A list of famous professional athletes who have been convicted of theft or similar crimes, whether it be burglary or robbery. Both pros and amateurs have been included, although amateurs on this list must have competed in the Olympics or global level 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, Pros have a knack for getting themselves into trouble with the law. Tsk tsk.
Famous Athletes Convicted of Theft,
Bernard Hopkins
Nicknamed "The Executioner," Bernard Hopkins holds many boxing records including for the oldest boxer to win a world title, an honor he took from George Foreman in May 2011 at the age of 46. Hopkins did this and more during his career after starting out his life in legal trouble. As a teen, Hopkins was charged with nine felonies including for muggings, stabbings and robbery. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and served nearly five. During his time in the slammer, Hopkins vowed to turn his life around, which with the help of boxing, he did.
Billy Ray Bates
Billy Ray Bates had a long professional basketball career in the NBA and oversees in the late 1970s and 1980s. Late in his career, Bates was rumored to have drug problems and frequent the party scene. In 1998, he was arrested after robbing a Texaco station at knifepoint on charges of first-degree aggravated assault and second-degree assault. Bates served nearly five years of a 10-year sentence for the crime but later returned to prison after violating his parole.
Clifford Etienne
Convicted of Robbery. Sentenced to 150 years.
Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Former world boxing champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame member Dwight Muhammad Qawi won 41 of his 53 fights, 25 by knockout, during his career in the 1980s and 1990s. Qawi accomplished all of this after turning his life around following poor choices as a youth. It was actually in prison, in which he was serving because of an armed robbery conviction that netted him five years, that he discovered boxing. Qawi took up the sport in the clink and turned pro upon his release in 1978.
Jamie Lawrence
Jamaican soccer player Jamie Lawrence is well known in the country for his professional and international playing career, one he started after spending four years in prison as a youth. In 1990, Lawrence was just 20 years old when he was convicted of bank robbery. He served his time and came out cleaner, joining the professional soccer ranks after his release.
Lee Murray
Convicted of Robbery. Sentenced to 10 years.
O. J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson was once a top football player in the world but after his retirement he became more known for his many legal problems. On October 3, 2008, Simpson was found guilty of 12 charges including robbery, kidnapping, coercion and conspiracy following an incident in Las Vegas in which he tried to retrieve sports memorabilia from a dealer. By retrieve Simpson meant breaking into the dealer's hotel room and taking the items while holding the dealer at gunpoint. Simpson was sentenced to serve 33 years with the eligibility of parole after nine years. The conviction came 13 years to the day after he was acquitted of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Sonny Liston
Late professional boxer "Sonny" Liston fought the likes of Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali during his time earning the nickname of "The Big Bear." Liston also had another nickname, the "Yellow Shirt Bandit," which was given to him by the police in St. Louis after he was wanted for muggings and robberies that took place while he was wearing, wait for it, a yellow shirt. Liston spent five years in prison during which time he learned how to box. In 1971, he was found dead in Las Vegas from what was believed to be lung congestion and heart failure from a heroin overdose.
Stanley Wilson
Stanley Wilson, a late-round NFL draft pick in 1983, spent the better part of the 1980s with the Cincinnati Bengals. His career however was marred by several suspensions for his cocaine addiction including the night before he was set to play in Super Bowl XXIII against the San Francisco 49ers. That incident led to his permanent ban from the NFL and put him in rehab. The substance abuse struggles continued in the recent years including in 1999 when he stole $130,000 to support the habit, a crime that earned him 22 years in a California state prison.
James Kirkland
James Kirkland is a light middleweight boxer and WBO NABO light middleweight title holder who lost several years of his career to his legal problems. Kirkland was charged with armed robbery in 2003 and sent to prison. He served 30 months and later returned to boxing however went back to the slammer for another year in 2009 after he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas.