American Football (Gridiron)
| Name | Team when arrested | Offense | Sentence | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bennett | cut/retired | wire fraud | 15 months | ||
| Plaxico Burress | New York Giants | Attempted criminal possession of a weapon | 2 years | Conviction was a plea bargain for an incident in which Burress accidentally shot himself in a nightclub. Eligible for parole in April 2011; released June 7, 2011. | |
| Billy Cannon | Retired | Counterfeiting | 5 years | Served 2½ years. Had been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame before his conviction in 1983, but the Hall rescinded the honor before his scheduled induction. The Hall elected him a second time in 2008 and he was inducted at that time. | |
| Rae Carruth | Carolina Panthers | conspiracy to commit murder | 24 years | Projected Release Date October 22, 2018 | |
| Cecil Collins | Miami Dolphins | burglary | 15 years | Current release date, July 16, 2014 May face further imprisonment in Louisiana after release from Florida prison. | |
| Dwayne Goodrich | Dallas Cowboys | criminally negligent homicide | 12½ years | Hit and run accident. Eligible for parole in 2009. | |
| Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson | retired (from Dallas Cowboys) | sexual assault, bribery | 4 years, eight months | released after serving 28 months | |
| Darryl Henley | Los Angeles Rams | drug trafficking, attempted conspiracy to commit murder | 41 years | expected release date: March 28, 2031 | |
| Travis Henry | Free agent, recently released from Denver Broncos | Drug trafficking | 3 years | served two years and five months | |
| Terry "Tank" Johnson | Chicago Bears | probation violation relating to weapons possession | 120 days | served 60 days | |
| Ryan Leaf | retired | burglary, drug possession | 5 years, also faces parole revocation on earlier drug possession conviction. | Ryan Leaf Inmate Page at Montana Department of Corrections website | |
| Jamal Lewis | Baltimore Ravens | using a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal | four months | served four months | |
| Leonard Little | St. Louis Rams | involuntary manslaughter | three months | involved in fatal car crash while intoxicated. | |
| Dexter Manley | Washington Redskins | drug possession, evidence tampering | 4 years (1996) 2 years (2002) | served over three years total | |
| Dave Meggett | retired (Giants, Patriots and Jets) | criminal sexual conduct and burglary | 30 years | previously convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery | |
| Byron "Bam" Morris | Kansas City Chiefs | drug trafficking | 30 months | released after serving two and a half years | |
| Eugene "Mercury" Morris | retired from Miami Dolphins | drug trafficking | 20 years | conviction overturned - reached plea bargain and released after serving 3 years | |
| Eric Naposki | retired/cut | first-degree murder | life in prison without the possibility of parole | ||
| Nate Newton | retired from Dallas Cowboys | drug trafficking | 7½ years (two separate convictions) | released after serving about two and a half years | |
| Lawrence Phillips | released/retired | assault, separate incident of assault with a deadly weapon (intentionally driving into victims) | 31 years total | previously sentenced to 10 years on driving charge, which was reduced to seven years during sentencing for assault charge against his girlfriend in 2009. | |
| Robert Rozier (a.k.a. Robert Rameses) | retired from St. Louis Cardinals | multiple murders | multiple | convicted of four murders, served 10 years and placed in witness protection after testifying against Yahweh Ben Yahweh, later sentenced to 25 to life on check kiting charge under three strikes rule | |
| Art Schlichter | Indianapolis Colts | forgery, theft, others | 16 years | committed over 20 felonies related to gambling, released from prison in June 2006 | |
| Orenthal "O. J." Simpson | retired | robbery, kidnapping | nine to thirty-three years | See also O. J. Simpson robbery case. |
|
| Alonzo Spellman | retired/cut (from Chicago Bears) | interference with a flight crew, simple assault | 18 months | served one year | |
| Donte Stallworth | Cleveland Browns | DUI Manslaughter (Driving under the influence of alcohol) | 30 Days incarceration, 2 years house arrest | ||
| Michael Vick | Atlanta Falcons | conspiracy, related to dog fighting | 23 months | See also Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation. | |
| Stanley Wilson Sr. | retired from Cincinnati Bengals | burglary | 22 years | sentence was under a third strike provision | |
| Keith Wright | cut/retired | multiple charges including sexual assault, armed robbery, kidnapping and burglary | 114 years to life, plus 120 years | series of home invasion robberies and assaults |
Read more about this topic: List Of Professional Sportspeople Convicted Of Crimes
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