© Getty Images

Mike Tyson - Boxing is a violent sport, but Mike Tyson took it to another level. He played into his aggressive role, and while it sold tickets, it also made him an unpredictable and dangerous opponent. Let's not forget the time he tore a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear off with his teeth!

© Getty Images

Mike Tyson - Tyson also earned a reputation for violence in his personal life. Although he still maintains his innocence, he was convicted of  rape  in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison.

© Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo - He's handsome, he's one of the highest paid soccer player in the world, and he can run rings around most of his competitors. One of his greatest crimes is that he knows it.

© NL Beeld

Cristiano Ronaldo -

Ronaldo also has a reputation for being a bit whiny, and loves to take a dive. He's also noted for being selfish on the pitch, and, much worse, in recent years he's been caught up in a major sexual abuse allegation.

© Getty Images

LeBron James -

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players of all time, but he has a reputations for being arrogant. He was the heart of his native Cleveland Cavaliers, but left them after seven years to join a team with a better chance of winning a title.

© Getty Images

LeBron James -

He teased fans with a one-hour ESPN special called 'The Decision.' It turned out to be almost an hour of anticipation, and then James appears for 10 seconds to announce he's decided to join his fellow superstars and play with the Miami Heat.

© Reuters

Tonya Harding - Tonya Harding was involved in one of the most famous sporting scandals of all time. The American figure skater was accused of orchestrating an attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. A man attempted to strike Kerrigan's knee with a baton the day before the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1994.

© Getty Images

Tonya Harding - It was revealed that the assailant had been hired by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. Harding was already controversial in figure skating, standing out for her working-class background and untraditional skating style. This scandal completely took her down and she was given a lifetime ban.

© Getty Images

Alex Rodriguez -

Alex Rodriguez was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame as one of the best baseball players in the game. Unfortunately, he was also a huge diva. He was accused of massively driving up the prices of baseball contracts when he scored a US$252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2000.

© Getty Images

Alex Rodriguez -

He was also caught out for his involvement in illegal underground poker games, but worst of all were the doping scandals. There were reports for years that Rodriguez had been using steroids, and he finally admitted to it during a 2014 investigation.

© Getty Images 

Lance Armstrong - Speaking of doping scandals, it's impossible not to mention Lance Armstrong. Never has an athlete gone from such god-like status to disgrace so quickly. Armstrong was worshipped for his unbelievable performance as a cyclist, particularly after recovering from a potentially fatal battle with testicular cancer.

© Getty Images

Lance Armstrong - Armstrong went on to make history by winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times. He had denied doping allegations for years, but in 2012 an investigation revealed that he had been using performance enhancing drugs throughout his career, and was even the ringleader of a highly sophisticated doping program. His inspiring story turned to ash and his fans were devastated.

© Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather Jr. -

There's no denying that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the best boxers in history, but he is not well-liked. He goes way overboard with his trash talk and has made endless racist, homophobic, and hateful comments. His vitriolic rants show a man who is truly unhinged.

© Getty Images 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. -

It's also well-known that Mayweather has been repeatedly arrested on charges of domestic violence and assault. He was sentenced to three months in jail for battery of his ex-girlfriend in 2011.

© Getty Images 

Tom Brady - Tom Brady is another one of those star athletes that just seems to have it too easy. He's got the looks, and he's been at the top of his game for years without signs of slowing down. Although it's mostly projection, some fans find him smug and are looking for reasons to dislike him.

© Getty Images

Tom Brady - Although there was never any hard evidence, Brady did get caught up in "Deflategate" in 2014. Allegations were made that Brady had the footballs for an important game deliberately deflated. His team won that match, but the victory and his reputation were sullied by the scandal.

© Getty Images

Tiger Woods - Tiger Woods was the best golfer in the world, and a major role model as a leading biracial athlete in a predominantly white sport. His fall from grace was a rough one.

© NL Beeld

Tiger Woods -

In 2009, allegations began to surface that the perfect Tiger Woods was involved in multiple extra-marital affairs. The story grew and grew, and he finally swapped his denials for an admission of the truth, He issues multiple public apologies to his family and his fans. His transgressions are minor compared to many of the other athletes on this list, but he held the heavy burden of representation which left no room for mistakes.

© Reuters

Ryan Lochte -

Ryan Lochte is an American Olympic swimmer who is amazing in the pool, and a pretty horrible everywhere else. His biggest scandal occurred during the 2016 Rio Olympics. A drunk Lochte vandalized a gas station bathroom, and was then asked to pay for the damages.

© Getty Images 

Ryan Lochte -

Lochte handed over the money and then went to police claiming he had been a victim of armed robbery, stating that a gun had been held to his head. He was charged with filing a false police report and given a suspension. And yes, he's wearing a grill with the American flag in this photo...

© Getty Images 

Ty Cobb -

Ty Cobb was an American baseball player in the early 1900s, and he was probably the dirtiest player the sporting world has ever seen.

© Getty Images 

Ty Cobb -

He was known to have fixed games, and had a reputation for sharpening his cleats into spikes so his opponents would fear injury if they got in his way. On one occasion, he attacked a Black groundskeeper during a practice session, and choked his wife when she tried to intervene. This was all allegedly typical behavior.

© Getty Images 

John Rocker -

Former baseball player John Rocker could hardly open his mouth without saying something offensive. He made derogatory comments about the LGBTQ community, minorities, single mothers, children, the people of New York, and pretty much anyone else you can think of. He was hated by all!

© Getty Images 

Latrell Sprewell -

Latrell Sprewell didn't make much of an impression as a basketball player, except for that time he tried to choke his coach during a 1997 practice. It became a huge scandal once word reached the media. He later clarified the situation in a notorious interview: "I wasn't choking P.J. that hard, I mean, he could breathe."

© Getty Images 

Latrell Sprewell -

Sprewell only made things worse for himself when he later claimed that he didn't have enough money to feed his kids. Apparently US$21 million dollars wasn't enough to tide him over while he was suspended.

© Getty Images 

Luis Suárez -

Uruguayan soccer star Luis Suárez has a reputation for playing dirty. He has been known to purposefully stamp on his rivals, and on one occasion, he even bit a member of the opposing team during a World Cup game (pictured is that player, Italy's Giorgio Chiellini). What's crazy is that wasn't even the first time he did such a thing! In 2010 he did it while playing for Ajax, and in 2013 he did it as a Liverpool player.

© Reuters

Hope Solo -

Hope Solo is an exceptionally talented goalkeeper who has represented the US in the World Cup and the Olympics. She has been known to engage in trash talk, but she made a name for herself when she insulted the host country and the country of the opposing team after losing a match during the 2016 Summer Olympics.

© Getty Images 

Barry Bonds - Barry Bonds was a record-breaking baseball player in the early 2000s, but his reputation was ruined when he got caught up in a major steroid scandal. Many now assume his exceptional ratings were ill-gotten.

© Reuters

Ben Roethlisberger -

Ben Roethlisberger is hated by everyone except fans of his Pittsburgh football team. He played a good game on the field, but in his spare time he's busy dealing with his sexual assault allegations. He's been convicted twice, but somehow managed to avoid serving any jail time. 

Sources: (Bleacher Report) (WatchMojo) (How They Play) (Sportscasting)

See also: The most shocking scandals in sports history

© Getty Images