The Most Infamous Parties in Sports History
Athletes and other prominent members of the sports world generally have much better jobs than us, and definitely have more money. They have power, influence and a level of celebrity us plebs couldn’t possibly comprehend.
Plus, they happen to have an inordinate amount of free time on their hands during certain parts of the year. They also happen to be human, which means that, just like you, me and the next guy, they love a good party.
And when it comes to parties, the bigger and more debauched, the better. There have been plenty of headline-making parties in the sports world over the years. Let’s take a look at some of the wildest.
Adrian Peterson's Over-the-Top Birthday Party
1 of 14It’s safe to say that 2014 wasn’t exactly a banner year for (still) Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who missed all but one game of the season after being indicted on charges of child abuse. Eventually, he struck a plea that allowed him to avoid any jail time, but the once-celebrated hero is now a permanent pariah in the eyes of many.
With all of that in mind, Peterson’s decision to throw himself a ridiculously extravagant and over-the-top birthday party in March was seen as a bit curious. The party was held near Peterson’s home in Houston and had an “Arabic” theme, which basically meant that everyone came dressed as characters from Aladdin and Peterson rode in on a camel. Kinda like how Aladdin rode into the city with his newfound faux entourage after happening upon the genie’s lamp.
Seriously, based on the photos, this was their only frame of reference. The only difference was that Jamie Foxx subbed in as the celebrity star of the show—let’s just hope he didn’t insist on singing the national anthem. It was definitely a wild…ly inappropriately timed celebration.
Wes Welker's Kentucky Derby Delight
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In May 2014 then-Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker was a bigger star at the Kentucky Derby than the winning horse, California Chrome. Decked out in tan linen, cool shades and a matching fedora, Welker was particularly social after the race—leading to rumors from Pro Football talk about what went on during the revelry.
Not only was he glad-handing every fan who crossed his path, but he was also handing out $100 bills from a giant stack he was toting around. Winning $14,000 on a Churchill Downs error and definitely high on life, Welker was clearly having the time of his life that day.
It seemed the fun was going to come to an end for Welker when Churchill Downs attempted to get him to return the money, but they were unsuccessful. The NFL also suspended him for testing positive for amphetamines, a charge he denied, but the suspension was ultimately overturned.
Worlds Collide When Gronk and Johnny Football Combine Forces
3 of 14If we asked a large pool of NFL fans who the biggest party animal in the league is, the respondents would probably be pretty well split between Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Gronk and Johnny Football (at least until recently) basically have parties form around them wherever they go, so just imagine what happens when they find themselves in the same place at the same time, as they did in May 2014.
Both in Las Vegas to see UFC 173, Gronkowski and Manziel held court together at DAYLIGHT Beach Club at the Mandalay Bay resort. The ratio of bikini babes to Gronk was exactly what you’d expect: The babes outnumbered him substantially.
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Teens Trash Brian Holloway's Home
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The party that took place in August 2013 at the Stephentown, New York, home of former NFL offensive lineman Brian Holloway was an absolute rager. Fueled by buckets of booze, over 300 teenagers held the house party of a lifetime. They broke windows, spray-painted walls and destroyed floors, not just by dragging kegs across them but also urinating on them.
Overall, the party caused more than $20,000 in damage to the house, which may have been worth it for Holloway if he had thrown the party—but he didn’t. And it’s a good thing too, considering he’s in his 50s. Holloway was incensed that the local teens had destroyed his vacation home and attempted to publicly shame them into helping repair the damage.
Since teenagers are notoriously unrepentant about their shenanigans, only six local teens showed up to a “party” Holloway threw to repair the damage, and none of them actually attended the original, fun party.
Lawrence Taylor's Draft-Day Drinking
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Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants out of North Carolina in the 1981. OK, so he wasn’t the first selection, but despite the flawed philosophy of one Ricky Bobby, being drafted second is a very big deal. The kind of moment one would like to remember for posterity.
But according to Taylor himself, he doesn’t remember much of any of his draft-day experience, probably because of the 41 Coors Lights he drank that day. Crushing Coors Light is certainly one way to celebrate.
NFL Billionaires Live It Up in London
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In November 2014, the Jaguars and Cowboys were the latest team to underwhelm London with a mediocre NFL game. But just because the fans in the stands at Wembley Stadium were forced to endure yet another Jags game doesn’t mean there wasn’t some fun being had off the field.
Everyone knows Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a man about town down in Dallas, but Jags owner Shahid Khan, the most magnificently mustachioed man in all of Jacksonville, is also a man who enjoys the finer—and the funner—things in life.
The two billionaires were in town at the same time for the same reason, so naturally their paths were going to cross. It just so happened that the paths of Jones and Khan crossed on the latter’s 308-foot “super yacht” called Kismet, a $110 million vessel that boasts six bedrooms, a jacuzzi, a swimming pool and a helicopter pad.
Khan hosted a private party for approximately 100 (likely) very rich and fancy guests. Even Cowboys executive Stephen Jones was stunned by the opulence of the whole affair, telling the Dallas Morning News, “Oh my gosh! He’s outdone us. Better than the bus,” referring to the famed Cowboys party bus.
Johnny Manziel’s Swan Song
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After spending a few years as the undisputed king of College Station, Texas, attending every frat party in a 100-mile radius and then falling to the bottom of the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, backup Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel spent the few months leading up to his rookie season…dancing like nobody was watching…so to speak.
Except that in this case, “dancing” means partying his ass off, and “nobody was watching” means that literally everyone with even the vaguest interest in football in the country was watching.
Though Manziel was spotted partying all over the country, it was one particular party in Austin that will always stand head and shoulders above the rest. The event itself was an afterparty during the X Games, where some good Samaritan spotted Manziel drinking what looks like a bottle of champagne while floating on a giant inflatable swan and tipped off Deadspin.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 30th Birthday of Betrayal
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When he’s not on the pitch or on stage accepting Ballon d’Or awards, there’s like a 95 percent chance superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is either spending time with one or more of the most beautiful women in the world or attending a party thrown in his honor.
Though spotting the globetrotting Ronaldo at parties around the world is nothing new, his 30th birthday party in February made news all around the world. First of all, easily angered fans and media outlets were appalled that Real Madrid’s stud forward had the nerve to attend his own previously scheduled birthday party after getting embarrassed in a 4-0 loss to rival Atletico. In fact, fans were so enraged that a hashtag that translates to “party of disgrace” became a trending topic all day.
Ronaldo danced the night away regardless, even singing a little karaoke! Despite the public outrage, the party sure looked fun based on photos and videos leaked via social media, not that his teammates would know anything about that. Apparently they weren’t even invited to what was dubbed “The Party of Discord” by the Daily Marca.
Makes you wonder if Ronaldo will be celebrating his 31st birthday in England.
Max Mosley's Cringeworthy Private Party
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Most of these parties have been wild in the fun way, but the party either attended or hosted in 2008 by Max Mosley, the former president of Formula One racing, is wild in the "Wow, that’s horrible" kind of way.
First reported by the News of the World (now defunct) in March 2008, videos and photographs surfaced of Mosely playing various roles in what has been described as a consensual “Nazi-style sex orgy” with five working girls. Not that playing it off as standard role-playing would’ve worked wonders for anyone in the same situation, but Mosley found it particularly difficult to dismiss since Adolph Hitler was a guest of honor at his father’s wedding.
The “party” may be seven years old now, but it’s still haunting Mosley, who had been engaged in an ongoing battle with Google to eradicate the images from the global search engine as recently as September 2013. The battle over censorship added an even crazier element to what was already an inappropriately wild party.
Jeff Reed: A Kicker Who Knows How to Kick Back
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Former Steelers kicker Jeff Reed eschewed the notion that kickers were to be seen and not heard during his days in the NFL. There’s a reason Deadspin called him “the most fun kicker of all time” back in 2007. Google is awash with fantastic pictures of Reed partying with various women, at various locations, with various shades of crazy hair and in various states of undress.
Given his extensive history of party-boy antics, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one—although the one in February 2009 that led to a citation for criminal mischief after assaulting a paper-towel dispenser at a local convenience store must have been a doozy.
By that point, Reed had established himself as a lover of all things bacchanalian, having been photographed a year prior really living it up with then-Steelers teammate Santonio Holmes at a poolside party in Las Vegas. According to Deadspin, the three photos of Reed that emerged “show him wearing a sash, a bib and a tiara, or donning a tiara while girl-curling.”
Vikings Love Boat Scandal
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In October 2005, approximately 30 members of the Vikings embarked on a “party boat excursion” on Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka that would forever taint not just the careers of those on board but the entire organization. The Love Boat scandal, as it would become to be known, first became public three months later in December, when criminal complaints stemming from the event were published.
Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and teammates Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe Williams were all charged with misdemeanors based on unequivocally icky behavior that The Smoking Gun described as “booze-soaked." Salacious details of the party, which was attended by 90 people, emerged, none of which can be repeated here.
All but Culpepper would be convicted of the disorderly content charges against them, but years later it is Smoot who still bears the brunt of the blame for the “team-building” event gone awry. Although he disputes the charges—in 2013 Smoot recalled the sordid affair, noting that he was unfairly singled out just because it was his name on the credit card used to reserve the boat.
Joe Namath's Naughty Nights
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"Broadway Joe" Namath’s nickname came naturally for the former Jets quarterback, who grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania and attended college at Alabama, because he took to life in the Big Apple like a duck to water.
Stories about Namath’s gallivanting are numerous and legendary, but one particular party chronicled by New York magazine in the 1969 article “Namath All Night Long” provided a glimpse into his enviable life.
Honestly, the profile is jam-packed with so many fascinating details that it’s impossible to do it justice—meaning it’s definitely worth a read. However, let’s just say that at the time, Mr. Joe Willie Namath was king of every social establishment he entered.
Adam Jones Makes It Rain, Then Mops It Up
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It’s hard to believe Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has gone nearly a full calendar year since his last arrest, which was for disorderly conduct in June 2014, considering his history of constantly getting arrested. The streak was almost broken in February when he was asked to leave Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceville, Indiana, a situation that could have devolved into something much worse.
A rundown of Jones’ many arrests and various other misdeeds could easily be a list in and of itself, but his most famous incident happened at a strip club back in February 2007. With his bros in tow, Jones was in Las Vegas for NBA All-Star Weekend. Upon his arrival in Sin City, Pacman lost about $60,000 gambling at Caesars Palace before trying his hand at the Palms, where he won $120,000.
Then it was on to the Minxx Gentleman’s Club & Lounge, where he and his entourage were enjoying the entertainment alongside fellow athletes and celebrities like rapper Nelly and producer Jermaine Dupri.
With about $100,000 in cash on him, Jones took out “probably about $12,000 to $14,000” to make it rain on stage. All was going well until Jones decided to make it un-rain and attempted to collect much of the money he dropped on the dancers. An altercation with a dancer ensued, after which Jones was ejected from the club. Not long after being ejected, someone returned and shot up the club, which left one of the security guards paralyzed.
Jones wasn’t criminally convicted of the crime but was found guilty in a civil court and forced to cough up over $12 million in damages. As if that night wasn’t crazy enough, at the 2012 Rookie Symposium, Jones recalled what was probably an amazingly fun but financially regrettable single weekend in which he managed to blow $1 million.
All Summers Belong to Rob Gronkowski
14 of 14Right now, Patriots tight end Rob “Sorry For Partying” Gronkowski is the NFL undisputed heavyweight champion of partying like a rock star. Recently, I chronicled the “Summer of Gronk,” which basically began the day he was born and will end the day he dies. His offseason antics have been increasing in both intensity and frequency each season since being drafted by New England in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft.
In February 2012 Gronk made headlines when videos surfaced of him dancing the night away at the Patriots' party following Super Bowl XLVI, which wouldn’t have been a big deal had they not lost in crushing fashion to the Giants. Three years later he would party even harder after the Patriots defeated the Seahawks in crushing fashion in Super Bowl XLIX—this time on stage with rapper Flo Rida.
Honestly, Google “Rob Gronkowski Party” during any offseason, and you’re basically guaranteed to get fairly recent results documenting his antics. No surprise, given we’re taking about a guy who owns his own party bus. In fact, I just Googled the exact phrase and got “Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski partied like a rock star at his Vegas birthday party,” which was just seven hours old.
The Daily Mail, as usual, has all the dirty details, complete with plenty of photos from the event held at the Hard Rock Hotel’s new Club Rehab.
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