In light of the Essendon saga that has seen 34 past and present (12 current) Essendon players finding themselves with plenty of spare time on their hands in 2016, we thought it’d be worth taking a look at other sackings in the world of sport.
Here are the top 10 sportsmen who got sacked.
10. Dayle Garlett
Thrown a lifeline by Hawthorn at the end of last year it seemed Garlett could potentially overcome his demons, possibly even crack into the premiership team. But citing homesickness, he retired at the age of 20 before the start of the 2014 season. As Hawthorn celebrated their back-to-back flags a few months ago, Garlett was in prison after pleading guilty to two stealing charges, as well as aggravated burglary, committing an offence in a dwelling and receiving stolen goods. He’d done all this to feed a meth addiction he’d developed while trying to make it in the AFL.
9. Brendan Fevola
Where to begin? Punched up a barman in Ireland in 2006, gambled away most of his money, cheated on his wife with Lara Bingle, took a photo of Bingle naked in the shower which leaked to the media, fined $10,000 by Carlton for urinating on a nightclub window and traded by Carlton following his drunken Brownlow antics in 2009. His problems followed him to Brisbane, where he was invested by police after it was claimed he’d flashed a woman at a Brisbane park during a football clinic, but the final straw was his 2011 New Year’s Day arrest for public nuisance and obstructing police. Other than that he seems like a nice bloke.
8. Oscar Pistorius
The fastest man on no legs inspired the world when he raced against able-bodied men in the 2012 Olympics, but few will remember him for that effort. In 2013 he shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, dead through their toilet door, clamming to mistake her for an intruder. Despite many believing he knew what he was doing and that Steenkamp was leaving him, he was given a light sentance. He is now serving a five years sentence, but may get out long before that.
7. Tiger Woods
The world’s greatest golfer was an endorsement dream, a clean cut family man, who seemed as if he’d dominate the sport for decades to come. But that all ended the night he collected a fire hydrant, a tree and several hedges just outside his home – although if your wife was smashing in the car windows with a golf club you might hit a few things too. It emerged Woods may have had up to 120 affairs during his five year marriage, which his wife obviously considered well over par.
6. Todd Carney
Carney was booted out of three NRL teams for his drunken behaviour over the years, but his last sacking was perhaps the most impressive. There are a number of things I’ve done or said that I wished no one had ever seen, but pissing in my own mouth is definitely not one of them. It became harder to explain once video of his effort surfaced and Carney has decided it’s probably best he go play in France next year – maybe that’s a thing there?
5. Campbell Brown
Not blessed with the skill of some of his 2008 premiership team mates, Brown’s physicality made him an intimidating force – racking up 28 weeks of suspension over his career. Well known for his love of a good end of season footy trip, in 2013 after a few too many, Brown’s on field persona came out against Gold Coast team mate Steven May in Los Angeles. May needed two plates to repair his broken jaw, while Brown was told to continue his offseason indefinitely.
4. Wayne Carey
Labelled the King and known to act like it, it was famously said by his North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan to the playing group, that there was only one man on the team that could do whatever he liked and get away with it, and that was Carey – But I’m not sure sleeping with a teammates wife is what he meant.
It didn’t help that it was the wife of best friend and vice-captain Anthony Stevens and Carey resigned once the whole team stood up against him.
3. Michael Vick
The number one pick of the 2001 NFL draft, Vick was one of the games star players when it was discovered he was running a dog fighting ring at his house, where he also hanged and drowned dogs that didn’t perform. Vick served 21 months in jail for his crimes and filed for Bankruptcy in 2008. Vick has since come back and had a handy career in the NFL. He’s included on this list because, let’s face it, spending some of your prime playing years in prison can’t have been fun.
2. Aaron Hernandez
There are a number of ways you can get yourself fired and killing three people is definitely at the top of the list. A promising tight-end for the New England Patriots, Hernandez was let go after he was arrested in 2013 for the murder of Odin Lloyd and was later charged for his involvement in the 2012 killing of two other men. Hernadez is currently being held without bail.
