The Top 20 Worst Teammates in NFL History
In the history of the NFL, with so many gifted athletes, comes some giant-sized egos as well. With those egos comes a feeling of entitlement or me-first attitudes, and the concept of being part of a team is a distant second.
Those players often have trouble sticking with one team for very long, and keep bouncing around from one team to another, because they simply aren't good for team chemistry in the locker room.
Let's identify what exactly makes for a bad teammate. He is somebody that doesn't hesitate to throw his teammates, coaches or owners under the bus. He does what he can to avoid practice, hold out for more money, and is a constant distraction to the rest of his team.
Some players are bad teammates off the field, as their actions result in a suspension that ultimately hurts the team. Other players are bad teammates on the field or in the locker room, where they have punched out fellow teammates.
We will attempt to identify who these bad teammates are: The players that just couldn't quite get the handle on the big picture, and were only able to see things through their own distorted view.
Willis McGahee
1 of 20
The Buffalo Bills invested a first-round draft pick in 2003 on Willis McGahee, knowing that his knee surgery was severe enough that he would miss the entire 2003 season. The Bills thought that much of McGahee that they were willing to use their first-round pick on a guy that wouldn't even play for a year.
McGahee returned in 2004, and proceeded to have two-straight 1,000-yard plus seasons, which justified the Bills thinking that he could be special. He was on his way to a third-straight 1,000-yard season, but McGahee decided it was in his best interests to leave the Bills.
So he started up a campaign where he trashed Buffalo, until the Bills had no choice but to trade him away to Baltimore for draft picks.
This is an example of the me-first attitude, where McGahee basically said to his teammates: "Screw you guys. I am doing what is best for me".
That is just one example of how a team can be hurt by players that have their own agendas. McGahee is a fine example of a bad teammate.
Before we get to McGahee trashing the city, it should be duly noted that he fathered three children in Buffalo during his first two years with the team. So he came home and played video games? Right...
From the Baltimore Sun: “I’ve grown a whole lot,” McGahee says. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been five years since college. Coming from Miami, I was used to partying, going out, just having something to do every night. Restaurants, whatever.
"Going to Buffalo, it was like hitting a brick wall. Like, ‘Damn!’ Can’t go out, can’t do nothing. There’s an Applebee’s, a TGI Friday’s, and they just got a Dave & Buster's. They got that, and I’m like, ‘What the?’ And, you know, the women …
“You see, when I was in college that’s what I used to thrive off of,” the 25-year-old says. “The better you do, the more fame you get. So you know, it was like, I was used to that. And then you get to Buffalo and no matter how you do, it’s the same. It’s no big city. You know what I did every day? I came home and played video games."
Adam "Pac Man" Jones
2 of 20
When I googled NFL players arrested, an article popped up from 2006 via the Washington Post that listed the 41 NFL players arrested that year. There were three names that had multiple appearances on the list; Adam Jones, Chris Henry and Terry "Tank" Johnson.
On the surface, 41 players out of a universe of roughly 1,700 players comes down to 4 percent of the players making headlines for the wrong reasons. Those, of course, become overblown in the media, because there are many NFL players that are tremendous role models with all of the charitable work they do in their communities.
Kids look up to NFL players as role models, no matter how crazy that concept is to grasp. The thought of Pac-Man Jones as a role model is just plain scary.
Drafted in 2005, he holds out of training camp. He gets arrested in 2005 (assault, vandalism and obstruction of justice), arrested in 2006 (disorderly conduct, public intoxication and misdemeanor assault). In 2007, more of the same (felony coercion, battery, and misdemeanor out of threat to life). He was suspended by Roger Goodell for a stretch of 22 out of 28 games.
There are more incidents in 2007 and 2008, but I won't bore you with the details. Tennessee gave Jones away to Dallas just to be rid of him. Despite ex-NFL greats Jim Brown, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders offering their help, Dallas dumped him after one season.
He is out of football in 2009 and signs with the Bengals in 2010. Neck injuries have now ended his last two NFL seasons, but can he stay out of trouble long enough for a team to count on him?
Travis Henry
3 of 20
Travis Henry had a problem with drugs and women. These problems took control over what should have been a promising NFL career. Henry was given chances to be an integral part of the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He wound up letting down all three teams.
Henry had a drug problem that culminated in a three-year sentence for cocaine distribution. His problem with women resulted in being the father to 11 different children by 10 different women. His attorney estimates that Henry is responsible for $170,000 in child support payments per year.
Henry turned in three different 1,000-yard plus seasons during his career, two with Buffalo and one with Tennessee. When he got to Denver, the Broncos signed him to a multi-year deal looking forward to him joining their traditionally-strong running attack.
But according to coach Mike Shanahan: "We did not feel his commitment to the Broncos was enough to warrant a spot on this football team, He’s just too inconsistent as a person. I’m not going to get into details what he did do or didn’t do. If you don’t do the little things, obviously you can’t count on somebody. So that’s why he’s released.”
Part of being a good teammate is being reliable and accountable to your organization. For the worst teammates, the opposite is also true.
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Terrell Owens
4 of 20
Terrell Owens is one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the NFL. While the statistical evidence is there to back up that claim, it can also be said that he is one of the worst teammates in the history of the NFL.
So far Owens has managed to wear the uniform of five different NFL teams, with the distinct possibility of adding a sixth different uniform to his portfolio when the 2011 NFL season finally begins. In his career to date, Owens played for San Francisco (eight years), Philadelphia (two), Dallas (three), Buffalo (one) and Cincinnati (one).
The biggest problem isn't his on-field performance. It is that he keeps burning bridges. Yes, Owens demands the ball and he wants to win. We all get that.
But you would think that since he has experienced 15 seasons in the NFL he would have figured out that the best way to secure your longevity with a team is not to verbally assault your quarterbacks, coaches and offensive coordinators during the middle of a game.
Owens is as talented as they come, but his selfish attitude and inability to put his teams' needs ahead of his own has prevented him from sticking anywhere. Until he can change these fundamental problems, he will continue to jump from team to team until his body says it is time to retire.
Bill Romanowski
5 of 20
If you take enough steroids, you can have arms like Bill Romanowski. If you take enough steroids, you can start doing wacky things like developing crazy mood swings so that you are totally out of control.
Romanowski admitted to steroid usage from BALCO's lab. The results of his on-the-field issues are lengthy, so here is an excerpt from Romanowski's Wikipedia entry to give you a better idea.
Romanowski has been involved in numerous altercations with both teammates and opponents. In 1995, while with the Eagles, he was ejected from a game—and subsequently fined $4,500—for kicking Arizona Cardinals fullback Larry Centers in the head.
Two more incidents occurred during the 1997 season while he played for the Broncos: In the first, he was fined $20,000 after a helmet-to-helmet hit on Kerry Collins that resulted in a broken jaw for Collins.
In the second, Romanowski spat in the face of 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes. Two years later, while still with the Broncos, he was fined a total of $42,500 for three illegal hits plus a punch thrown at Tony Gonzalez, and he was also fined an undisclosed amount for throwing a football at Bryan Cox, hitting him in the crotch with the ball.
But the worst example of why Romanowski was a bad teammate was in 2003, when he injured his own teammate Marcus Williams of the Oakland Raiders.
Romanowski attacked and injured Williams during a scrimmage. Williams, who was a backup tight end, was forced to retire after Romanowski confronted Williams after a play, ripped off his helmet, and crushed his eye socket with one punch.
Steve Smith
6 of 20
There is no doubt that Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers is a talented wide receiver. There is also little doubt that if you are his teammate and he is upset with you for any reason, you need to cover up your nose.
So far, Smith has broken the noses of two teammates in fights. The first time was Anthony Bright in 2002 and then it was Ken Lucas in 2008.
Wonder what it would be like if Smith got in to a heated debate on the field with Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski?
Over his career, Smith has suffered a broken leg and then broke his arm twice within a year. The second time was playing flag football last summer, prior to the start of the 2010 season.
The Panthers have to figure out if they want to pay Smith the $7 million he has coming this year, or if they want to trade him while they are rebuilding with Cam Newton.
Newton better hope he is on his best behavior, because one thing he doesn't want to do is get into a yelling match with Steve Smith. He might not be flashing that million-dollar smile afterwards.
Brandon Marshall
7 of 20
The Miami Herald compiled a summary of Brandon Marshall's legal troubles which is quite lengthy. Trouble either follows Brandon Marshall wherever he goes, or he has a way of bringing it to the forefront.
He was already suspended once before when he was with the Denver Broncos. That was a three-game suspension that occurred in 2008.
Now with the Miami Dolphins, Marshall is married, but that didn't stop his wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall from stabbing him.
We are only left to wonder what he did that led to her to being so angry that she felt the need to stab him. There is at least three different occasions that Marshall was involved in domestic abuse or battery against females.
Whenever the NFL lockout is lifted, it would not be a surprise to see Roger Goodell investigate the Marshall stabbing incident and determine if another suspension is warranted, according to the Daily Dolphin Blog.
Some people just have a hard time getting the big picture. Brandon Marshall appears to be one of those people.
LenDale White
8 of 20
LenDale White: In shape football star on the right half of the picture, while at USC. LenDale White: Fat slob pictured on the left, showing how he has come to terms with being a professional athlete with the Tennessee Titans.
During his rookie season in Tennessee, White spit in the face of teammate Donnie Nickey. Despite the Titans having one of the best records in football, White would routinely complain to reporters that he wasn't getting enough carries.
There is a blog report that he admitted to the media after one game that he stopped paying attention because the team wasn't using him.
Then there was his Terrible Towel-stomping incident in 2008 that embarrassed most of his teammates with the cameras rolling.
The Titans minimized the damage that White could cause by trading him to Seattle in April 2010. When USC coach Pete Carroll learned that White had failed a drug test and was going to be suspended, he waived him one month later.
White then had a number of disparaging remarks about Carroll, just making sure that he burned that one solid bridge forever.
Three months later, White signed on with Denver only to miss the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. I wonder if the tear occurred because of the extra strain placed on it by his girth?
Kellen Winslow Jr.
9 of 20
Kellen Winslow Jr. was the sixth overall pick in the 2004 by the Cleveland Browns. His college coach at Miami, Butch Davis, happened to be the head guy at Cleveland, so they would be reunited, and seemingly have a bright future together.
Winslow unfortunately broke his leg in the second game of his rookie season, and was lost for the year.
The Browns looked forward to his second year, but that is when Winslow pulled a very selfish stunt on his teammates by riding on a motorcycle and hitting a curb that resulted in a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire season.
The stupid stunt hurt him financially, but it cost the team a valuable weapon on offense for the entire year. His contract prevented him from engaging in dangerous activities like this, (there was even a clause about riding motorcycles in his contract with Cleveland), but he placed his needs over that of his team.
For that selfish act, he qualifies as a member of the bad teammate team.
Jeff George
10 of 20
Jeff George. Just seeing a picture of him, it brings back all of the memories of his constant complaining on the sidelines or on the field to anyone that he thought would actually listen to anything he had to say.
The Jeff George carousel began in 1990 with the Indianapolis Colts and finally came to a merciful end with the Oakland Raiders in 2006. In between, there were stops at Atlanta, Oakland, Minnesota, Washington, Seattle, Chicago, before coming back to Oakland for the final pit stop.
Why did George keep bouncing around from one team to another? Sure, he had a cannon for an arm, and people can always use a strong-armed quarterback. But George excelled at wearing out his welcome, and ticking teammates and coaches off. He is as arrogant as they come and keeps people at a distance.
For some unique insight in to George, I enjoyed this ESPN article about him that I share with everyone.
In another article that I came across from the New York Times in doing research, George really destroyed his image early on with the Colts.
Here is an excerpt: "He was accused of ridiculing his offensive linemen in Indianapolis. On national television one night last season, he completely undressed Colts rookie receiver Sean Dawkins for dropping a pass.
"He sat out training camp last year without offering an explanation. He seemed petulant and cocky and arrogant. Someone in Indianapolis said that the problem with Jeff George was that "he couldn't see the forest for the me's."
Keyshawn Johnson
11 of 20
"Throw me the damn ball": Young, brash, cocky, and overconfident would be reasonable ways to describe the young Keyshawn Johnson that left USC for the NFL.
Leaving Southern California for the Big Apple, Johnson kept his name in the spotlight by writing his book during his rookie year. In 2000, the Jets were convinced he was about to hold out, so they traded him away to Tampa Bay, in essence saying: "He's your problem now, take him off of our hands, please."
Tampa Bay was able to win a Super Bowl in 2002, but his relationship with Jon Gruden quickly soured and Gruden de-activated Johnson for the final seven games of the 2003 season. C'mon, man!!
So, Tampa Bay trades him to Dallas in 2004 and they let him leave in free agency. He signs a four-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, who promptly released him one year later.
You may recall that was the year that Johnson was part of the live ESPN draft coverage team, and he recommended that the Panthers should draft a young wide receiver. They did, and within a month, Johnson was out of work. He then retired from the NFL for good. C'mon, man !!
Sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut. Sometimes your arrogance and brash attitude stays with you even after you have changed. Others might say what comes around, goes around.
Michael Vick
12 of 20
I am glad to see that Michael Vick has been turning his life around and taking steps to raise his public perception. Having said that, this is still an article that is looking back at history, and from a historical perspective, Vick pulled some stuff that qualifies him for the worst teammate list.
Vick was so popular that he quickly became the face of the Atlanta Falcons franchise. Any time you saw some kind of live film coverage of anything in Atlanta, you would always see the little kids, as well as the adults, wearing a Vick jersey.
Due to the shameful dog-fighting scandal, Vick let down the Falcons team, all the Falcons fans, and himself down in the process, which is a crying shame, not to mention all the damage done to the innocent dogs.
He conducted this side business for his personal gain, and although the business was morally wrong, Vick continued to prosper in it until he got caught. This will go down as one of the more selfish, tasteless acts committed by a NFL player.
Addressing the football side of Vick, there was an interesting interview of QB coach Steve Mariucci on USA Today. Among some of the highlights from the article:
"Sloppy mechanics stunted Vick's development in Atlanta. Vick has talked of his poor work habits with the Falcons. He was coached just as hard by (Greg) Knapp in Atlanta," Mariucci says. "But the coach can only do so much.
"In Atlanta, Vick had back-to-back 100-rated games just once, in November 2005 when he was forced to play more from the pocket because of a leg injury. In Atlanta, he cut corners and you could see that on the field."
The basic argument is that Vick took his natural God-given talents and didn't work very hard at trying to improve or refine his game. He decided to just react to plays as he faced them, which is reminiscent now of Cam Newton.
Ryan Leaf
13 of 20
From the second overall draft pick in 1998, to the end of his NFL career after the 2002 season, Ryan Leaf was certainly a very bad teammate. Self-centered, high-ego, fly off the handle personality, Leaf offered up an interesting set of personality traits that were explosive and non-endearing to his teammates.
It didn't help that Leaf turned out to have one of the worst rookie seasons in recent history. According to his Wikipedia entry, Leaf played in 10 games in 1998, and threw two touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, passing for 1,289 yards and had a 45.3 percent completion rate, with a ridiculous QB passer rating of 39. It is not surprising, given his level of play, that he became so combustible.
Leaf started blaming everyone around him, his teammates, the media and even the fans. His next target was his General Manager, Bobby Beathard. Leaf seemed to be adept at throwing interceptions and getting hurt. By the end of his third year, he was cut.
He tried to cut it with Tampa Bay and Dallas, but injuries prevented him passing their team physicals. He played with Seattle for a cup of coffee, but that ended poorly as well.
When his career stats were all accounted for, he threw 14 touchdowns compared to 36 interceptions.
He tried to coach football for awhile but was accused of stealing pain medication from his players. He went into a drug rehab program in Canada, and has been off the grid ever since.
Simeon Rice
14 of 20
If you check out a little biography piece that Simeon Rice created, you will note that he walks to the beat of his own drummer. And how. If there is one thing that Rice never lacked, it was self-confidence. Buckets and buckets of self-confidence.
It is a shame though that Rice continues to work out in hopes of one more crack at NFL glory, but he can't find an NFL general manager that will give him the time of day. If you make enough people mad, word eventually will circulate that you are trouble, and people will start distancing themselves.
Rice was the second fastest player in NFL history to record 100 sacks behind Reggie White. Yet, with all of his physical skills and talent, he can't master the art of learning how to be a good teammate. But to his credit, he does have the art of learning how to be a bad teammate.
Rice had made some rather weak remarks about teammate Pat Tillman on the Jim Rome show. Rice is known for being a constant complainer.
He never got the respect that he felt he deserved, and he was not afraid to let people know about that. Maybe that is why so many of his calls go unanswered. He has been out of the NFL since 2007.
Randy Moss
15 of 20
Randy Moss made three stops around the NFL in 2010, and it remains to be seen where he will go in 2011, but it sounds like none of his old employers want him back. He has plenty of supporters out there, who prefer to remember him as he once was.
The problem is that they fail to see that he has trouble getting in and out of breaks like he used to and his game has been going down.
Moss had a huge rookie year. That much success that fast, usually leads to a swelled head, it is hard to avoid that. As time goes by, the player seems to think that he is above the rules that apply to everyone else on the team, and they just simply get out of control.
But what about the worst teammate concept? For starters, some time has passed since he made the statement, but some may recall the Moss quote: "I play when I want to play."
We all recall the incident last year where Moss openly slandered his head coach for the Vikings, Brad Childress, while heaping praise on ex-coach Bill Belichick, and talking about how great an organization the Patriots are. Talk about a way to make enemies of your teammates fast.
His practice efforts leave much to be desired, which then rubs off on the younger receivers that look to him for advice and copy his play.
In the Yahoo Sports article we mentioned above, Childress went on to say the following about Moss: "We want good people who are good football players. He just doesn’t fit with how we treat people, how we talk to people and how we act.”
Michael Westbrook
16 of 20
Before Michael Westbrook got into Mixed Martial Arts, he played football for the Washington Redskins.
On one occasion, he decided it was time to put his ground-and-pound moves to work, so he went to the side mount and launched a vicious attack on Stephen Davis. You will notice the people standing around in the background.
Apparently, the way that the story goes, everybody was so stunned by what was happening that the pounding went on for some time before anybody stopped it.
If you happen to go to Sherdog.com, you will find out that his MMA record is 1-1 with one no-contest due to a groin strike. That would seem to be another way to be one of the worst teammates in the NFL.
Plaxico Burress
17 of 20
In a story run by faniq.com, during his New York Giants' career, wide receiver Plaxico Burress was fined between 40-50 times for being late for practice or team meetings. The reasons why he was so tardy? Apparently, the word is that he is very lazy and hates to practice.
The unwillingness to practice and being constantly fined is not what one would refer to as setting the proper precedent for being a good teammate.
Then we move on to the more serious stuff that Burress has pulled. In case you forgot about the incident where Burress accidentally shot himself, here is the initial report from nj.com.
Then there was the whole deal with teammate Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress that night and trying to figure out how to cover up for Burress, and not get in trouble himself. Just the sort of thing you want to do to a teammate.
It will be interesting to see what team signs Burress this off-season, and if he is still as lazy as ever about practice, or if he somehow got a change of heart about things like that from his time in the big house.
Chad Ochocinco
18 of 20
Chad Ochocinco has been a pretty entertaining wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. Entertaining to the NFL fans, that is. Maybe not so entertaining if you happen to be his teammate or if you happen to own the team.
We all know that Chad Ochocinco is quite outspoken. Nothing new there. But he has decided to write a book called, "Ocho Cinco." Catchy title, isn't it? In the book, Ochocinco criticizes Bengals management.
He has challenged Solomon Wilcots of the NFL Network to a fight over critical remarks.
Ochocinco has openly talked about playing for the Patriots, or other teams, even though he is still under contract to the Bengals. As it stands now, Ochocinco will be receiving $6 million in 2011. But he keeps his mouth running as if the contract doesn't exist.
Granted, he wants out of Cincinnati, but for every teammate that is planning to return to the Bengals, it has to be painful to watch players rip the team and the coach left and right.
Freddie Mitchell
19 of 20
Freddie Mitchell was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. In Philadelphia, they used to have a name for him. It was Freddie "No Hands" Mitchell.
But Mitchell, being the confident NFL player that he was, came up with his own nicknames. "The People's Champ," "FredEx" and "First-Down Freddie."
You might remember Mitchell as the guy that would always call out Donovan McNabb, and be ready to throw him under the bus. He would always be upset that McNabb wasn't throwing the ball to him enough, but if Mitchell might have caught more passes, perhaps McNabb would have trusted Mitchell more.
Mitchell was never unsure of his own talents. As out-spoken as he could be, Mitchell would come up with some crazy quotes, such as:"I'd like to thank my hands for being so great."
But there is one more reason we need to have Mitchell in this slide show. One of the things you hope to do in your career is to have a chance at winning a ring. The other thing you don't want to do is give your opponent extra ammunition to get fired up for the game.
Mitchell proceeded to blast the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick in an interview prior to Super Bowl 39. Needless to say, the Eagles are still looking for their first Super Bowl win, and Mitchell is still looking for someone to believe how great he was.
Albert Haynesworth
20 of 20
We close out the presentation with one of the stranger, and richer, worst teammates in NFL recent history, Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins.
Haynesworth could have signed his $100 million deal with the Redskins, been a good soldier, and tried to make the best of his situation. But instead, he decided to do everything he could to make life miserable for the Redskins organization, his coaches and teammates.
He came to camp fat and out of shape. He constantly complained about the defensive schemes. He didn't produce despite receiving inordinate sums of money.
For many years, Haynesworth will be the poster boy for bad deals and what can happen when you overpay a free agent.
This deal should really make other NFL general managers and owners alike to think long and hard before they ever enter in to any kind of similar deal down the road.
We will see how long their memories are when we hit free agency in 2011.
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