10 Athletes Who Drive Their Own Teams Crazy
This isn't about skill—or lack thereof. Frustration comes in all types of forms. When professional athletes act up, their respective teams suffer.
We've seen drama unfold on the field, under the bright lights of Las Vegas and other obscure places. The common thread being, certain athletes tend to always drive their teams crazy.
Looking across the wide-ranging spectrum of sports, we corralled in 10 names. Below we unveil which athletes made the cut.
Vontaze Burfict
1 of 10
Vontaze Burfict's NFL career could have been summed up when the Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
Attempting to prevent Pittsburgh's offense from driving into field-goal range at the end of the game, the Bengals defense was called on to make a handful of big stops. Instead of doing that, Burfict rocked Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The hit was brutal to watch, and it resulted in a three-game suspension next season, per the NFL.
Combined with an Adam "Pacman" Jones penalty shortly after, the Steelers were able to drive home a game-winning field goal.
This isn't anything new for No. 55. Suspensions are part of his mantra, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote. It's frustrating moments like those that make Burfict such a liability to his squad.
Jonathan Papelbon
2 of 10
Whenever you put your hands on a teammate in a physical way, that usually doesn't bode well. Washington Nationals pitcher Jonathan Papelbon achieved just that when he clashed with Bryce Harper in 2015.
Besides the entire situation being totally uncalled for, Papelbon put his hands all over the franchise player. You can't do that.
Somehow, he managed to stay on the roster, giving the Nationals' 2016 season an interesting twist. Ted Berg of USA Today's For the Win talked about how Nationals fans feel, writing that Papelbon is sticking around "even though practically every single one of their fans just outright hates the guy."
What could be more frustrating than that?
Dwight Howard
3 of 10
Dwight Howard's constant barrage of frustrating ways has driven two teams mad, and one more could be on the brink of big man extinction.
It was Howard's politics and pandering that left the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers in bad spots. He bailed on both franchises for "greener" pastures. This season, rumors have begun to swirl about Howard wanting out of Houston. But Howard has shot those down, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
At this point, how can you trust him? His track record is porous to put it lightly. Frustration comes in all types of forms and Howard is a great example of that. He may perform on the court, but his off-the-floor moves aren't always in the best interest of the team.
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Luis Suarez
4 of 10
It's beginning to look like the same old story for Barcelona's Luis Suarez. The guy's mustered a poor reputation over the years, mainly thanks to his propensity for biting opponents on the pitch.
He hadn't been a deemed much of a troublemaker since his Barcelona days started until recently. The striker was recently suspended two Copa del Rey games for making fun of rival players, according to Joseph Wilson of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports).
Suarez is a gifted yet incredibly frustrating athlete. That will always be his long-term reputation.
Johnny Manziel
5 of 10
The shame about Johnny Manziel being on this list is that he was hands down one of the most enthralling quarterbacks to ever come out of college. Johnny Football was a magician at Texas A&M, providing draft pundits and fans alike with a controversial figure leading up to the Browns landing him in 2014.
Since arriving in the treasured land of quarterback failures, Manziel has nabbed sporadic minutes amid accusations of partying and erratic behavior. Just a few weeks ago—Week 17 of the NFL season—news broke that Manziel dipped off to Las Vegas, wearing a disguise, in order to party once more, per ESPN Las Vegas radio host Mitch Moss.
This situation led to LeBron James' marketing agency ending their professional relationship with the 23-year-old QB, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Stuff like this has to frustrate the Browns. While they attempt to find an identity and turn things around, Manziel seemingly is pushing himself further and further away from the franchise. That's too bad, because Johnny Football is an entertaining and special athlete.
Jahlil Okafor
6 of 10
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Jahlil Okafor No. 3 overall during last year's draft. Expecting to get a productive, dominant big man, the Sixers clung on to his potential.
So far, he's played well in spurts. Okafor is averaging 17.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Those numbers should only increase as he adds a layer of polish to his skill set.
One legitimate threat to his growth—and what could frustrate the 76ers the most—is if he continues with questionable off the court antics. Remember, he got suspended two games earlier this season after tapes surfaced of the rookie center getting into an altercation in Boston, per ESPN.com.
Stuff like that is difficult to tolerate, especially when Okafor can be deemed a core franchise player.
Adam Jones
7 of 10
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones being featured here shouldn't come as a huge surprise.
Despite being immensely talented, Jones' career has been filled with off-the-field digressions that created issues with his former—and current—teams. Like Burfict, Jones' recent postseason clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers resulted in a costly penalty, as John Breech of CBS Sports mentioned.
Whether the call was justified or not can be debated forever. The real issue came by way of his postgame comments, accusing Antonio Brown of flopping after the Burfict hit. Jones expressed this to NFL media columnist Mike Silver: "He flopped. He needs a (expletive) Academy Award for that performance."
Jones is a solid football player. Unfortunately he lets his emotions get the best of him at times, which has to be a frustrating for his team.
Marshawn Lynch
8 of 10
Marshawn Lynch's career in Seattle has been a revelation for one of the NFL's top franchises. He's chugged along, picking up 6,347 yards rushing and topped that off with 65 total touchdowns.
For all of that production and offensive power, Lynch hasn't always gotten along with his current team. If you remember, in 2014, Lynch mulled retiring over a contract dispute, as Danny Kelly of FieldGulls.com touched on.
Even with Seattle now firmly entrenched in the playoffs, Lynch has yet to take a postseason snap. Is it due to an injury he sustained earlier in this season? Or is it something more sinister? Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman tweeted that former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin thought it was the latter.
No matter what the prognosis turns out to be, for all of Lynch's talents—and he has many—the Seahawks have to be frustrated with their star halfback.
Mario Balotelli
9 of 10
The laundry list of frustration Mario Balotelli has given various clubs throughout the years runs long and wide. It was Tony Manfred of Business Insider who composed an article that summed up all of the crazy things Balotelli had done since entering the ranks of professional soccer. That was written all the way back in 2012.
Now playing for A.C. Milan, the talented striker has continued to unleash his wild ways. Post-2012 Balotelli hasn't eased up, per Tom Farmery of the Daily Mail. He is what he is at this point in time, and teams who go after his services have to understand this.
Ndamukong Suh
10 of 10
Ndamukong Suh is a disruptor. There's no two ways about it. But like everyone else on this list, Suh can also cause major headaches for his team.
The Miami Dolphins signed Suh to a six-year, $114 million deal last offseason to bolster their defensive efforts. That was quite a commitment for a hyper-talented player who has had a troubled on-field past—Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press detailed his complex history.
Fresh off that money exchange, Suh leaped back to his troubling ways in 2015, kicking New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. It was a questionable play, although he wasn't disciplined for it, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Stuff like that reminds you why Suh can be so incredibly frustrating to deal with at times.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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