Top 5 Most Bizarre Athletes

5. Ricky Williams

Although considered by many to be one of the more talented running backs to come along in some time, Ricky Williams has gained a reputation as one of the oddest players in NFL history. He gained fame immediately upon his entrance into the league for his quickness, long dreadlocks, and intense shyness, which led him to conduct many post-game interviews with his helmet still on. Williams famously tested positive for marijuana in NFL drug tests multiple times, and was fined $650,000 before unexpectedly announcing his early retirement from the game. After leaving football, Williams studied holistic medicine and Hinduism and traveled to India and Australia, where he supposedly spent time living in a tent. He returned to the NFL in 2004, only to fail a drug test again and be suspended for the season. While banned from the NFL, Williams played Canadian football for a season while teaching yoga classes on the side. He finally returned to the NFL in 2007, and now plays for the Miami Dolphins.
4. Bill Lee


Known for his counterculture personality and unique throwing style, Bill “Spaceman” Lee was a pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Montreal Expos in the 1970s. Lee often sported a wild mountain-man beard, and was known for his candidness in interviews, openly admitting that he smoked marijuana and offering his opinion on everything from race relations to health food. His on-field antics were equally famous, and included separating his shoulder in a fight with New York Yankees players in 1976, and threatening to bite off an umpire’s ear during a 1975 World Series game. Lee’s wild personality and his tendency to speak out against club management endeared him to the fans, and musician Warren Zevon even wrote a song about him, but his outspokenness ultimately got him kicked off of both his major league teams. After leaving professional baseball, Lee ran for President in 1988, but he was unable to get on the ballot in any states.
3. Mike Tyson

One of the most feared and explosive fighters in boxing history, Mike Tyson has gained a reputation as one of the unpredictable and downright bizarre athletes of all time. After a rapid rise to fame, Tyson’s career took a hit following an upset defeat by Buster Douglas in 1990, and a subsequent rape conviction saw him spend 3 years behind bars. After his release, Tyson attempted to make a comeback in boxing by defending one of his titles against Evander Holyfield, but he lost the fight by technical knockout. The two fought again a year later in one of the highest paying boxing matches of all time. In what would come to be known as one of the oddest events in sports history, the fight was called in the third round after Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear, supposedly in retaliation for Holyfield head butting him. The incident led to a near-riot in the arena, and Tyson was fined millions for it. After making a number of guest appearances in professional wrestling, Tyson returned to the ring in 2002 for a title fight against Lennox Lewis, and once again made headlines for saying to Lewis, “I want your heart, I want to eat his children.” Tyson lost the fight by knockout, and has since retired from boxing.
2. Dennis Rodman

One of the most famous “bad boys” of professional sports, Dennis Rodman is a basketball player who played as a forward for a number of NBA teams throughout the late 80s and 90s. Also known as “The Worm” and “Dennis the Menace,” Rodman had a remarkable rebounding ability, collecting nearly 12,000 during his career, but he is best known for his antics both on and off the court. He famously dyed his hair a variety of colors, head-butted opponents, appeared in public wearing a wedding dress, and seemed to make a habit of being ejected from games. In 1998, he briefly married Baywatch star Carmen Electra, and later had a high-profile fling with singer Madonna. Rodman had a big interest in wrestling, and while still in the NBA he began a side career as a professional wrestler with his friend Hulk Hogan, even going so far as to participate in WCW events while in the middle of the 1998 NBA finals. He also cultivated another side career as an actor, appearing in the action movie Double Team along with Jean-Claude Van Damme, and later as the star of the film Simon Sez, but both films were huge commercial and critical failures.
1. Joe Namath

Popularly considered to be the first media star in professional football, quarterback Joe Namath has been making a name for himself on and off the field for over forty years. Namath is most famous his audacious prediction that his underdog New York Jets would win the 1969 Superbowl. He delivered on his promise, and immediately became one of the most famous athletes in America. Nicknamed “Broadway Joe” for his flamboyant style, Namath would often wear a full-length fur coat while on the sidelines during games, and he enthusiastically appeared in racy television ads for women’s pantyhose, which caused an uproar in the media at the same time that it helped establish him as a sex symbol. Namath famously retired from the NFL for a brief stint in 1969 after refusing to sell his stake in a New York City bar called Bachelors III, which the NFL commissioner claimed had become a popular mafia hangout, but he eventually complied and was back for the next season. Since retiring from football, Namath has appeared in a number of films and television shows, and even hosted his own late night talk show for a short time. In 2004, Namath was in the headlines once again when he drunkenly told ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber that he wanted to kiss her during an interview, and he has since gone into treatment for alcoholism.
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