10 Superstar Athletes Who Are Having Their Worst Year Ever (So Far)
2016 has been a banner year for some athletes.
Stephen Curry was named National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player for the second straight season. Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur took home the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals in the 2015-16 Premier League season. Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset with the Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand.
Other well-known athletes have, however, had a tough 2016 so far.
Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard was largely a non-factor throughout the majority of 2016. All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley can't get onto the field for a significant amount of time this spring. A pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship performers suffered tough losses that could, when all is said and done, change their careers.
Then there's the case of Laremy Tunsil. The offensive lineman out of the University of Mississippi probably couldn't have guessed that the start of his National Football League career would involve him being humiliated and shamed on social media on the night of the NFL draft.
All is not lost for these athletes, of course, as we are not yet halfway through 2016. The next Premier League season is only three months away. NFL training camps open in the summer. There will be several more UFC cards between now and December 31.
Any of the athletes mentioned in this piece could still make fond memories for themselves in 2016, but so far, it's been a year they'll want to forget.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
1 of 10
Scoff all you want about Ryan Fitzpatrick being on any list of "superstar athletes." Fitzpatrick was the starting quarterback of the New York Jets last season, and he was a big reason why the Jets nearly made the playoffs.
One also cannot deny that Fitzpatrick has had a rough 2016 to date.
Fitzpatrick's lousy 2016 began back on January 3 when the Jets finished the regular season at the Buffalo Bills. Gang Green was a win away from clinching a postseason berth, and Fitzpatrick was four quarters away from capping off what was the best regular season of his pro career.
It was, alas, not meant to be. Fitzpatrick was picked off three times, with his last interception coming on his final pass of the day. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17, and the New York loss coupled with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Cleveland Browns resulted in the Steelers and not the Jets earning the postseason spot.
It's all been downhill for Fitzpatrick since then.
The veteran QB entered free agency, likely believing that either the Jets or some other franchise would be willing to pay for his services. Not only have Fitzpatrick and the Jets not come to terms on a new contract, but clubs such as the Browns, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams all turned him down as well.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter claimed near the end of April that Fitzpatrick would "rather not play football" than accept what Fitzpatrick would see to be a low offer from the Jets. That offer, per Schefter, would have made Fitzpatrick $7-8 million for at least the 2016 season. Would Fitzpatrick really rather sit out a year than make around $7 million playing football between August and December?
Now, with no other teams matching Fitzpatrick's demands, one has to think that turning down the Jets did not improve Fitzpatrick's year.
Yaya Toure
2 of 10
Perhaps we all should have seen the fall of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure coming.
Toure has, during his time with City, been a fantastic talent who has performed well on massive stages. The veteran midfielder notched goals in multiple finals for City. Toure was the club's MVP during City's 2013-14 title campaign. While Toure has not always been known as the best defensive midfielder, he more than made up for it with his attacking runs, dangerous free kicks and knack for creating and scoring goals in big-time situations.
There were, however, signs during the 2014-15 season that Toure was losing what made him special. As Adam Bate of Sky Sports pointed out, Toure's energy levels and sprinting dipped dramatically following the summer of 2014. It was in April of 2015 when Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News suggested City manager Manuel Pellegrini was considering moving on from Toure.
Toure's play in 2016 has been as forgettable as it has been lackluster.
Toure has only scored thrice following the start of the new year. What may be his final meaningful contribution to City in Champions League play occurred in February when he notched a goal and an assist in a City win over Dynamo Kiev. Toure last hit the back of the net in a Premier League match on March 5. The 33-year-old was given only a few minutes of action in City's final contest of the season, against Swansea.
Toure is no longer in his prime. Jack de Menezes of The Independent and others are linking Toure with a summer switch to Inter Milan. New City manager Pep Guardiola has a rebuilding project on his hands if City are to ascend back to the top of the league table next spring, and allowing Toure to complete this switch seems best for all involved.
Holly Holm
3 of 10
Holly Holm began 2016 on top of the mixed martial arts world. Holm, relatively unknown among casual sports fans last fall, became an international superstar when she notched her famous upset victory over Ronda Rousey in November. Knocking Rousey out made Holm the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion and also a household name for those who had followed Rousey's professional career over the years.
Holm's fall was nearly as quick as her rise.
Rather than wait for Rousey to make herself available for a rematch, Holm and her team decided that Holm would defend her UFC title against Miesha Tate in March 2016. That fight went poorly for Holm, as Tate won the bout and the championship via submission in the final round. Holm has now lost not only her belt, but also her chance to be in the title picture.
UFC boss Dana White appeared on ESPN a few days after Holm's loss. White, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto, made it clear during that interview that he was less than pleased with Holm's manager Lenny Fresquez: "He's an old boxing guy who thinks he's smart, and he's not." White added, "I don't know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, 'Well, they got me this far.'"
Losing the championship to Tate was one thing. We may never know for sure how much money Holm lost by taking the Tate fight rather than either waiting for Rousey or waiting and then scheduling a fight against Tate or a different competitor for the UFC 200 show that will take place in July.
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Matt Harvey
4 of 10
It is no secret that New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey has struggled during the first month and a half of the 2016 season. Harvey, per David Waldstein of the New York Times, spoke with reporters about his poor start to the campaign after a recent defeat to the Colorado Rockies. "Certain pitches, it's fine," Harvey said. "Throughout the game, it's getting progressively worse."
Starting pitchers get into funks. It happens, just as it happens to other athletes across multiple sports. With Harvey, though, it is not as if he has merely been the victim of bad luck or has not received adequate run support. There are legitimate reasons for concern.
Harvey has not just begun the season with a 3-5 record. The ace known as "The Dark Knight" is giving up over seven hits a game. Harvey has a 4.93 ERA. He has yet to go further than six innings in any contest, and that includes a win over the San Diego Padres when Harvey struck out 10 batters.
There is, right now, no debate about whether New York manager Terry Collins would start Harvey for a one-and-done playoff game. Harvey would not only not get the ball, he may be fifth on the list behind Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz (if Matz is healthy) and beloved veteran Bartolo Colon.
It's still early into the season. The official start of summer is a month away. When, though, should the Mets begin to worry about Harvey? After 10 starts? On July 1? Whatever the date is, it's drawing uncomfortably closer for Mets fans.
Henrik Lundqvist
5 of 10
When it is time for a team to move on from a club legend? The New York Rangers may have to answer that question during the summer.
Nobody can deny what goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has meant to the Rangers over the past decade. That the Rangers have not won the Stanley Cup with Lundqvist on the roster is more of an indictment of the team's inability to build around him than it is any kind of statement about how Lundqvist has failed the Rangers.
Even the biggest Lundqvist fans out there, however, must stop pretending that Lundqvist did not just finish one of the worst seasons of his career.
His 2.48 GAA was the worst that he has posted throughout his career (h/t Hockey-Reference.com). Lundqvist was disappointing in New York's playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a series during which the Penguins had to turn to third-string goalie Matt Murray because of injury woes.
Yes, Lundqvist was unlucky to take an accidental stick to the eye during Game 1 of the series versus the Penguins, but he returned to the ice in Game 2 and helped the Rangers win that contest and tie the series. Thus, the stick to the eye shouldn't explain why Lundqvist gave up 4 goals on 18 shots before he was yanked from Game 4. Lundqvist was also pulled in Game 5 after he allowed six goals in two periods of play.
Joe Fortunato of SB Nation blog Blueshirt Banter wrote earlier this month that the Rangers have to at least consider listening to trade offers for Lundqvist. Fortunato is right. Lundqvist will be 35 years old next spring, and the 2015-16 Rangers were barely a playoff team. Those running the Rangers need to think with their heads and not their hearts as it pertains to Lundqvist's future.
Tim Duncan
6 of 10
Peyton Manning threw wounded ducks throughout his final season. Kobe Bryant was a shell of his former self during his final seasons in the NBA. Former Chelsea icon Frank Lampard literally cannot play in Major League Soccer as of May 2016.
The same thing finally happened to San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan. He got old.
As Alysha Tsuji of USA Today Sports/For the Win wrote after the Spurs were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a little sad to watch Duncan in what might be his final postseason series. Duncan had shots rejected. He was dunked on. The veteran of 19 NBA seasons seemed unable to keep up with the younger Thunder.
Duncan scored double-digit points in just one playoff game this spring, and those 19 points from Duncan in Game 6 of the Thunder series meant little, as San Antonio lost to OKC by 14.
Duncan was undeniably a once-in-a-generation talent. ESPN.com ranked him as the eighth-greatest player in NBA history back in February 2016. The five-time champion with the reputation of being the ultimate team player has been a three-time Finals MVP, a two-time league MVP and, as the ESPN piece referred to him, "the greatest franchise player in the modern game."
Nobody wants to be the one to shut the music off and announce that the party is over. The events of this spring showed that the party is over for Duncan. Duncan has given it all and done it all, and he can walk away from the NBA this summer without any regrets.
Eden Hazard
7 of 10
Remember when Eden Hazard was the best player in the Premier League? You should, because he held that distinction just a year ago. Hazard won PFA and Writers' Player of the Year honors for 2014-15, and there was no reason for anybody to believe last August that the attacking player who only turned 25 this past January wouldn't have another memorable campaign.
It didn't work out that way. Not only was Hazard a disappointment, he was, according to TheGuardian.com, one of the biggest flops of this past Premier League season.
Hazard did not open his Premier League account until he scored two goals against Bournemouth in April. Those goals occurred roughly a year after his tally versus Crystal Palace helped Chelsea clinch the league title.
In total, Hazard scored only four Premier League goals, all of which were netted in his final five league appearances.
Hazard dealt with hip and thigh injuries during the grueling European season, but those issues do not explain why the talented playmaker often looked out of sorts and disinterested during matches. Chelsea will not be in the Champions League next season, and it has to be assumed that some club that has earned European football will be in for Hazard's services during the summer transfer window.
Chelsea supporters should be happy to see Hazard depart the club following his woeful season.
Laremy Tunsil
8 of 10
We have good news for Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil—your 2016 probably can't get any worse.
Probably.
The lineman had been projected to be a top-ten pick in the 2016 NFL Draft up until roughly ten minutes before the official start of the draft. Tunsil's Twitter account then posted what is now an infamous video of the player wearing a gas mask while smoking from a bong (h/t ESPN.com). That video, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, resulted in the Baltimore Ravens removing Tunsil from the team's draft board.
The Ravens could have drafted Tunsil with the sixth overall pick.
Tunsil, who later explained to ESPN that his Twitter had been hacked, ultimately fell to pick No. 13 and the Miami Dolphins. That plummet cost Tunsil $7 million according to Schefter (h/t ESPN's Jamison Hensley).
Insult was added to financial injury when Tunsil's Instagram page was also allegedly hacked. That account posted text conversations that appeared to show Tunsil requesting money from an Ole Miss coach, a violation of NCAA rules.
Tunsil told reporters after he was drafted by the Dolphins that he did take money from an Ole Miss coach (h/t ESPN.com).
Tunsil was a superstar while at Ole Miss and had the physical tools to be the top pick of this draft class. What should have been the best night of his life will forever be tainted. How Tunsil responds in the months following the draft will determine far more than how he remembers 2016.
Michael Brantley
9 of 10
Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley was an All-Star in 2014. Brantley's numbers dipped slightly in 2015 (h/t Baseball-Reference.com), but he still had a solid year for an Indians team that fell short of making the postseason. Cleveland fans were hoping that Brantley could reclaim his 2014 form and become a pivotal part of a team capable of contending for a division title this year.
Instead, Brantley has barely been able to take the field.
Brantley began the season on the disabled list as he attempted to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He returned to the Cleveland lineup on April 25, and he played in only 11 games before he re-aggravated his shoulder. Any hopes that Brantley merely needed a few days off were squashed on May 17 when Jordan Bastian of MLB.com released, via Twitter, the following statement from the Indians:
"Michael Brantley had a follow up examination today with Dr. Craig Morgan in Wilmington, DE due to his recent onset of right shoulder discomfort. Dr. Morgan confirmed his diagnosis as subacromial impingement. Michael underwent an anti-inflammatory injection and will continue with a rehab program. No return to play time frame has been established.
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Did the Indians make a mistake in rushing Brantley back? Did the Tribe rush him back at all? Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com didn't think so.
"Should the Indians have shown more patience with Brantley? Hindsight screams yes. But at the same time they needed to find out if he was ready to play. As manager Terry Francona said Saturday morning, "There wasn't a reason to hold him back. If we operated under those scenarios, we might never play a game. You try to make the best decisions you can. Sometimes guys either don't feel well or get hurt. That's part of the game."
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That's all well and good, but all involved are gong to have regrets if Brantley misses significant time this summer.
Conor McGregor
10 of 10
The often-outspoken Conor McGregor entered 2016 as the king of the UFC.
McGregor, referred to as former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen this past December as "the biggest star in the sport" (h/t FOXSports.com), closed his 2015 out in impressive fashion when he defeated Jose Aldo in 13 seconds on December 12. That victory resulted in McGregor unifying the UFC Featherweight Championship, and it solidified McGregor's status as one of the biggest draws in all of MMA.
Things have not gone as well for McGregor during the first five months of 2016.
UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos suffering an injury in training forced Dos Anjos to pull out of a fight with McGregor this past February. Nate Diaz agreed to step in and fight McGregor on short notice, and Diaz and McGregor were scheduled to fight at welterweight in March.
McGregor dominated the first round of the encounter, and he even bloodied Diaz before the opening five minutes were up. It appeared, however, that McGregor had tired himself out by the end of the first round, and Diaz gained the upper hand before submitting McGregor in the second round of the bout.
The loss, on its own, wasn't a huge defeat for McGregor. It was, if nothing else, financially beneficial for the featherweight champion, as it led to the UFC planning a McGregor-Diaz rematch at UFC 200 in July.
Things began to get weird on April 19, however, when McGregor took to Twitter to inform the world that he had "decided to retire young" (h/t MMAJunkie.com). UFC president Dana White responded by appearing on SportsCenter and announcing that McGregor had been pulled from the UFC 200 show because McGregor refused to appear at a press conference in Las Vegas (h/t BloodyElbow.com).
We will probably see McGregor fighting in the UFC again at some point, if only because doing so will make McGregor a lot of money. But McGregor's reputation as an invincible fighter was erased due to the loss to Diaz, and White showed in removing McGregor from UFC 200 that no one fighter is bigger than the promotion.
What's next for McGregor? Will he eventually have a rematch with Diaz? Will the UFC force McGregor to defend his title or threaten to strip him of his championship? Is there anything to those rumors of McGregor and Floyd Mayweather meeting inside of a ring for a boxing match?
We'll be following to see if McGregor can make a return to the UFC mountaintop.
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