5 NFL legends who sold their Super Bowl rings feat. Robert Kraft and more

Winning the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of American football. Every regular season, it's the goal of all 32 franchises, but only one team attains that goal, so the Super Bowl rings won by the winning team hold significant sentimental value.

However, what happens when Super Bowl winners decide to sell their rings? Without further ado, let's take a look at five NFL legends who sold their Super Bowl rings.

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Five NFL legends who sold their Super Bowl rings

Here's a list of five NFL greats who sold their Super Bowl rings:

#5 Ray Guy

Arguably the most outstanding punter of all time, Ray Gay was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders.

He added more accolades to his resume, like six first-team All-Pro nods, two second-team All-Pro selections and seven trips to the Pro Bowl. He earned his spot on the NFL's 1970s all-decade and 75th and 100th-anniversary teams.

Unfortunately, following his successful NFL career, Ray Gay experienced financial difficulties and eventually filed for bankruptcy. The presiding judge on the bankruptcy case ordered Guy to put all his three Super Bowl rings up for auction to pay off his debts. He did, and his three Super Bowl rings with the Raiders were sold for $96,216.

#4 Thomas Henderson

Henderson enjoyed a successful NFL career, appearing for the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Oilers and Miami Dolphins. He was named to one Pro Bowl and won his lone Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys in 1977.

Unfortunately, after numerous battles with drugs, Henderson suffered a career-ending neck injury. He ran into financial problems after retiring from the league and owned the IRS for $156,088.

Hence, Henderson's Super Bowl ring was auctioned off and sold for $11,000. Thankfully, these days, the former standout linebacker is doing better and has overcome his addictions.

#3 Fred Thurston

Thurston was a crucial part of the great Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s. The all-pro guard won six NFL Championships, one for the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and five with the Green Bay Packers. He helped the Packers win the first two Super Bowls in NFL history.

Unfortunately, Thurston went through financial problems following his retirement from the NFL. He was ordered to pay $190,000 after he and his restaurant business partners withheld income taxes; the fee eventually increased to over $1.7 million due to interest.

Fred Thurston sold his two Super Bowl rings in 2011 and other career memorabilia to pay his debts. The rings were sold for $50,788 at an auction.

#2 Lester Hayes

Lester Hayes is an Oakland Raiders legend. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback spent his entire NFL career with the Raiders and was instrumental in their two Super Bowl wins in the 80s.

Sadly, Hayes developed a gambling addiction and experienced significant financial problems after retiring from the gridiron. In perhaps the saddest story on our list, he pawned one of his Super Bowl rings for an $800 loan to pay dental bills. The deal was that Hayes would get back his ring within four months with a 10 interest rate each month.

Lester Hayes never returned the ring; eventually, the pawn store owner sold it on eBay. The ring was finally sold for $18,200 to the highest bidder.

#1 Robert Kraft

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has six Super Bowl rings, thanks to the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady dynasty.

Interestingly, the billionaire auctioned off his Super Bowl 51 ring for the #ALLINCHALLENGE, which sold for a staggering $1.025 million. The bid started at $75,000 and skyrocketed to $1.025 million.