10 Athletes Who Got Smacked by Reality
As you likely already know, reality checks are no fun—it suggests the collapse of hubris under the weight of truth. A reality check also insinuates that there is something to gain from the experience; the experience may be painful, but it’s absolutely necessary. This doesn’t mean the people are guaranteed to dust themselves off and emerge with a renewed sense of humility, but the opportunity exists.
In sports, the magnitude of the reality check is almost as important as the check itself. A pro athlete’s career is much about paying off an investment as it is about talent—if a team signs a guy to a blockbuster deal, a reality check can come with a huge price tag.
While nearly every athlete is humbled at some point in their career, some guys fall much further…and faster. These are 10 athletes who got smacked by reality.
Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
1 of 10
In his final season at Baylor, quarterback Robert Griffin III racked up huge numbers with his arm and his legs, showing off the preternatural athleticism that earned him the Heisman and convinced the Washington Redskins to trade three first-round picks (along with a second) to the St. Louis Rams in order to move up and draft Griffin with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and helping lead Washington to a rare playoff berth, Griffin’s career nosedived, as injuries, poor play and organizational dysfunction turned the would-be franchise quarterback into an inactive benchwarmer, with teammate Kirk Cousins—also drafted in 2012—eventually emerging as the uncontested starter under center.
Tiger Woods, PGA Golfer
2 of 10
Tiger Woods was the prodigy who more than lived up to the hype after turning pro—becoming the dominant force of the PGA Tour en route to eight major championships and a No. 1 ranking. If anyone was capable of challenging Jack Nicklaus’ seemingly insurmountable career record of 20 Majors, it was Woods.
Then in 2009, a scandalous incident involving an altercation with then-wife Elin Nordegren made headlines—allegations about extramarital affairs followed. Woods' straight-laced reputation took a significant hit, while nagging injuries limited his ability to compete and contributed to uncharacteristically uneven play.
While his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play isn’t in question, Woods simply hasn’t been the same golfer—and speculation about who can realistically aim for Nicklaus’ record of major victories focuses on younger talents like Rory McIlroy.
Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans
3 of 10
When a guy spends the majority of his life playing football on a different level than almost anyone else, you can’t blame him for expecting to duplicate his success once he starts earning a paycheck. For second-year Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, his NFL career has been defined more by what he hasn’t been able to do than what he has done.
When the Texans drafted Clowney first overall in 2014, they expected him to be part of a ferocious one-two punch with star defensive end J.J. Watt—a vision undoubtedly fueled by his legendary, helmet-and-football-separating hit during the 2013 Outback Bowl.
But injuries plagued his rookie season before the imposing pass-rusher was shut down in order to have season-ending microfracture surgery. His career had just begun, but some had already labeled Clowney as a potentially epic bust. Only time will tell whether his slow start will ultimately be a footnote in his NFL career.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox
4 of 10
Slumps are a fact of life in Major League Baseball—even the greatest players find themselves stricken by an inexplicable lack of productivity. But there is a big difference between a slugger who suddenly can’t put the bat on the ball and guy who goes from great to across-the-board awful.
Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval managed to do just that, after signing a five-year, $95 million deal with the club as a free agent after the 2014 MLB season. In 2015, he posted the worst numbers of his career and finished the season under a cloud of trade speculation—proving to be high-priced disappointment.
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
5 of 10
Former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville’s famous quote, "NFL means 'Not For Long,'" is perfectly encapsulated by the career arc of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Four years ago, the former second-round pick unseated longtime starter Alex Smith and helped lead the 49ers to the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl appearance. Despite falling to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, Kaepernick played well and emerged as a home run-hitting dual-threat QB; a prototype for the future of the position.
Flash to 2015 and Kaepernick’s value has plummeted—rating as one of the worst quarterbacks in the league on a team that is a shell of the one that nearly rallied to win the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl. As the season draws to a close, Kaepernick is on injured reserve, and his future is almost certainly with another team.
Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
6 of 10
A universal truth in sports is that tolerance of bad behavior is directly related to production—if you’re good, you’re a headache; if you’re bad, you’re a problem. And over the past two years, Los Angeles Dodgers star right-fielder Yasiel Puig has gone transformed from an ultra-talented headache to an expensive problem.
After his first two seasons, the Puig had already earned an All-Star appearance and was a legit MVP candidate—his promise as all-around player made his prickly demeanor and off-the-field issues a small price to pay for what he was capable of doing at the plate and in the outfield.
But 2015 turned out to be a huge disappointment on a loaded Dodgers club that seemed poised to win the National League; injuries limited Puig to 79 appearances and off-the-field incidents overshadowed his play.
Mike Wallace, Minnesota Vikings
7 of 10
With Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger under center and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians running the offense, wide receiver Mike Wallace quickly emerged as one of the deadliest home run threats in the NFL—using blazing speed to run past defenders.
Drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft, Wallace hit free agency in 2013, ultimately inking a deal with the highest bidder…the Miami Dolphins.
Wallace quickly found out that all the speed in the world can’t duplicate the benefits of having a top-tier passer running the offense and another dangerous wide receiver like Antonio Brown lining up on the opposite side of the field. After two disappointing seasons with Miami, it traded Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings, where he is having his worst season statistically.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
8 of 10
When you are a surefire Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champion—the anchor of a proud, winning franchise who was nearly unstoppable for most of his career—you can’t be blamed for wanting to play on. Even though Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has earned the right to say when it’s time to call it quits, it doesn’t make his decline on the court any easier to watch.
But such is life—in a contest between time and ability…time will win every single time. At the age of 37, Bryant is closing one of the greatest NBA careers ever on a bad Lakers team, and it isn’t pretty.
Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins
9 of 10
On the Toronto Maple Leafs, winger Phil Kessel was a terrific player—if not amiable person—on a bad team. His ability to put the puck in the back of the net with impressive consistency (scoring 30 or more goals in four out of six seasons) stood in stark contrast to the dysfunction of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He could be the surly, maybe-out-of-shape coach-killer, because Kessel was one of the few highlights of a franchise that had little to celebrate.
Now that Kessel is a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins—he’s sharing the spotlight with two superstars and is expected to help lead a perennial contender (at least on paper) to a Stanley Cup. And though few media markets can match the voracity of Toronto’s hockey coverage, fans and reporters and Pittsburgh are every bit as serious. So far, he’s struggled to score—and the team has already made a coaching change.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
10 of 10
Just two years into Johnny Manziel’s pro football career and the young quarterback already seems destined to become a parable about the failure of talent to transcend a lax work ethic. He earned the nickname Johnny Football at Texas A&M because the seemingly impossible plays he made as the dual-threat star quarterback.
Manziel’s first reality check came when he was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns—an organization that struggled mightily since it was resurrected in 1999. But what was worse than becoming the future of a bad team was his failure to recognize that talent has limitations in the NFL.
Though Johnny Football has flashed the kind of penchant for creative playmaking that defined his college career, his inability to grow up and truly commit to the position is already threatening his future.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
