Dez Bryant and 10 Famous Athletes Who Got Swindled

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This week, Roy Williams finally got his revenge on rookie Dez Bryant for refusing to carry his pads during training camp.

Williams invited the entire defense out to a dinner for the offense and the Cowboys went to town on Bryant's tab, racking up $54,896 at a local steakhouse. Now that's a hefty tab.

With that in mind, here are 10 athletes who had large amounts of money or possessions taken from them. It won't be as light-hearted as Dez's situation, but something worth looking at regardless.

No. 10: Eddy Curry

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In 2007, Eddy Curry and his family were robbed at gunpoint in his suburban Chicago home.

Three robbers entered the home and tied them up with duct tape before making off with cash and jewelry worth approximately $10,000. The local police believed that Curry was systematically targeted by the group, and it was not an isolated incident.

In a related story, Curry went on to rob the Knicks, who have robbed their fans of countless dollars, so I guess it was a pay-it-forward sort of thing.

No. 9: Stephen Jackson

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This past July, three armed men invaded Stephen Jackson's home, tied up his wife, and robbed the house while Jackson was gone.

Jackson's wife was locked in a bathroom while the robbers searched the house and took “several Louis Vuitton wallets, jewelry, a stun gun, and a nine-millimeter handgun," according to the police report.

Mind you, all of this happened in a gated community in which Jackson lived. How in the world does that happen? Isn't that the point of such a development?

No. 8: Steve Smith

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Shortly before Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg in a nightclub, his teammate Steve Smith was held at gunpoint outside of his house in a gated community.

Smith was dropped off at his house, then soon found himself ordered at gunpoint to give up his cash and jewelry. The wideout didn't own a gun of his own, but now you can see why other athletes do.

They're clearly targets, and not even a gated community can protect them.

No. 7: Tim Carter

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When Tim Carter was with the New York Giants in 2002, he was carjacked outside of a New Jersey movie complex and had his BMW and $10,000 worth of cash and jewelry stolen.

A lot of these athletes are getting robbed in circumstances that lead me to believe that there is a group of people out there who actively search for pro players and then rob them. It's not like you'd know Tim Carter if you saw him walk down the street.

It's a lot more dangerous to be a pro athlete than you'd think.

No. 6: CC Sabathia

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In 2002, CC Sabathia, during his time with the Cleveland Indians, went back to a hotel room with his brother and a group of men they met at a nightclub.

When they got to the room, the group of men turned guns on Sabathia and his brother, stealing Sabathia's necklace, wallet, and earrings. Sabathia owned up to the incident, saying it was entirely his fault for putting himself in that position.

It's good to see an athlete own up to his mistakes.

No. 5: Chris Childs

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In 2002, when Childs was playing for the New Jersey Nets, he was leaving rapper P. Diddy's nightclub, Justin's, when he was held up at gunpoint and had $30,000 worth of jewelry and cash taken from him.

The point guard was walking to his Mercedes Benz when four men approached him and robbed him. This is why if I were an athlete, I'd have the most modest living arrangements ever.

I would have a house with privacy, but I'd be the only NBA star to roll up to the game in a Honda CR-V. Sure it would be on spinning 22-inch rims, but it'd be a CR-V.

No. 4: Jerome McDougle

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All Jerome McDougle did was pull up to a red light.

McDougle was sitting in his Mercedes Benz in Miami when he was ambushed by armed men who shot the lineman in the stomach and took his $20,000 watch. McDougle made a full recovery from the incident and continued playing in the NFL.

I feel like a lot of these incidents have to do with relationships these athletes had before they made it big in the pros.

No. 3: Stephon Marbury

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In 2000, Stephon Marbury was the victim of a snatch-and-grab.

Starbury was sitting in his Bentley when two men approached from either side of the car. One man reached in and stole a necklace that was worth $150,000 off of Marbury.

The men didn't display a weapon and got into a car and drove off. With the way Marbury's career has played out, maybe if he wasn't wasting money on expensive necklaces, he wouldn't have ended up eating Vaseline on the Internet and playing hoops in China.

No. 2: Antoine Walker

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Antoine Walker was robbed not just once, but twice during his NBA career.

The first incident was in 2000, when Walker was one of six people who were robbed at gunpoint. The thieves made off with $100,000 worth of jewelry, including Walker's $55,000 watch, and $3,000 in cash.

As if that wasn't bad enough, in 2007, Walker was duct-taped and held at gunpoint in his home during a robbery.

With the value of the stuff stolen from him, it's no surprise Walker has financial issues.

No. 1: Jayson Williams

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In January of this year, Jayson Williams's home was robbed while Williams was away. Sports memorabilia, jewelry, and electronics were stolen.

Among the items stolen were shoes signed by Tiger Woods, shorts signed by Wilt Chamberlain, and a lyric sheet signed by Tupac Shakur.

Man, that stinks, but with Williams' past, I'm having a hard time feeling a ton of sympathy for him.