From Lawrence Taylor to Rae Carruth: 10 NFL Names Who Learn the Hard Way

It's no secret professional athletes sometimes do bad things.

Sometimes, they even get away with it.

But it has become increasingly more difficult for athletes' "Bad Boy" behavior to go unnoticed. In the 24/7 media-soaked Internet world we live in today, an athlete arrested at 3 a.m. can expect to lead off ESPN's 7 a.m. broadcast.

Lawrence Taylor is the latest NFL-associated person to fall under the long arm of the law.

Sometimes, the players reveal themselves as "being like the rest of us" and just making poor decisions. Other players are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then there are those players who knowingly put themselves into bad situations, only to act surprised when they are forced to explain themselves.

This last offseason has been full of crime reports.

Here are a list of names who were forced to deal with things more serious than parking tickets who aren't named O.J. Simpson.

Michael Vick

Michael Vick, star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, and once one of the most electrifying athletes in the NFL, fell hard, after it was revealed he was running a dog-fighting ring in April 2007.

He eventually pleaded guilty to the charges, and served 21 months in prison.

This came on the heels of a rumor in 2005 that Vick had given a woman an STD and had checked into clinics for treatment under the name "Ron Mexico."

Vick also had several other allegations made against him between 2001 and 2007, including drug and theft reports.

Vick has been fortunate, though.

He has been able to return to his career in the NFL and currently is with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Adam "Pacman" Jones

Adam "Pacman" Jones has become one of the more infamous NFL Bad Boys of the last 10 years.

Jones' rap sheet is long and distinguished, including multiple charges for assault—and the conspiracy charge stemming from the tragic Las Vegas strip club shooting incident that left a security guard paralyzed from the waist down.

Jones just signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. It remains to be seen how his story with the NFL will end.

The Cincinnati Bengals

With the late Chris Henry as one of the leading offenders in 2006 and 2007, the Cincinnati Bengals became known more for their off-field troubles than their on-field futility in the last decade.

The Bengals managed to get a lot of things turned around in the locker room last year, which led to a very successful 2009 season, but prior to 2009, some Bengals players seemed to spend as much time in jail as they did in the weight room.

The latest offender, Rey Maualuga, was arrested in January on a DUI charge.

Ray Lewis

Following a Super Bowl party in Atlanta on Jan. 31, 2000, a fight broke out between Ray Lewis and another group of people. It resulted in the stabbing deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar.

Lewis and two others were indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges.

At the trial, testimony depicted Lewis as a peacemaker, but Lewis's attorney arranged for the murder charges against his client to be dropped, in exchange for his testimony against the other two defendants and a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.

Lewis was sentenced to one year of probation and was fined $250,000 by the NFL. His two co-defendants eventually were acquitted.

Tank Johnson

Tank Johnson and handguns were a duo made for trouble.

Johnson dealt with several handgun-related incidents, including one that left his bodyguard dead at a nightclub, although Johnson was not present for that incident.

Johnson now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, where he presumably can swap stories with Pacman.

Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson twice had alcohol-related charges levied against him, one for boating under the influence and one while driving.

Benson alleged police misconduct in both cases, and pleaded innocent both times.

Benson beat both charges, but the damage was done. The former Bears running back now is, you guessed it, a Cincinnati Bengal.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger's recent legal troubles have been exhaustively documented, analyzed, and commented on.

Roethlisberger has not been charged with any crimes, but his reputation has taken some near-fatal shots between two allegations from women saying he forced himself on them.

The first charge is a civil case that remains pending. The second didn't result in any charges, but revealed Roethlisberger may not be the nicest guy around.

Roethlisberger since has been suspended six games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and must complete a mental health evaluation and treatment program before he will be allowed to participate in any further offseason team activities and camps.

Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor's latest bust for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute follows tax evasion charges 10 years ago and multiple drug charges in the 1990s.

Taylor also battled drug addiction while playing for the Giants.

Taylor is proof that just because a career has ended doesn't mean the temptations that come with being an NFL superstar go away.

Donte Stallworth

Donte Stallworth decided to go to the beach the morning of March 14, 2009, after a long night of drinking in Miami.

The tragic end of this story is the manslaughter charge Stallworth received after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car. Stallworth's BAC reportedly was .12.

Stallworth served 24 days in jail and settled with the victim's family for an undisclosed financial amount.

Stallworth lost the entire 2009 to suspension and has signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Rae Carruth

The leader of the pack is Rae Carruth, who was convicted in 2001 of conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend in 1999.

Carruth had not been smart with his money, and reportedly, the reality of having to pay child support to Cherica Adams resulted in Carruth hiring some guys to shoot and kill her.

Adams survived the initial shooting and wrote down enough details for the police to arrest Carruth before she lapsed into a coma and died. Her child, born 10 weeks early, survived.

Carruth was convicted of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and using an instrument to destroy an unborn child. He is due to be released from jail in 2018.