10: Portland ‘Jail’ Blazers

For a few years in the early part of the decade it seemed like every month someone from Portland was being arrested for something.

- Damon Stoudamire was arrested multiple times for hanging out with his green friend.

- Qyntel Woods, a harbinger of things to come for athletes arrested in connection with dogfighting

- Ruben Patterson, registered sex offender

- Rasheed Wallace, Portland experienced his technical foul years and an arrest for possession in 2002

- Zach Randolph, broke Ruben Patterson’s eye socket following a fight during practice and picked up an arrest

9 Marion Jones

After the 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones had it all. She had won 5 medals (3 gold, 2 bronze) to become the first female track and field athlete to win five medals in a single Olympics. Her face and image and were perfect for endorsements and it seemed her career was heading nowhere but up.

There were whispers but no one wanted to listen until Victor Conte dropped a bombshell during an interview with infamous ABC journalist Martin Bashir. Conte admitted to supplying Jones with steroids and around that same time, her ex-husband CJ Hunter (who was disqualified from the 2000 Olympics for failing 4 drug tests) told a federal grand jury she had been using steroids.

Jones would later make a memorable public apology, forfeit her Olympic medals and end up in bankruptcy court.

8 Barry Bonds

I’m not getting lazy but let’s be honest … constructing a time line of Barry Bonds and his legal wrangling with the government would be the length of a Harry Potter novel. I’ll make this short and sweet … Indicted in November 2007 on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice which won’t be going to trial anytime soon after a number of legal maneuvers by both sides.

7 Maurice Clarrett

2002 was a great year for Maurice Clarrett. He helped Ohio State to a 14-0 record and scored the game winning touchdown in the second overtime of the national championship game against Miami. On top of the world … then … slowly … but surely …

2003 – Suspended by Ohio State for the year after he was accused of filing a false police report claiming $10,000 worth of clothes, music and electronics were stolen from him. (He would later plead guilty to a lesser charge)

Clarrett would later sue to be included in the 2004 NFL draft but was unsuccessful

He then showed up to the 2005 NFL combine where he ran the 40 between 4.7 to 4.8 and was labeled “Slow Mo.” Much to everyone’s surprise he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 3rd round (#101 overall). Between Clarrett and Denver’s next pick (#200) were a bunch of no name guys like Marion Barber III, Darren Sproles, Brandon Jacobs, Kyle Orton, Bo Scaife and Trent Cole. Clarett never played a single down and was waived a month after signing a four year deal.

2006 – January 1, Police announce they are looking for Clarrett in regards to two armed robberies. He turns himself in the next day and was released on $50,000 bond and entered a plea of not guilty. Days before his trial was set to start, Clarrett was arrested following a police chase that ended after Clarrett’s SUV hit a spike strip.

“After Clarett drove over a police spike strip, the chase ended in a nearby restaurant parking lot. Police said they were forced to secure a cloth around Clarett’s mouth after he allegedly spit at the officers and called them “n*ggers” during the arrest. According to Columbus Police Sgt. Mike Woods, the officers discovered a katana, a loaded AK-47 variant and two other loaded handguns in his vehicle along with an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka.”

Clarrett then took a plea bargain and was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in jail. He now writes a blog from prison

6 Plaxico Burress

Two years in jail for shooting yourself in the leg. Priceless.

5 Donte Stallworth

What do you do when you sign a 7-year $35 million contract? If you answered drunkenly run over and kill a construction worker with your Bentley on Saturday morning after a night of heavy drinking … you are correct. To top it off he spent 24-days in jail and was suspended by the NFL for the season (don’t punish the guy too hard!)

4 Jim Leyritz

The one man you want in a clutch situation is the one man you don’t want behind the wheel. Leyritz was known for his clutch home runs but the late 2000s his reputation changed considerably. It started in 2006 when he admitted to using amphetamines during his baseball career as early as 1990.

Three days after Christmas in 2007, Leyritz was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and vehicular homicide after striking a vehicle and killing the driver , 30-year-old mother of two Fredia Veitch (who tests would later reveal was intoxicated). Two samples collected from Leyritz hours after the crash showed a BAC of 0.14 and 0.13.

While awaiting trial, Leyritz was arrested again in July 2009 following a domestic violence complaint.

The trial was scheduled for late 2009 but was delayed following the release of a video that shows the accident occurred earlier than reported.

Leyritz recently spoke to ESPN about the accident and you can view the piece here.

3 Pac Man Jones

No need for long winded explanations. Let’s cut to the chase.

July 14, 2005 – Arrested following an altercation at a night club where he threw a tantrum while waiting in line for valet. He received probation but it was extended after Jones failed to keep in contact with his probation officer.

March 23, 2006 – Charged with marijuana possession in Fayetteville, Georgia. Charges were later dismissed.

August 25, 2006 – Arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after Jones reportedly spat on a woman while claiming she stole his wallet. Jones received six months probation.

October 26, 2006 – Cited for misdemeanor assault after spitting in a woman’s face during a private party in Nashville.

February 19, 2007 – Jones and Nelly (not Don Nelson) went to a strip club and began to shower the stage with hundreds of $1 bills aka “making it rain.” The dancers began to collect the money and Jones apparently became enraged when one of the dancers began taking the money without his permission. He allegedly grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head on the stage (that’s not even allowed in MMA). A security guard intervened and Jones then allegedly threatened the guard’s life.

The club owner claims a person from Jones’ entourage returned with a gun and fired into a crowd, damaging equipment and hitting three people, including the security guard involved in the earlier skirmish. The guard was shot twice, and one victim, former professional wrestler Tommy Urbanski was paralyzed from the waist down. Jones maintains that he did not know the shooter, although the club’s owner insists that Jones did. On March 26, 2007, police recommended the district attorney charge Jones with one count of felony coercion as well as one misdemeanor count of battery and one misdemeanor count of threat to life.

On June 20, 2007, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County District Attorney’s office announced that Jones would face two felony charges stemming from the strip club melee. However Jones accepted a plea deal five months later and pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct. He was given a suspended prison sentence of one year, probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

A lawsuit has since been filed against Jones by the family of Urbanski.

May 7, 2007 – Jones was stopped for driving 79 in a 55 mph zone in a vehicle that had been previously seized in a drug arrest.

June 18, 2007 – Jones was sought for questioning but not as a suspect in an Atlanta strip club shooting.

October 8, 2008 – Involved in an altercation with his bodyguard, no charges were filed

2 Michael Vick and Marcus Vick

“Ron Mexico” was involved in a number of questionable incidents during the decade but he is best known for his involvement in dog fighting operating fights under the name Bad News Kennelz.

In April 2007 a search of Vick’s property in Virginia resulted in the seizure of 70 dogs some of which showed signs of injury. (Interesting note, it was alleged as early as 2001 that Vick was involved in dogfighting). The public was outraged after details of the case became public including allegations of extreme torture. If you kill someone Stallworth style, you only get 24 days in Jail … but God forbid you have dogs fighting each other. Vick gave in after his fellow defendants agreed to plea deals and entered a guilty plea on August 20, 2007 where he received a 23-month sentence later that year.

Vick’s arrest allowed various celebrities to offer (hilarious but) a variety of defenses:

Stephon Marbury called dogfighting a sport and compared it to hunting and said that we don’t react the same when other animals die.

Roy Jones Jr. stated, “really two dogs fighting can happen in anyone’s backyard or on the street. It happened in my backyard, two of my dogs fought and one died.”

Clinton Portis stated, “I don’t know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it’s his property, it’s his dog. If that’s what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business.”

Deion Sanders stated, “Why are we indicting him? Was he the ringleader? Is he the big fish? Or is there someone else? The fights allegedly occurred at a property that he purchased for a family member. They apparently found carcasses on the property, but I must ask you again, is he the ringleader? This situation reminds me of a scene in the movie New Jack City when drug dealer Nino Brown is on the witness stand and eloquently says, ‘This thing is bigger than me.’ Are we using Vick to get to the ringleader? Are we using him to bring an end to dogfighting in the United States? The only thing I can gather from this situation is that we’re using Vick.”

Vick would later return to the NFL with the Eagles.

His brother Marcus hasn’t been so fortunate following numerous legal incidents that ended his college career and marred his attempts at playing professionally.

1 OJ Simpson

OJ Simpson: If I did it

Why is OJ number 1? Personal bias? Anger over the murder trial? No. It’s because he wrote a book called “If I Did It.”

On the night of September 13, 2007 OJ was apparently retrieving some memorabilia that belonged to him at the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas. No he didn’t meet some good Samaritan that contacted him on Craigslist and said “Hey OJ, you in Vegas? I found some old trophies of yours, come up to my room and get them.”

Rather this was the break down the door, draw guns and forcefully remove items type of event. Smart. As an added bonus two accomplices turned state and agree to testify against him. This case didn’t require CSI and Simpson was arrested 3 days later and convicted on all 12 criminal counts against him in October 2008.

Fast forward to December 5, 2008 where OJ was sentenced to 33 years (9 minimum). 33 is a symbolic number as the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were awarded $33 million in the civil trial verdict.

Honorable Mentions

Rae Carruth
Carruth would have easily topped our list except for the fact that the murder of his pregnant girlfriend occurred in November 1999. His girlfriend was following him home after a movie when Carruth slowed his car and a second vehicle pulled up and fired into her car. Cherica Adams later died from her injuries but her unborn son was saved via emergency cesarean section. Her son has had medical problems as a result of the incident. Carruth was sentenced to 18 to 24 years for his conspiracy to commit murder and other charges and is projected for release in late 2018 (which is way too soon).

Ken Caminiti

This is more of a sad story than anything else. Caminiti struggled with addiction throughout his adult life and unlike Josh Hamilton, his story doesn’t have a happy ending. His fall from 1996 National League MVP to the scorn of the baseball world (for admitting steroid use during his MVP year and claiming PEDs were an epidemic) was bad enough … but Caminiti’s final destination was the fatal grasp of drug addiction.