went out of his way to make his point. From publicly bashing management, to shunning teammates on and off the field, to adorning an expensive fur coat on the team bus to prove his worth, Dillon did just about anything to punch his ticket out of Cincinnati.

Here is a guy who made millions of dollars as a high- round Cincinnati draft pick. He was never wronged by the Bengals, he just couldn't accept the fact that he played for a bad team. His reaction? He famously made his exit out of town by throwing his shoulder pads into the stands following his last game with the Bengals. Point made Corey.

Bryan Cox (LB) - 1 ring

A loud-mouth, brash, unforgiving Cox was a coach's biggest headache. He was thrown out of games, ripped the helmet off opposing players, threw punches, hit guys after the whistle and generally rained a series of penalizing behavior.

Nothing he did will remembered more than that one unforgettable day in Buffalo. During the 1993 season, Cox came out of the tunnel with a double-barreled, one-finger salute to the Bills' faithful. It instantly created an indelible image for Cox's career.

Keyshawn Johnson (WR) - 1 ring

Keyshawn Johnson was the top pick in the 1996 NFL Draft and let it be known for day one he was going to be a handful. His egotistical behavior with the Jets was capped by his book "Just Throw Me the Damn Ball," which chronicled his rookie year in New York.

Johnson got his big pay day upon being traded to Tampa Bay. However when Jon Gruden took over, he and Johnson butted heads numerous times. He avoided conflict during the Bucs run to Super Bowl XXXVII. However, the next season, Johnson and coach Gruden were like oil and water, and Gruden eventually sent the wide receiver packing for the final seven games of the 2003 season.

Bill Romanowski (LB) - 4 rings

If there is a more classic case of an NFL dirtbag winning titles, I haven't seen it because Bill Romanoski takes the cake.

From kicking guys in the head while their down, to spitting in the face of teammates, to literally ending a teammate's career with one bone-crushing punch, to his involvement in steroids, Romanowski is the prime example of a player who never deserved the sweet success of winning a Super Bowl.

Erik Williams (OT) - 3 rings

Williams was literally Irvin's partner in crime. Aside from the sexual assault charge that was later drop, Williams was known for his troublesome and hazardous behavior. He missed nearly all of the 1994 season after a drunk driving accident crippled his knee and caused other injuries.

Warren Sapp (1 ring)

Loud mouth, brash, and frankly, annoying. That was Warren Sapp. Oh, he was a great defensive tackle, but his constant jawing made him very difficult to like.

He capped it all off with the crushing, blindside hit on Packers tackle Kyle Clifton that, not only left Clifton unable to walk for five weeks, but sparked the infamous rant, "You think you so tough, put a jersey on!"

Annoying the opposition by skipping through their warmup lines, bumping officials and mocking the other team were all part of Sapp's persona.