Ridiculous Self-Inflicted Sports Injuries

As a sports fan, it really sucks watching any player from your favorite team go down with an injury, causing the squad to adjust its roles and make up for the loss of a teammate.

Want to know what sucks even more than that, though? When the player does something to himself that puts him on the shelf.

There have been plenty of instances in which a player hurts himself and tries to cover up the actual cause. But in some cases, an athlete isn't so lucky. These are ridiculous, self-inflicted injuries that fans were able to hear about.

NUT-hing but a Rare Touchdown Spike

As any guy knows, one thing that never feels good is when the ol' boys down south get knocked around, causing an intense pain that literally makes you want to cry.

Why a dude would cause such harm to himself is besides me.

Unfortunately, former Canadian Football League quarterback Kerwin Bell found that out when he spiked a football into his own nuts after scoring a touchdown.

I know guys are elated when crossing the goal line, but Bell should be a little bit more careful with the recklessness he shows in such excitement.

Kendrys Morales Needs Help Walking-Off

Hitting a walk-off home run, no matter if it's in a peewee game or in the seventh game of the World Series, is one of the greatest feelings that a baseball player can experience.

Well, unless something like this happens.

Following a game-winning grand slam back in 2010, former Los Angeles Angles slugger Kendrys Morales was waiting to get mobbed by his teammates at home plate and hop up and down.

There was just one problem with that plan: Morales went down in a heap of pain, tearing his ACL as he attempted to jump around.

Plaxico Burress Takes a Bullet...from Plaxico Burress

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

This, kids, is why you shouldn't play with guns.

Former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress probably wishes that he would have known that advice prior to leaving his house in November of 2008. The night ended up being pretty regrettable—and damaging to his football career.

Shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub, Burress not only injured himself but received a four-game suspension from the NFL and time in prison, too, proving this to be one of the biggest hits that Plax ever took during the 11 years he played in the league.

This all came less than a year after he secured a Super Bowl victory for the New York Giants, too, as he caught the ball that put the final points on the board when his team knocked off the previously unbeaten New England Patriots.

Kareem's Untimely Punch

John C. Hillery/Associated Press

You didn't think that Hall of Famers were immune to such stupidity, did you?

While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might be the most prolific scorer the NBA has ever seen, he also lands on the list of athletes who injured themselves in a serious way.

In fairness to Kareem, though, this injury did have somewhat of a good excuse.

After sustaining an injured cornea during his college days at UCLA, the big man got poked in the eye during a game in his sixth NBA season by Don Nelson, bringing back memories of the previous pain he had.

Frustrated, Abdul-Jabbar punched the basket support, breaking his hand and forcing him to miss 16 games during the 1974-75 season.

And you thought he just wore those sports goggles for style.

The Backflip That Backfired

We've seen all types of celebrations following a goal in soccer.

When a guy scores for the first time professionally, it's natural for him to do something with flare—you know, like a backflip.

But when said backflip ends up tearing the player's ACL—as was the case with Brazilian soccer player Maurides—that's when the excitement might have proved to be a poor idea.

Maybe the kid should just stick to a high-five for a teammate, you know, so he doesn't need to leave on a stretcher the next time he puts one in the back of the net.

Gus Frerotte Sacks Himself

It takes a lot of smarts to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

One wouldn't know it after seeing former Washington Redskins signal-caller Gus Frerotte, though, who did something that forever defined his career—in a bad way.

Following a rushing touchdown against the New York Giants, the former first-round pick was confused as to what sport he was playing, I guess, head-butting a wall and giving himself a sprained neck and a trip to the hospital.

Sure, the wall was padded, but the brick beneath that padding isn't as forgiving when something hits it with just a little bit of force, Gus.

Kellen Winslow Is Better off on 4 Wheels

MARK DUNCAN/Associated Press

Trust me, as a Cleveland Browns fan, seeing Kellen Winslow fly over the handlebars of a crotch rocket in his second season is a memory that I won't soon forget.

Drafted with the No. 6 pick in 2004, K2 was supposed to help the Brownies elevate their offense, using the talented kid in multiple positions to stretch the defense.

Unfortunately, Winslow thought a joyride would be more fun, even though it was against a clause in his contract.

The tight end ended up missing the entire year with a torn ACL and dealt with a nasty staph infection before bouncing back to enjoy a couple good seasons.

Lucky for Winslow Jr, he seems to enjoy a different kind of bike to ride around on now.

Mighty Sammy with 1 Mighty Sneeze

DARREN HAUCK/Associated Press

For all the stuff that happened during former MLB slugger Sammy Sosa's career, the massive sneeze that kept him out of the lineup is definitely up there as one of the most bizarre.

A regular big bopper in the middle of the Chicago Cubs lineup in 2004, Sosa sprained a ligament in his lower back after, yes, he sneezed twice, causing the injury.

I don't know what caused Sosa to sneeze with such force, but whatever it was sure did get the best of him.

Tear It Up, Don't Tear Your ACL

On a positive note, Chicago Bears defender Lamarr Houston wasn't the only one who injured himself during a sack celebration this season—Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch did the same thing.

On a negative note, well, the two guys joined a list of embarrassing injuries that were caused by none other than themselves, both tearing their ACLs after taking a passer to the ground.

This just goes to show that pumping your chest and acting like you haven't done your job before can backfire in an extremely bad way.

Making Houston's injury worse, though, was that it came during a blowout loss to the New England Patriots, leaving no excuse as to why he was celebrating a sack in the first place.

Ever Banega Gets Parked for Forgetting to Park

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

It might not be the first thing they teach you in driver's ed, but it's something that, for the most part, is believed to be pretty important—knowing how to put a car in park.

With all the distractions that a driver can have, that simple task might seem like the last thing on anyone's mind, but for current Sevilla FC midfielder Ever Banega, it seemed to be the hardest part about being behind the wheel.

Failing to do so cost him big-time, as the car drifted over his foot, breaking his ankle and putting him on the shelf for six months.

Somewhere, a kid who just failed his driving test is shaking his head.

Tossed and Torn

One of the biggest hotheads in sports, former big leaguer Milton Bradley had one outburst that he probably regrets ever making—and it was this one with umpire Mike Winters.

Arguing with Winters after standing on first base, Bradley was trying to be restrained by his manger, Bud Black, as the outfielder attempted to get every bit of anger out on the man in blue.

During the altercation, Bradley fell to the turf and grabbed his knee, as he tore his ACL while giving his two cents.

It came as an inopportune time for his team, the San Diego Padres, too, as the team sat atop the NL wild-card standings at the time of the injury.

Proving costly, the Padres missed the playoffs and saw one of their best players land on the disabled list.

Hang the Player out to Dry

Ah, yes, the one that inspired the entire article.

It was hard to look at the Internet or on shows like SportsCenter last week and not see minor league hockey player Mitchell Skiba clothesline himself while exiting the ice.

Following an ejection, players are noticeably upset, throwing things, yelling at the ref or letting off steam that can be hilarious to watch.

Skiba, however, gave fans a memory they won't soon forget, as he slammed his stick against the glass and knocked himself down.

He might be a minor league player, but this is a major league gaffe.

Don't Yell Your Little Heart Out

You scream, I scream, we all scream for our team!

OK, so that's not really how that saying goes, but when it comes to sports, I would say that it actually works out pretty well.

And while yelling is just a part of sports, as players do it to one another to give direction and fans do it to show support, former Manchester United goalie Alex Stepney might not be a fan of it.

During a 1975 match against Birmingham, Stepney was yelling towards his defenders to help get them organized, but instead ended up with an injury that is nearly impossible to believe—a dislocated jaw.

Yes, one of the greatest keepers in Man U history found himself injured for doing one of the things he was supposed to actually be doing: instructing his team's alignment.

He probably made sure to switch to hand signals from there on out.

Amar'e Stoudemire Extinguishes Himself

Yuezi Karen Wu/Associated Press

Whether a pro athlete or not, there aren't many people I know who enjoy losing.

And while it's understandable for people to be pissed off and throw a bit of a tantrum when it does happen, pro athletes are taught, to an extent, to keep things together.

New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire must have skipped that chapter in his pro athlete PR manual, though.

Upset following a Game 2 loss to the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA playoffs, Amar'e decided to take his anger out on the glass of a fire extinguisher—which was a bad idea—as he crushed the pain into little pieces yet busted up his hand pretty bad.

The injury forced Stoudemire to the sidelines, causing him to miss the remainder of the series—which the Knicks lost in five games.

Bill Gramatica Injures Kickers' Reputations (And Himself)

Without a doubt, former NFL kicker Bill Gramatica's torn ACL following his 43-yard field goal against the New York Giants is the most recognized self-inflicted injury in all of sports.

Unfortunately, it's probably because he's a kicker, who are often the butt of numerous jokes.

Like others on this list, Gramatica's came out of celebration at a head-scratching time of a game, as he fell to the turf in the first quarter after splitting the pipes.

I mean, there's no good time for a guy to get injured, but this is one where it's almost indescribably bad, and it caused Gramatica to miss the remainder of his rookie season in 2001.