The 24 Most Embarrassing Injuries in NFL History

Most injuries in the NFL occur either on the practice fields or during the glory of battle during a regular season game.

The majority of injuries are barely reported anywhere outside of fantasy football websites unless they are season-ending injuries, but there are certainly injuries that we'll remember for years to come.

Some of the more famous injuries are memorable due to being gruesome, while some injuries stand out because they happened to superstars.

But there are also injuries that will be remembered due to the pure stupidity that caused them.

Here are 24 of those injuries—injuries that were either caused by foolishness or were followed by humorous or odd events...

24. Chris Hanson (Punter), Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio's motivational catch phrase for the 2003 season was to tell his team to "keep chopping the wood."

Some of the players on the Jaguars that year must have been a little slow when it came to grasping the phrase, because Del Rio felt the need to bring a visual learning aid into the locker room—a stump of oak wood and an ax.

Punter Chris Hanson then decided he would play with the ax, so he began to swing it, which resulted in him gashing his own foot open.

Luckily, it was not on his kicking leg, but he was still sidelined for the rest of the 2003 season.

It comes as no surprise that Jacksonville went 5-11 that season.

23. David Bowens (Linebacker), Miami Dolphins

How many David Bowens does it take to change a light bulb? 

Apparently two: one to change the light bulb and one to hold his ACL in place.

That's right—prior to the 2003 season David Bowens of the Miami Dolphins tore his ACL while changing a light bulb.

He had successful surgery and was able to return to football eventually (in fact, he played in 2010 as a member of the Cleveland Browns), but the injury was clearly one that could have been avoided.

22. Steve Smith (Wide Receiver), Carolina Panthers

Four-time Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith is widely regarded as one of the toughest and scrappiest players in all of the NFL.

Therefore, it comes as a bit of a surprise that a game of flag football was able to injure him, which is a slight blow to his tough guy credibility.

The broken arm he received during the flag football game happened at the end of June of 2010, and he was eventually able to return in time for Carolina's season opener against the New York Giants.

However, outside of his 2004 season that left him injured for 15 games, his 2010 season was his worst statistical season since his rookie year in 2001. One has to wonder if the injury played a role in that lack of production, even if it was a very slight role.

21. Johnny Unitas (Quarterback), Baltimore Colts

Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas is basically the Mickey Mantle of football. 

The 10-time Pro Bowler had an 18-season career that brought him an avalanche of awards and recognition, such as his three MVP awards, as well as his roster spot on the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

But later in his career, he was clearly beginning to look past football, as he was playing sports that are only meant to be played by retired athletes, such as racquetball.

In 1970, he was at his local YMCA in the racquetball court when he was tripped up by his opponent. The result was a twisted and torn Achilles tendon.

Despite the seriousness of the injury, Unitas was able to return to football. He continued to play until his final season in 1973 with the San Diego Chargers.

20. Eric Heitmann (Center), San Francisco 49ers

During his tenure as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Mike Singletary had the brilliant idea of executing an old-school drill known as the "nutcracker" during his practices (it's not quite how it sounds but equally stupid).

The drill involves taking athletes who are worth millions of dollars and having them run into each other and collide head on.

I know. How did Singletary ever lose his job?

Unfortunately for center Eric Heitmann, the drill resulted in a neck injury that is potentially career-threatening.

The injury occurred last year, but Heitmann just recently underwent surgery and will likely miss the entire 2011 season.

19. Wes Welker (Wide Receiver), New England Patriots

Wes Welker was injured towards the end of the 2009 season, but Welker himself did not do anything embarrassing or stupid, although the surrounding circumstances would make anyone hang their head in shame.

At only 5'9" and 185 pounds, Welker is viewed as someone who would be annihilated in a thunderous collision with a larger defender.

Thus, it's a bit odd that his infamous 2009 injury was caused not by a defender, but a maintenance guy that didn't properly secure the AstroTurf in place.

It was the Patriots' 2009 season finale against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium.

Welker entered the game with a league-high 122 receptions, but on his first reception of the game, he planted his foot, and the turf beneath him gave way, which resulted in a nasty ACL tear.

Welker was able to rehabilitate the injury in time for 2010, but even by then, he was not 100 percent back to normal.

18. Reggie Bush (Running Back), New Orleans Saints

The hit Reggie Bush took during the playoffs following his rookie season does not really count as an injury, as he didn't miss any games because of it.

Nonetheless, defensive back Sheldon Brown of the Eagles delivered a devastating blow that temporarily disabled Bush, so the actual events are close enough to the definition of an injury for it to count.

It was easily the biggest hit of the 2006 season, and it even made the cover of Sports Illustrated.

It can't be easy to get abused like that in front of tens of thousands of people, which is what makes this an embarrassing event for Bush.

But you have to wonder if that was the moment Bush, who was a rookie at the time, first realized he would not be the same caliber of player in the NFL that he was in college.  

17. Adrian Peterson (Running Back), Minnesota Vikings/Oklahoma Sooners

This particular injury doesn't necessarily qualify as an NFL injury since running back Adrian Peterson was playing for the Oklahoma Sooners at the time, but it was still an embarrassing injury to a player who is currently a star in the NFL.

In college, Peterson was a Heisman finalist as a freshman with 1,925 rushing yards, and he had over 1,000 yards in all three seasons of his college career.

During his second college season, he had a high ankle sprain, which was the first major injury blemish on his college record.

He didn't do himself any favors as far as clearing that injury record during his final college season in 2006.

On October 14th, 2006, Peterson broke his collarbone on a simple and seemingly nonviolent dive into the end zone.

Considering it was his last season in college, it was not exactly a good thing that NFL scouts saw him injure himself on such a simple dive, but it certainly helped that it came on a 53-yard touchdown run.

But the incident did not discourage the Minnesota Vikings, who selected Peterson with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2007 draft.

Now Peterson is a four-time Pro Bowler, and he's probably laughing at those who questioned his durability.

16. Dre' Bly (Cornerback), Denver Broncos

This particular injury is unique in the sense that it's not an injury at all—at least not a debilitating one.

In 2008, the Broncos were in New York against the Jets, and even though the Broncos owned the lead for practically the entire game, they still felt the need to disrupt the rhythm of Brett Favre's no-huddle offense.

After two Broncos players went down on two consecutive plays, both resulting in injury timeouts, things began to look a little suspicious.

But when Dre' Bly went down for the third Denver injury in three plays, the crowd sent a rain of boos towards the field.

Later on, Bly eventually admitted to the press that he "could have gotten up":

"Once I saw that Brett was trying to hurry up and catch us off balance, I guess I pulled a vet move and stayed on the ground."

Apparently part of being a veteran leader is knowing the proper time to cheat.

15. Joe Theismann (Quarterback), Washington Redskins

The takedown of Joe Theismann by Lawrence Taylor is possibly the most famous football injury in the history of the game.

Theismann had a lustrous career as a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

He was a very good quarterback, and the injury was caused by the most electric defensive star to ever put on football pads. There's no shame in the injury, but it was certainly not an ideal way to end a career.

Most of the older generations will rightfully remember Joe Theismann as the former Washington Redskins quarterback, but how embarrassing is it that the younger generations will remember Theismann as the introduction and central theme of a Sandra Bullock movie?

It's bad enough that his career is so frequently associated with his injury, but now it's not even his injury anymore. It's "the injury that they talked about in that Sandra Bullock movie."

It was a good movie, but still, Theismann probably would rather be remembered for his career.

14. Trent Green (Quarterback), St. Louis Rams

Trent Green was the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams as the team prepared to enter its historic Super Bowl-winning season in 1999.

Unfortunately for Green, he did not remain the starting quarterback due to a season-ending knee injury during the preseason.

There is certainly no shame in being injured by the cheapest, dirtiest player to ever step foot on a football field—of course, that's referring to safety Rodney Harrison of the New England Patriots—so the actual injury itself was far from humiliating.

But the embarrassing part came in the weeks following Green's injury.

Green was newly signed just before the start of the 1999 season, and he was supposed to be the next long-term signal caller for the Rams, who were thought to be an up-and-coming team at the time with the additions of Marshall Faulk and rookie Torry Holt.

During the 1998 season, Green put up an admirable season for the Washington Redskins with 3,441 yards and 23 touchdowns. Thus, when he came to St. Louis, he surely thought he finally found a permanent starting job after five seasons in the NFL (as well as one season in the CFL).

But his dreams were swiftly destroyed after Kurt Warner entered the scene as Green's replacement.

Warner threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns during his first year as a starter in 1999, and he led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory that same year.

It wasn't a complete humiliation for Green, especially since he went on to have a successful career in Kansas City, but it's not exactly ideal to be outdone by a guy who was bagging groceries just a couple years earlier.

13. Tom Brady (Quarterback), New England Patriots

An injury to a common NFL player will barely make the news, except maybe in a side note, but an injury to a player like Tom Brady completely dominates the news.

ESPN already has an unconditional love interest in Tom Brady, so when news broke that its golden boy was injured during the 2008 season opener, all hell broke loose.

It was difficult to determine if SportsCenter was actually talking about the injury in order to report news or if the cast members were just mourning among themselves on the air.

The hit was on Brady's knee by Bernard Pollard of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Brady was lost for the entire 2008 season.

It's bad enough to have to go through a devastating injury, but did Brady really have to go through the humiliation of hearing news anchors discuss his injury constantly?

The injury was rubbed in his face so much that the NFL even changed the rules on how defenders could hit quarterbacks.

Luckily for Brady, the madness is finally behind him.

He's back to his old touchdown-tossing self again, and surely he never wants to go through that circus show ever again.

12. Sergio Kindle (Linebacker), Baltimore Ravens

Sergio Kindle was drafted in 2010 by the Baltimore Ravens with a second-round pick, but he actually won't start his rookie season until this year.

Kindle was expected to come in for the Ravens as a pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebacker, but a fracture to his skull ended his 2010 season before the team even entered training camp.

The injury occurred as the result of him falling down a flight of stairs.

The injury has been blamed on narcolepsy, but he also has a history of alcohol use, which could certainly be the cause as well.

No one will ever know the complete truth.

What we do know, however, is that Kindle picked a terrible time to injure himself.

The injury happened before Kindle signed his contract, so about two months after the injury, the Ravens were able to get away with signing Kindle to the $320,000 rookie minimum, even though he would have likely received a signing bonus of over $1 million had he not been injured.

Kindle is expected to return to the team in 2011, but it is not yet known if he is still debilitated by his head injury.

11. Brett Favre (Quarterback), Minnesota Vikings

While some expected Brett Favre to retire after his 2008 season with the New York Jets, he defied the odds and returned to football as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

During that 2009 season, he led a high-powered offense, throwing for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns at the age of 40.

He eventually led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints, and it would have been a truly golden NFL moment had Favre won the game and returned to the Super Bowl after 11 years.

Unfortunately, Favre lost the championship game at the end of the fourth quarter after throwing a foolish and unnecessary interception.

Perhaps it was a sign that he should hang up the cleats, but he didn't take it that way.

He returned to the Vikings in 2010, but it couldn't have been a bigger disaster.

He was beaten and battered until he had both foot and ankle injuries, and he eventually received a concussion that kept him out of the final two games of the season.

It was almost sad watching the old guy desperately trying to perform despite being in obvious pain.

Not to mention there was the sex scandal that arose during the season. The victim claimed that Favre sent her lewd pictures.

The whole scandal just added insult to injury, literally.

The 2010 season was just not meant to be for Brett Favre, so hopefully he took the hint, or else he will just embarrass himself even more.

10. Nolan Carroll (Defensive Back), Miami Dolphins

Getting injured on the playing field is bad enough, but it's even worse to get injured by a member of the opposing team's coaching staff.

Not that it's any surprise that Nolan Carroll of the Miami Dolphins was tripped near the sidelines by Sal Alosi, who is a member of the New York Jets coaching staff.

There is no question that the Jets were viewed as the villains of the 2010 season, given the obnoxious nature of head coach Rex Ryan, as well as the rest of the team (although Ryan's antics on the HBO show Hard Knocks were both lovable and hilarious).

Thus, it's really no surprise that if a incident like this one was going to happen, then the Jets were going to be the ones responsible.

It might be slightly embarrassing that Carroll was injured by someone who wasn't even a football player, but the person who should truly be embarrassed is Alosi.

9. Chad Pennington (Quarterback), Miami Dolphins

There is not a single player in NFL history with worse luck than quarterback Chad Pennington.

In 11 NFL seasons, he has played all 16 games only twice, and he has missed 87 career games.

He has been injured so often that he's actually won the Comeback Player of the Year award twice, once in 2006 and once in 2008.

Even now, at the age of 35, things have not gelled for Pennington.

He entered the 2010 season as the Miami Dolphins' backup quarterback, and when he was given a chance to start during Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans, he was injured on the very first snap.

It was a shoulder injury that's considered to be career-threatening, although he will attempt a comeback.

After all of the injuries and letdowns, Pennington still has little to show for his resilience. No Super Bowl rings, no memorable playoff runs—just more and more disappointment.

It's just hard to feel anything other than bad for the guy.

8. Bill Gramatica (Kicker), Arizona Cardinals

Bill Gramatica's infamous field goal celebration is evidence that's commonly cited when arguing against kickers being actual football players.

In 2001 against the New York Giants, Gramatica nailed a 42-yard field goal and then injured himself after jumping for joy in celebration of the kick.

It wasn't a game-winning field goal, and 42 yards is just above average in distance, so it wasn't exactly a field goal worth celebrating either.

Regardless, Gramatica felt the need to celebrate, and the end result was a humiliating leg injury on national television.

7. Jay Cutler (Quarterback), Chicago Bears

Quarterback Jay Cutler's attitude was questioned in Denver, which resulted in the Broncos shipping him over to Chicago, but now some in Chicago are questioning Cutler despite the fact he took the team to the NFC Championship Game.

He took the team to the championship game, but he barely played in it, which is where the problem lies.

After the Bears' first series in the second half against the Green Bay Packers, Cutler was removed from the game due to a knee injury.

People immediately accused Cutler of faking the injury, citing his lack of heart as the culprit.

But the MRI following the game revealed that he actually had a MCL sprain, which probably makes some of the doubters feel a little foolish.

Whether the injury was legitimate or not, the fact that some people assumed it was fake is what's important here.

Players mostly receive pity if they are injured, especially in a big game, so it must have been demoralizing for Cutler to hear the criticism despite the fact that he helped the team get to the championship game, and despite the fact the injury was real.

If an MRI can't clear his name, that means Cutler has a long way to go before he completely wins the hearts of the Chicago fans.

6. Olindo Mare (Kicker), Miami Dolphins

In a bizarre off-field injury, placekicker and former All-Pro Olindo Mare once injured a muscle while stretching before getting into bed.

The incident happened in 1997, when Mare was a rookie.

They say it's a big adjustment to go from college into the NFL and that players need to really adapt to the transition, which often requires help from the veterans.

But the veterans of the 1997 Dolphins apparently forgot to teach Mare how to get into a bed like a pro.

5. Turk Edwards (Offensive Tackle), Washington Redskins

It wasn't the intense trench battles that injured offensive tackle Turk Edwards; it was actually the events prior the game.

The coin toss, to be more specific. 

After winning the coin toss against the New York Giants during the 1940 season, Turk's cleats got caught in the grass as he turned around to return to his sideline, which resulted in him blowing out his knee.

Turk never played another down in the NFL.

On the bright side, he still played eight full seasons prior to the incident and made one Pro Bowl, and he's also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

4. Gus Frerotte (Quarterback), Washington Redskins

One of the most ingenious moments in NFL history came from quarterback Gus Frerotte, who was a member of the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins were playing the New York Giants on prime time television, which must have created too much adrenaline for Frerotte to handle, because after running into the end zone for the team's only touchdown of the game, he decided it would be wise to head-butt the wall.

The wall was obviously not as padded as he expected, so he basically slammed his own head against concrete.

The injury sprained his neck and sent him to the hospital.

3. Plaxico Burress (Wide Receiver), New York Giants

For some unknown reason, wide receiver Plaxico Burress felt the need to carry a gun around with him in public places, such as LQ Nightclub in 2008.

Who knows why Burress felt the need to carry a handgun—maybe because guns increase his street cred and always have positive results, which is just what a millionaire NFL player needs.

But when purchasing the firearm, Burress clearly refused to take any firearm safety courses, as the gun discharged while it was sitting in the waistband of his pants (because holsters are for losers).

The incident not only resulted in a hospital visit but also a two-year prison sentence.

Burress is currently out of prison and looking to rejoin the NFL, but he is 33 years old and has been away from the game for two years.

It will be difficult for him to immediately find a job, but some team will eventually sign him.

2. Terrell Owens (Wide Receiver), Cincinnati Bengals

It is very ironic that the biggest showboat in NFL history had possibly a career-ending injury on a television show.

Terrell Owens and his representatives have not confirmed that his latest injury actually happened on the set of his new reality TV show, although that's what rumors are suggesting.

They did confirm, however, that Owens had offseason knee surgery.

Owens wants to return to the NFL for the 2011 season, but he is 37 years old and is now coming off a major knee injury.

He is a free agent, so whether or not he wants to return is irrelevant, because he could certainly find himself in a situation where no team will sign him.

But at least he has his future in show biz.

1. JaMarcus Russell (Quarterback), Oakland Raiders

You are probably scratching your head and wondering what major injury JaMarcus Russell went through.

Though Russell did not receive a physical injury on the football field per se, it is well known that weight gain is a serious medical concern.

As a rookie No. 1 overall pick in 2007, Russell held out until September 12th due to a contract dispute, but it's clear that the only clause in the contract Russell cared about was the one that allowed him unlimited meals at the team's dining facilities.

Prior to the 2010 season, Russell weighed in at over 300 pounds, which was heavier than some of the linemen on his team.

Due to the consistent weight problems, combined with poor play, the Raiders cut Russell loose before the start of the 2010 season, making him the biggest NFL bust since Ryan Leaf (and maybe the biggest ever, both figuratively and literally).

Russell will eventually attempt a return to the NFL, whenever he feels like getting up to turn off the TV, but until then, let's hope he found a nice diet that will successfully battle his weight disorder.