A list of famous athletes who have been convicted of assault or related crimes, whether it be sexual assault, affray, assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault, indecent assault, or unprovoked attack. Both professional and amateur athletes have been included, although amateurs on this list must have competed in the Olympics, or some other equal level of competition. I believe I've thought of them all, but if you think I've missed one, please feel free to let me know in the comments. For whatever reason, sports competitors (am I allowed to say "jocks"?) have a knack for getting themselves into trouble with the law.
Famous Athletes Convicted of Assault,
Billy Ray Bates
Convicted of Assault. Sentenced to 7 years.
Duncan Ferguson
Convicted of Assault. Sentenced to 3 months.
Joey Barton
Convicted of Assault and Affray. Sentenced to 10 months, 2 years suspention.
Marlon King
Convicted of Assault and Unprovoked attack. Sentenced to £1000 fine.
Convicted of Sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Sentenced to 18 months.
Mel Hall
Convicted of 3 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. Sentenced to 45 years.
Phil Taylor
Convicted of Sexual Assault. Sentenced to £2,000 fine.
Thomas Henderson
Convicted of Sexual Assault. Sentenced to 4 years, 8 months.
Trevis Smith
Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault. Sentenced to 5 and a half years.
Trevor Berbick
Convicted of Sexual Assault. Sentenced to 5 years.
Brittney Griner
WNBA star Britney Griner was arrested for assault and disorderly conduct in Goodyear, Arizona in April 2015. Griner and her fiancee, fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson, allegedly got into a fight at Griner's home. It quickly escalated into a physical altercation when Brittney threw a dog bowl at the wall. Both sustained minor injuries (Griner had a bite would and Johnson had a split lip) before police were called to pull them apart.