Not all athletes adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Even among those who have achieved outstanding results, there have been many fans of illegal substances and alcohol. Unfortunately, not all athletes have been able to quit their bad habits promptly. Among the names below are athletes whose careers were cut short by addiction.
Jimmy Greaves
The footballer who was a star for Chelsea and Tottenham. He holds the record for most scored goals in the English league – no one managed more than 357 goals in the season. 6 times he was named the best scorer in the English tournament.
Jimmy twice won the FA Cup (1962, 1967) and the Cup Winners’ Cup with Spurs. Critics still believe that Greaves was one of the best Tottenham strikers in history. As part of the national team in 1966, the player won World Cup gold.
But Greaves wasn’t just famous for his flamboyant play. He was a regular in English pubs. Bartenders remember the athlete drinking 14 pints of beer. After that Jimmy would go home, where he could drink a liter of vodka alone.
His alcohol addiction led to Greaves going out drunk at soccer games. As a result, Greaves’ career gradually came to naught.
Jimmy has often admitted in interviews that without the craving for alcohol, he could still brilliantly play for at least 5 years. But in 31 years he had to give up the sport. However, after leaving the “big soccer” former striker Spurs managed to overcome his addiction. And now he is a coveted fan of his favorite club.
New India horse racing tips also offer bettors to analyze the increase in athletes. This often helps to predict the outcome of the event. An athlete who has been drinking heavily the night before may simply be disqualified.
Andre Agassi
The former world number one, one of the most famous tennis players during the crisis in his personal life and career, was addicted to methamphetamines.
The American tennis player was the first seed in singles for 101 weeks. During his career, he managed to win 60 different titles, including eight Grand Slams and first place at the 1996 Olympics in singles. He also won one title in doubles in 1992.
Agassi was the oldest tennis player to be first in the ATP. The peak of his career came with the athlete from 1995 to 2003. But this period was not so smooth. In 1997 André had difficulties. To overcome the stress of a difficult relationship with actress Brooke Shields and then the decline of his career, Agassi began to use drugs.
Agassi was nearly disqualified. His blood test showed the presence of methamphetamine. In an explanation, Agassi said he lied about taking drugs by accident. He allegedly drank from the glass of his assistant.
The case was never made public and Agassi was able to continue his career. At the time he was relegated to No. 141, a drop below where he’d only been 16.
After this happened the tennis player managed to overcome his addiction and even partially return to tennis. But it was no longer possible to achieve great success, and his relationship with Brooke was finally ruined. In 1999, the couple divorced and Agassi began playing again, but in 2003 he ended his career.
Mike Tyson
This athlete in the late 1990s and early 2000s was the epitome of boxing. His name was used as a nickname, talking about feisty, talented, and unbeatable fighters. But “Iron Mike’s” career came to an abrupt end: almost as much as his whipping blows came down on his opponents.
Mike’s awards and victories:
- U.S. National Heavyweight Champion (Juniors, 1982);
- World Heavyweight World Champion from 1987 through 1990;
- Multiple World Champions.
Before Floyd Mayweather carried the title of the highest paid fighter in the world. He was the youngest champion in his weight classes, winning the heavyweight title at age 20 and becoming an outright champion at age 21.
In addition, Tyson defended his title for 6 consecutive seasons, which no one else could do. Only he could win three main titles in a row, becoming the best boxer in the heavyweight division under the WBC, WBA, and IBF.
The best knockout artist with 9 official fights in which “Iron Mike” took down his opponent faster than 60 seconds. At the Junior Olympics, he defeated his opponent in just 8 seconds, a record that no one has beaten yet.
One of the best athletes in the history of world boxing, Mike Tyson was many times caught using banned substances. In 1989, Mike had a problem with alcohol. But the boxer managed to quit drinking. However, from 1990 to 2010, the fighter repeatedly took drugs.
Tests in his blood often showed the presence of marijuana after the fight. Critics believe that Tyson entered the ring under the influence of drugs. This can be believed by studying his fight with Holyfield. The one where Mike practically bit his opponent’s ear off.
During the fight, Tyson bit his opponent twice. Holyfield, according to the boxer’s version, was hurt because of the blows to Mike’s head. The champion became angry and was only able to calm his anger with this unsportsmanlike behavior.
It was not until many years later, in a candid interview, “Iron Mike” admitted that Holyfield’s biting was not just because of aggression during the points he lost. Tyson was under the influence of drugs, and the athlete’s mind was disturbed.
The drugs led to Tyson being caught for drunk and stoned driving in 2008. The blood showed the presence of not only marijuana but also cocaine mixed with alcohol. But they didn’t charge the famous boxer with another offense this time: he had been tried earlier for the rape of a minor.
George Best
The footballer from Northern Ireland has been showing promise since his youth. The star of Manchester United, the midfielder managed to score 179 goals in 470 matches played. No other player in this role has so far been able to break the record, and Best himself is considered an iconic figure of the club.
Flair for the goal, unique dribbling, and the possession of both feet did not leave any chance for opponent George to beat him on the field. Thanks largely to him in 1968, his hometown club took the European Cup. Then Best was named Europe’s best player of the season.
Other merits:
- in 2002, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of England’s best players;
- Pele called him the “greatest soccer player” of his time;
- ranked among the top 100 players in soccer by all influential critics and rating agencies.
He has been called a style icon and one of the most attractive athletes of his time. But his frenzied popularity played havoc. Best became addicted to the bottle. And it gradually drove his game into the abyss.
When at 27 the footballer left his hometown club, wandering to other teams in Europe that have brought George neither money nor fame. His addiction, meanwhile, did not go anywhere. And the media often leaked reports of drunken riots and immoral parties of the soccer star.
The athlete’s health was deteriorating. After the ignominious end of his career, the footballer had to have a liver transplant in 2002. However, he again continued to abuse alcohol. On top of that, the athlete was also taking immunosuppressants. These are mandatory for those who receive a liver transplant. In 2005, because of the accompanying problems of alcoholism and drug overdose, George Best passed away at the age of 59.
Tragic cases of athletes who were killed by bad habits
Sometimes drugs and alcohol break not only the career but also the destiny. And sometimes it leads to tragic consequences.
Derek Boogard
The Canadian hockey player often complained to doctors about injuries. For the sake of the continuation of his career, the athlete agreed to all drugs that helped relieve the pain syndrome. That’s what led to his death.
At the age of 28, he died of an alcohol overdose. Tests showed that the hockey player also used a huge dose of oxycodone, a painkiller. Investigators were able to find more than 100 types of drugs in his home that the athlete had been taking for the past 3 years to suppress his health problems.
Johnny Tapia
The boxer from America began using drugs and alcohol in his youth. But the reason for their use lies in the severe childhood trauma of the athlete. When he was 8, his mother was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and killed. The mutilated body was found on the road, and young Tapia had to recover from what he saw for a long time.
Sports classes developed Johnny’s talent. But they did not get rid of lingering depression. At 45, the former athlete died of heart failure. Doctors established that the cause was regular use of cocaine mixed with drugs, which the boxer continued to take many years after the end of his athletic career.
