More than 27000 men have played in the NFL throughout the years, and many of those have been worshipped by fans for their ability, talent, and prowess.
However, there have been some who have stirred up more than a little bit of ill-feeling, even among their own fans.
There are a surprising number of candidates that could have made this list, but here’s a look at who we think makes the top five.
Rodney Harrison
Playing as safety, Rodney Harrison was on the field from 1994 to 2008 and played for the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots. Simply playing for the Patriots is enough to earn a player a lot of hate among non-Patriot fans, but Harrison was worse than the rest.
Harrison acquired a reputation for being a nasty player on the field who didn’t really care about playing fair. He was voted as the dirtiest player in the NFL on three occasions, two when he was voted by his fellow players and once by NFL coaches. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was also caught using HGH during the 2004 season and suspended.
Ndamukong Suh
Starting out in 2010, Ndamukong Suh is a defensive tackle who has played for the Lions, Dolphins, Rams and Buccaneers so far. Although NFL players need confidence, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed - and Ndamukong Suh went there.
In his first year in Miami, he became the highest-paid defensive player in the whole of NFL history, but the honour went to his head. He announced that "only a handful" of players were good enough to play with him and that many of his teammates weren't of sufficient quality to still be at the club in five years time.
If dissing your own teammates wasn't bad enough, Suh also played dirty on the field. In 2011 he was suspended for two games for stamping on another player, and he has been fined over $600,000 due to personal foul penalties. Perhaps not surprisingly, he has been named by Forbes as the least liked player in the NFL.
Conrad Dobler
It's not just modern players that have an issue with their popularity. Conrad Dobler played from 1972 to 1981 and was intensely disliked. He lined up as guard for the Cardinals, Saints and Buffalo Bills, but a rival once said, "he must be the only guy in the league who sleeps in a casket".
It's fair to say that Dobler didn't like to play by the rules - and he didn't care who knew it. Sports Illustrated named him Pro Football's Dirtiest Player, but that didn't stop him from biting, gouging eyes, twisting face masks, or whipping legs. Although his behaviour meant that every referee watched him extra closely, the teams didn't bin Dobler because he was simply too good.
Jack Tatum
A safety for Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers, Jack Tatum played from 1971 to 1980. He once boasted that his best moves on the field “border on felonious assault” - a brag that raised eyes at the time.
Unfortunately, his words were to come back to haunt him. He was proud of his hard-hitting style, and his nickname of the Assassin initially seemed humorous, albeit well-deserved. In 1978 he went in hard on Patriots' receiver Darryl Stingley, a hit that left Stingley quadriplegic. Despite leaving Stingley paralysed for the rest of his life, Tatum never apologised for the tackle nor expressed any remorse for the outcome, an attitude that left him despised by the rest of the league.
Tiki Barber
A running back who played for the New York Giants for ten seasons, Tiki Barber didn't do anything horrific - but he just wasn't liked. Although he had tremendous talent, he had a habit of running his mouth, and many felt that he cared more about himself than the team.
On one occasion, he criticised the Giants coach so heavily that he was later forced to apologise. He also decided to announce his retirement part-way through the 2006 season, distracting the team from play and causing months of speculation in the media
FOLLOW US!
partycasino is operated by LC International Limited who are licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 54743.
