10 sporting stars to have done jail time

Oscar Pistorius was handed a maximum five year jail sentece for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The South African runner has won six Paralympic gold medals over the course of his career. However, The Blade Runner will spend the next few years confined to his cell in a South African jail. The 27-year-old is not the only professional athlete to do jail time. His case certainly sent shockwaves throughout the world but there were several others who had to serve time.Here are the top ten players to have spent time in jail.

#10 Allen Iverson

Before Allen Iverson became a superstar, he was subject to a ‘race’ related prison sentence. When was 17, Iverson and his friends got in an altercation with some Caucasians at a bowling alley. During the fight, Iverson hit a woman in the head with a chair.

He maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings but received a five-year prison sentence. After spending four months at a correctional facility in Virginia, Iverson was granted clemency by then governor Douglas Wilder.

Despite missing out on high-school basketball, Iverson was given a full scholarship at Georgetown University. The rest, as they say, is history.

#9 Marion Jones

Marion Jones was the American hero during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, winning five gold medals in Australia. However, in 2007 she admitted to using performance enhancing drugs (PED) and had to surrender all her gold medals.

In the same year, Jones was caught in a check-counterfeiting scheme. In January 2008, Jones was sentenced to six months in jail for her involvement in the scandal and for her use of PEDs. She started her term in March and was released in September of 2008.

#8 J. R. Smith

During his time at Denver Nuggets, J. R. Smith made quite the news off the court. Smith and Carmelo Anthony were involved in a car accident but neither player was injured.

Just four months later, Smith and two of his friends were involved in a horrying accident. His SUV collided with another car after Smith failed to stop at a stop sign. His friend, Andre Bell, died from the head injuries suffered in the crash.

In 2009, Smith plead guilty for causing the accident and was sentenced to 90 days in prison. However he was released after serving just 24 days under the condition of completing 500 hours of community service.

#7 Nizar Trabelsi

In a very rare but shocking case, Nizar Trabelsi signed for German Club Fortuna Dusseldorf in 1989. However, he just made one appearance for the club and even scored in it. As it turned out, professional football was his cover identity. Trabelsi was in fact, a terrorist with connections to Al-Qa'ida. He was also reported to travel to Afganistan and meet with Osama Bin Laden on several times.

In 2003, he was convicted as a terrorist for plotting to attack US targets including American soldiers stationed at the Belgian airbase. He served 10 years in a jail in Belgium and was extradited to USA in 2013. As of now, Trabelsi is held in Washington D.C. without bond.

#6 Ian Wright

Ian Wright is Arsenal’s second highest scorer behind only Thierry Henry. The story of Wright is an inspiring one, with the English striker coming out of poverty to accomplish his dream of being a footballer.

Wright owned two cars but could not afford to pay tax and insurance on them. He collected several fines for driving in the car but failed to pay any of them. He was sent to prison for 14 days.

#5 Tony Adams

Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams is one of Arsenal’s most decorated captains in history. He won four top flight division titles, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and three FA Community Shields and his statue erected outside the Emirates Stadium.

But the Arsenal captain, was not the perfect leader outside the field. He suffered alcoholism and was frequently involved in bar fights. He was sentenced to four months in jail following an incident in 1990, when he crashed his car into a wall with his blood alcohol level four times the legal drink-drive limit.

Adams also infamously played through a match drunk during the 1993-94 season.

#4 Joey Barton

One of the most controversial footballers of recent times, Joey Barton has managed to make the news for all the wrong reason. In his career, Barton has been charged with vilent conduct three times by the FA: for assualting then Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground outburst, for punching Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach and for attacking three players in QPR’s 2-3 defeat to Manchester City on the final day of the 2011-12 season.

But his biggest mistake was assauting several people outside the football field. In 2007, He punched a man twenty times until the man lost consciousness, and attacked and broke the teeth of a teenager. He was sentenced to six months in jail for the assualts but only served 77 days of the prison term.

#3 Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt

Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir were involved in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010. The three players were suspended from the game but Asif and Butt served further punishment. The criminal charges of the case were heard and Butt and Asif were sentenced to jail for 30 months and 12 months respectively.

Both players appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but their could not successfuly defend their stance. Butt soon admitted to his crimes and was prepared to face the charges. "I want to apologise to my countrymen and cricket followers all over the world for having done wrong," he said. "I am sorry for having hurt the sentiments of the Pakistani people and cricket lovers. I am ready to undergo any rehabilitation programme."

In May 2012, Asif completed his punishment and released from Canterbury jail, England. In June 2012, Butt was released from prison just seven months in to his 30-month sentence and deported to Pakistan.

#2 Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather is the current richest sportsperson. But with the money and the fame, also came prison time for the professional boxer. In 2010, Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in jail on charges of domestic violence involving his two children and their mother.

Mayweather pleaded guilty to a reduced domestic-violence charge and did not contest two other harassment misdemeanor charges. For his crimes, Mayweather spent 60 days in jail. His time in a cell almost broke him. "Out of 168 hrs in a week I only get 5 hours out of my cell its just not right ... I have not committed a felony so why am I being treated like a murderer or child predator?" Mayweather wrote in a letter while in prison.

#1 Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is world known for biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear during their bout. However, outside the ring, Tyson was not the perfect role model either.

In 1992, Tyson was sentenced to a 10-year sentence for the rape of an 18-year-old woman. However he was released just three years later. During his time in prison, Tyson claims to have impregnated a prison official.

In 2007, Tyson was arrested on possession of cocaine as well as driving under the influence (DUI). He pleaded guilty of the charges and was convicted in November of the same year. He was sentenced to 24 hours in jail, 360 hours community service and 3 years probation.

However, it seems that all the jail time did not make him a better person. In 2009, he was arrested after getting into a fight with a photographer at an airport. Luckily for him, no charges were filed.