10 Athletes and Teams Who Will Want to Forget 2016
Fans needed sports more than ever for escapism in 2016. For some athletes and teams, those same games made the year especially miserable.
Sports provide fans with a fun diversion from life's real problems. For those who compete for a living, it's instead a highly demanding job with no place to hide. When enduring rough times, their troubles get magnified and consumed by a hungry audience.
An off day can quickly turn into a career-defining gaffe. When every move is filmed and rigorously dissected, it only takes one string of bad games or one incident on or off the field to sully someone's legacy.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Cubs would certainly object to erasing 2016 from memory. For their players and fans, decades of hardship paid off when they finally climbed the mountaintop, validating the teams' hard work and viewers' loyalty.
The following athletes and organizations, on the other hand, would appreciate a clean slate. Before allowing them to press the reset button, let's highlight those in the sporting universe who endured a difficult year.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 10
The Arizona Cardinals commenced 2016 in grand fashion, beating the Green Bay Packers in a wild 26-20 overtime win during the NFC Divisional Round. After procuring the most regular-season wins (13) and highest point differential (plus-176) in franchise history, they stood one triumph away from reaching their second Super Bowl.
They were instead trounced by the Carolina Panthers in a 49-15 loss from which they have not recovered.
Carson Palmer culminated a career year by throwing four interceptions, and his turnover troubles have resurfaced through a disappointing 2016 campaign. The 36-year-old quarterback has thrown 11 picks in as many games while coughing up seven fumbles. Once the NFL's most potent passing offense, his yards per pass attempt average have fizzled from 8.70 to 7.02.
Despite David Johnson's 1,709 yards from scrimmage and the defense's NFC-best 297.3 yards allowed per game, the Cardinals are gasping for their postseason lives at 5-6-1. They have especially underwhelmed on the road, going 1-4 away from University of Phoenix Stadium with only a three-point victory over the San Francisco 49ers to show in the win column.
This is particularly concerning because they close the season with three of their final four games on the road, including a Christmas Eve matchup against the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.
A top Super Bowl contender entering the season, Arizona is now likely to miss the postseason altogether. Furthermore, the franchise must reopen questions about its future passer as several key defenders enter free agency.
Matt Harvey
2 of 10
Matt Harvey's 2016 started in crude fashion, as tabloids gleefully mocked the pitcher as he dealt with blood clots in his bladder. Justifiably upset at the New York Post turning a serious health scare into a joke, he refused to talk to the media before his Opening Day start and World Series rematch against the Kansas City Royals.
“He was scared,” Mets manager Terry Collins told the New York Daily News' Kristie Ackert. “We were all scared for him. And to see everyone make a joke out of it ... yeah, he’s mad. He’s not the only one who is.”
Although his blood clots passed, the ace struggled mightily on the mound. Entering the season with a 2.53 career ERA, he relinquished a 4.86 ERA through 17 uncharacteristically subpar outings. He compiled just 76 strikeouts over 92.2 innings and allowed 111 hits.
Something seemed off, but Harvey and the team couldn't figure out what was causing his issues until the 27-year-old was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in July. Per ESPN.com's Adam Rubin, the ailment "involves muscles in the neck and shoulder impinging a nerve in his right shoulder." Doctors removed a rib in his season-ending procedure.
"I'm extremely disappointed to learn that I'll be out for the season, but I'm relieved to have answers and get back to doing what I love," Harvey wrote on Twitter. "I hope you'll understand if I stay out of touch & stick to the business of getting healthy."
The talented hurler also missed all of 2014 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he spent most of 2015 dealing with backlash over an anticipated innings limit he ignored during New York's playoff push. He can use a quiet 2017 in which he pitches well without any surrounding media circuses.
Hope Solo
3 of 10
Falling short on the worldwide stage is bad enough, but Hope Solo then watched her career as the United States' goalie come to an unceremonious end.
A heavy favorite to win its fourth consecutive gold medal, the United States women's national team instead suffered a stunning quarterfinals loss to Sweden. Solo did not handle the defeat gracefully. Per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, she attacked the victor's conservative approach engineered by coach Pia Sundhage, who employed the same tactics for the U.S. from 2008 to 2012:
"I thought that we played a courageous game. I thought that we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down; I'm very proud of this team.
I also think we played a bunch of cowards. But, you know, the best team did not win today; I strongly, firmly believe that. I think you saw America's heart. You saw us give everything that we had today. Unfortunately the better team didn't win.
"
As a result of the unsportsmanlike remarks, the U.S. national team suspended her for six months and terminated her contract. A distraught Solo ended her season with the Seattle Reign.
Instead of cementing her legacy with her third Olympic gold medal, the 35-year-old dragged her already damaged reputation into the mud, as detailed in a story by ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada. The women's national team is best served by moving on for good.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Arizona Diamondbacks
4 of 10
The Arizona Diamondbacks laid the groundwork for a horrific 2016 last December, but they spent the entire year watching their poor decisions backfire.
Eager to make a statement, they signed starting pitcher Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million contract. Although he posted a microscopic 1.66 ERA in 2015, they took a major risk in making the now 33-year-old righty baseball's highest-paid player by annual salary.
Moving from the Los Angeles Dodgers' friendly home park to an unforgiving Chase field, his ERA ballooned to 4.37.
Their pursuit of pitching also led them to Shelby Miller, whom the Diamondbacks acquired from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair. As terrible as it looked at the time, it's now way worse.
A solid young starter for the St. Louis Cardinals and Braves, Miller relinquished 72 runs in 101 abysmal innings after joining the Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, Swanson quickly rose to the majors while Inciarte's Gold Glove defense led him to accrue 3.6 WAR, per FanGraphs.
The D'Backs could have used Inciarte when A.J. Pollock—an emerging star who hit .315 with 20 homers and 39 steals during a breakout 2015—fractured his elbow right before the 2016 season began. Their preseason buzz quickly dwindled, and they finished 69-93 with an MLB-worst 5.5 runs allowed per game.
Before the organization uprooted its front office and diminished his role, former Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa defended the Miller trade to Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro:
"How many front offices, if you polled the other 29, how many would have questioned it or said it was a bad deal? At the same time that we were hearing the criticisms, I was also hearing from people that I knew personally saying, ‘Hey, man, we know where you were coming from. We were interested in Shelby, as well.’
"
In a preseason poll conducted by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, 20 of 35 baseball executives identified Atlanta's haul as the offseason's best trade. The Diamondbacks will need new management to join the 21st century to save the franchise from more losing years.
Jon Jones
5 of 10
Jon Jones also would have made this list last year following a hit-and-run incident in April, which caused the UFC to suspend and strip him of his light heavyweight title. He returned a year later to defeat Ovince Saint Preux in UFC 197 and reclaim his title as interim champion, but he's once again sidelined and without his prized possession.
Shortly before a monumental UFC 200 pegged as the promotion's biggest event ever, Jones was pulled from his scheduled title-unification fight against Daniel Cormier after a potential doping violation. Later in November, the United States Anti-Doping Agency suspended him for a year, retroactive to July 6, after testing positive for clomiphene and letrozole.
Nevertheless, Jones expressed vindication in an official statement, per ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto:
"Although I was hopeful for a better outcome in the USADA ruling today I am very respectful of the process in which they allowed me to defend myself. I have always maintained my innocence and I am very happy I have been cleared in any wrongdoing pursuant to the allegations made that I had intentionally taken a banned substance. I am pleased that in USADA's investigation they determined I was 'not a cheater of the sport.'
"
The 29-year-old now must again return from a lengthy suspension to regain his crown and restore his legacy. In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, via MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, he opened up about addressing his unhealthy usage of alcohol and marijuana.
"I feel better now today than I did when I was beating everybody’s ass and sponsored by the world," Jones said. "I literally feel better today because I feel I’ve conquered a lot of demons in my personal life.”
His UFC career isn't over yet, but he must first silence those demons outside the ring and worry about his return to fighting glory later.
Cincinnati Bengals
6 of 10
The Cincinnati Bengals opened 2016 with their fifth straight playoff ticket in hand. Having started 10-2, this season felt different. Until Andy Dalton suffered a season-ending thumb injury.
Led by second-string quarterback A.J. McCarron, the Bengals still nearly knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening round. They scored all 16 of their points in the final quarter, taking a lead over their AFC North foes with 1:50 minutes remaining.
Then they orchestrated one of the worst self-inflicted collapses ever.
Forget the Jeremy Hill fumble that gave the Steelers an extra life. Mistakes happen. There's no excuse, however, for Vontaze Burfict's reckless late hit on Antonio Brown—who missed the Steelers' next game with a concussion—and another 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Adam Jones.
Both needless infractions set up Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell to hit a game-winning field goal, once again eliminating Cincinnati in the first round.
"This is a game that could have set the league back to 1816," a solemn Jim Nantz said on the live CBS broadcast following the Bengals' 18-16 loss (h/t CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson).
"It was a sad day for the NFL," CBS broadcast partner Phil Simms added.
The Bengals won't have a chance for redemption this postseason. At 4-7-1, they need to win all four of their final games—including bouts against the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens—and receive loads of outside help to keep their playoff streak intact.
Even after halting a four-game win drought against the Philadelphia Eagles, they look down for the count without star wide receiver A.J. Green. Let's see if they will at least go out with a semblance of dignity this time.
Draymond Green
7 of 10
Unlike his listmates, Draymond Green soared to new heights in 2016, setting career highs in points (14.0), rebounds (9.5) and assists (7.4) per game as the Golden State Warriors registered a record-high 73 regular-season victories in 2015-16. He received All-NBA Second Team honors and nearly inked himself to immortality with an incredible Game 7 performance (32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists) in the NBA Finals.
For all the good, he also cost Golden State dearly when targeting LeBron James' groin during Game 4, prompting a one-game suspension.
In an offseason he'd truly like to forget, he was arrested on assault charges in East Lansing, Michigan in July. Later that month, he accidentally shared a lewd photo on Snapchat.
In an ESPN The Magazine feature of the forward before the 2016-17 season began, Ethan Sherwood Strauss addressed growing concern of his temper.
"Herein lies the paradox of the perfectly constructed squad: It's built on ground that roils with lava—and on the back of a man who has become increasingly unpredictable, emboldened and unaccountable."
In the past week, Green has kicked James Harden and Marquese Chriss. Neither resembled anything close to a natural basketball play, but the 26-year-old is painting himself as the victim on Twitter.
His scoring efficiency has also taken a tailspin this season, as he holds a 41.2 field-goal percentage with a 27.4 percent conversion rate from downtown. Although he remains an immensely important distributor and defender, his waning shooting and questionable decision-making on and off the court could put him in danger of losing his newly earned star billing.
Maria Sharapova
8 of 10
Maria Sharapova's 2016 began in typical fashion when she lost to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The former has not beaten the latter since 2004, so that's nothing out of the ordinary.
That turned out to be the highlight of her year.
The five-time Grand Slam champion received a two-year drug ban in June after testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced the suspension to 15 months, making her eligible for a 2017 French Open return.
"In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back, Sharapova wrote in a Facebook post after news broke of the shortened suspension. "Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court."
Yet, the reduced punishment is still harsh for a substance she said she has taken for 10 years to counteract a magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes. Formerly the world's highest-paid female athlete, Sharapova is now out of the spotlight and unranked.
After losing a chunk of her prime playing days, she will return around her 30th birthday. Sharapova will likely relish her reinstatement, until she next encounters Williams.
Washington Wizards
9 of 10
Following two consecutive second-round playoff appearances, the Washington Wizards had the makings of an NBA franchise on the rise. The explosive young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal gave them hope for a bright future, perhaps one good enough to recruit hometown star Kevin Durant.
Those plans quickly unraveled when they missed the playoffs in 2015-16. The stench of a middling 41-41 campaign prevented them from getting a meeting with the free-agent forward, who instead made the Warriors a true super team.
"The very thing that was supposed to give Wizards fans hope may have cost them their future," The Ringer's Chris Almeida wrote of the team's Durant pursuit. "They put all their eggs in a basket with no bottom."
They didn't leave the offseason empty-handed. Signed to a four-year, $64 million contract, center Ian Mahinmi has played one game due to a knee injury. He returned on Nov. 26 to record one point, one rebound and three fouls over 14 minutes, only to miss Washington's next four contests.
Instead of bouncing back this season, the Wizards are sinking even deeper. After narrowly beating the Brooklyn Nets Monday night, they're 7-12 with a 2-7 record on the road. Only the 5-15 Nets and 4-17 Philadelphia 76ers have holstered fewer wins in the Eastern Conference.
Wall and Beal, ages 26 and 23 respectively, have plenty of time to turn the tide back around. Yet, the team's progress has taken a major detour in 2016, and it can no longer hold out hope for an MVP savior.
New York Jets
10 of 10
The New York Jets apparently think 2016 already ended.
They packed their bags and ended their season early, leaving listless vessels to play out all 60 embarrassing minutes of Monday night's 41-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck picked apart a once-potent Jets secondary, going 22-of-28 for 278 passing yards and four touchdowns, three to tight end Dwayne Allen.
T.Y. Hilton became the latest wide receiver to escape Revis Island, finishing the evening with nine catches for 146 yards. Formerly their defensive linchpin, cornerback Darrelle Revis is suddenly turning into a liability for the league's No. 23-ranked passing defense.
After leading them to a 10-6 record last year, Ryan Fitzpatrick loomed as their top offseason priority. Following a lengthy process, the Jets eventually brought back the veteran quarterback, only to watch him unravel and reopen their search for a qualified passer.
The 34-year-old has completed a horrific 57.0 percent of his passes, the league's third-worst mark ahead of Cam Newton (54.7) and Colin Kaepernick (54.0). Yet he has also surrendered 14 interceptions while only throwing 10 touchdowns, giving him an NFL-worst 70.7 quarterback rating.
At 3-9, the Jets can't let him torpedo the offense any longer. Per the team's official Twitter page, head coach Todd Bowles committed to Bryce Petty starting the final four games. After nearly making the playoffs last year before a Fitzpatrick Week 17 meltdown cost them a wild-card spot, they now have nothing to play for but draft positioning this December.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
