Foul ball: 10 top-earning athletes who lost a lot of money
- Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, ordered to pay back a defaulted $2.4 million-plus loan and sued for $6.6 million by another creditor, is only the latest pro sports player to fall on financial hard times.
- Here's a look at 10 well-known athletes who lost a lot of money and bounced back — or didn't.
Professional athletes suddenly striking it rich and then precipitously losing it all is a tale familiar to many.
The latest news on this financial front is that NFL star football player Adrian Peterson, a Washington Redskins running back, was ordered by a Maryland court to pay back more than $2.4 million to a lender after he defaulted on a 2016 loan. He's also being sued for $6.6 million by another creditor who claims he defaulted on a loan.
Peterson, 34, has earned a reported $99.2 million over his 12-year career. He just signed a new two-year, $5 million deal with the Redskins this spring, so all might not yet be lost.
Here's a look at 10 other well-known pro athletes who faced significant financial setbacks that they eventually bounced back from — or didn't.
Boris Becker
The German three-time Wimbledon champ, 51, declared bankruptcy in 2017 despite having reportedly raked in anywhere from $63 million to $200 million during a 15-year tennis career that began back in 1984. But he seems to have regained his footing and is reportedly now worth about $10 million.
John Daly
Pro golfer John Daly, 53, told ESPN in 2016 that he lost $98 million to gambling. The 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 Open Championship winner said he thinks he's won back about $48 million, but that still left him a jaw-dropping $50 million in the hole at one point. Today, Daly — who has admitted to past addiction problems — is still playing golf and is worth around $2 million.
Evander Holyfield
Estimated by some to have earned as much as half a billion dollars over the course of a three-decade boxing career that ran from 1984 to 2014, Evander Holyfield, 56, is now worth 1,000 times less, at about $500,000.
Bernie Kosar
It's thought this former Cleveland Browns quarterback, now 55, earned as much as $19 million in the course of his football career. But by one estimate, Kosar is now worth about $100,000, having lost it all to divorce settlements and corrupt agents.
Dan Marino
The former Miami Dolphins quarterback legend reportedly lost as much as $14 million to a bad investment back in 2012. But Marino, 57, apparently is a comeback kid and is now, by some accounts, still worth around $35 million.
Warren Sapp
With an estimated $60 million in total earnings, retired NFL player Sapp could have lived on easy street for the rest of his life. But the 46-year-old former defensive tackle is now an estimated $1 million in debt and is reportedly pulling in only about half of that annually in salary from post-football gigs.
Lawrence Taylor
Reportedly having earned as much as $60 million in total, this 60-year-old former New York Giants linebacker today is worth about $100,000, according to one source. Legal and family troubles, partying and lavish spending were reportedly to blame.
Mike Tyson
Once the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history, "Iron Mike" amassed more than $300 million in earnings and winnings — before losing most of it. Tyson's is a story of financial, personal and professional ups and downs, roller-coastering from downfall to comeback. Now 53, Tyson declared bankruptcy back in 2003. His current net worth is estimated by at least one source to be just 1/100th of his former wealth, at $3 million.
Michael Vick
Now reportedly worth an estimated $16 million, the 39-year-old former quarterback lost up to $130 million after a stint in prison, personal bankruptcy, spending and investment mistakes and an ill-advised and highly publicized dogfighting venture.
Vince Young
Now reportedly $1.5 million in the hole, the 36-year-old former quarterback filed for bankruptcy in 2014 — just seven years after he'd signed a $25 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. Young told Sports Illustrated that he hadn't paid attention to his finances until his sports career was over — and it was too late.