Bucs well represented on The 10 Most Toxic Teammates In NFL History List

The 10 Most Toxic Teammates In NFL History

By Tom Pollin

January 18, 2013 9:43 am

The key for teams in any sport is to find a way to mesh a group of very different individuals into a cohesive unit that pulls in the same direction with the goal of winning a championship.

While it's impossible to bring a group together without the egos of elite athletes clashing and causing occasional problems, with a couple of exceptions successful teams and their coaches manage to mesh players' talents seamlessly enough to achieve playoff and championship goals.

The trouble occurs when a player comes along who, through actions on or off the field, during or between seasons sucks the life out of locker rooms and leave the wreckage of teamwork in their wakes.

These 10 have been the best at accomplishing that in the NFL throughout its history.

10) LenDale White

1 of 10

Titans 2006-2009

White was Thunder to Reggie Bush's Lightning in college. When he went to the 2006 NFL Draft Combine and took off his shirt he picked up a new nickname "LenWhale" White.

One general manager said, “The guy needed a bra, it was ridiculous. You come to the combine looking like that and you want to be a first-round pick? The guy had obviously been doing nothing.”

Despite his poor combine and not participating during USC's workout day White was drafted No. 2 by the Titans in the 2006 NFL Draft.

In training camp that summer he got into a fight on the field with Donnie Nickey and spit in his face.

He regularly complained to reporters because he wasn't getting many carries in his rookie season.

In the spring of 2008 he was arrested for destruction of property and resisting arrest but those charges were later dropped.

The following season he and Keith Bulluck created controversy and embarrassed the team in Pittsburgh when they stomped on a Terrible Towel.

He received minimal use in 2009 and was traded to the Seahawks in the spring of 2010.

When word leaked that White had failed an NFL drug test and would be suspended four games the Seahawks released him.

9) Freddie Mitchell

2 of 10

Eagles 2001-2004

No player thought more of Freddie Mitchell and his talents than Freddie Mitchell.

He was the No. 25 selection overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. In his four-year career FredEx, First Down Freddie, The Peoples Champion, and even "No Hands" started 17 games and caught 90 passes.

The first sign the Eagles weren't getting what they thought when the drafted him was when Mitchell declined to return kickoffs due to a broken leg suffered in college.

Mitchell regularly went to the press to complain that quarterback Donovan McNabb wasn't throwing him the ball enough, but he also wasn't catching it enough.

He followed his greatest moment as a receiver, pulling in the fourth and 26 reception that led to a Super Bowl appearance by the Eagles, with plenty of trash talk about the Patriots.

He only caught one pass in the game and Bill Belichick later said of him, "All he does is talk. He's terrible, and you can print that. I was happy when he was in the game."

Mitchell held out in the spring of 2005 which didn't disappoint Andy Reid. The Eagles released him soon after.

8 Duane Thomas

3 of 10

Cowboys 1970-1971; Redskins 1973-1974

Duane Thomas is an example of an athlete who could have been one of the best running backs ever but fell far short in his NFL career.

Thomas' issues in college had teams questioning him at draft time but the Cowboys decided to take a chance with their No. 23 overall pick.

Thomas was Rookie of the Year in 1970 when he rushed for 803-yards and a 5.3-yards per carry average but problems started when Thomas asked to have his rookie contract renegotiated and refused to report to training camp.

The Cowboys traded him to the Patriots but the Patriots had the trade voided and Thomas was sent back to the Cowboys.

In 1971 he led the league in rushing and led the Cowboys to a win in Super Bowl VI.

Before the Super Bowl Thomas gave his most famous quote. When asked about how it felt to play in the ultimate game Thomas responded, "If it's the ultimate game, how come they're playing it again next year?"

During that offseason the Cowboys finally had enough of Thomas' off field problems and traded him to the Chargers.

He earned a 20-game suspension for failing to report and after stating that he would never play a game for them the Chargers traded him to the Redskins.

Thomas played in Washington for two seasons before the Redskins waived him.

He spent one season in Honolulu in the WFL and tried comebacks with the Cowboys and Packers but the man who could have been one of the all-time greats was cut in training camp both times.

7) Albert Haynesworth

4 of 10

Titans 2002-2008; Redskins 2009-2010; Patriots 2011; Buccaneers 2011

Haynesworth was drafted No. 15 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Titans.

His problems began in his first training camp when he kicked center Justin Hartwig in the chest.

In 2006 in a game against the Cowboys Haynesworth stomped on center Andre Gurode's head. He opened up a gash on his forehead but fortunately just missed his eye. He was suspended five games for the incident.

In 2009 Haynesworth signed a contract with the Redskins that's widely considered the worst free agent signing of all time.

He refused to participate in off-season workouts and arrived at camp out of shape.

In the season he complained about his place in the defense and produced little for the money he was being paid.

He was traded to the Patriots before the 2011 season but was placed on waivers, claimed by Tampa Bay, then released at the end of the season.

It's likely at this point that he'll never find another team to take a chance that he still has something left and that his career is over.

6) Joe Don Looney

5 of 10

Colts 1964; Lions 1965-1966; Redskins 1966-1967; Saints 1969

Looney was an imposing physical specimen at both halfback and fullback plus he had speed but the problems he brought to his teams kept him from fulfilling the promise of his talent.

He was the No. 12 overall pick by the Giants in the 1964 NFL Draft, the highlight of his time in New York.

Looney refused to go to meetings, skipped practices, and refused to work with quarterback Y.A. Tittle on the field.

The Giants traded him to the Colts after 28 days in camp. The Colts traded him to the Lions two years later.

Over the years he was a triple threat, causing problems in the clubhouse, on the sidelines and off the field

Lions coach Harry Gilmer became frustrated to the point where one day, when Looney refused to practice, he sent future Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt to talk to him.

Schmidt spent some time with Looney and then told him, "I've been with the club for 12 years and I've never missed a practice."

Looney looked up at Schmidt and responded, "Joe, you should take a day off once in a while."

When he was traded to the Redskins Looney decided that coach Otto Graham was confused and incompetent.

After his stint with the Redskins his reserve unit was activated and he went to Vietnam. When he came back he spent one season with the Saints, played three games, ran the ball three times and was out of football.

5) Adam "Pacman" Jones

6 of 10

Titans 2005-2006; Cowboys 2008; Bengals 2010-2012.

Jones has never been able to stay out of trouble long enough to make full use of his talent as a cornerback.

Jones was drafted No. 6 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft.

He started his career by holding out for most of training camp in a contract dispute and added legal troubles to those issues.

A listing of Jones' legal problems would take its own slideshow. Let's just say it was rare when he wasn't in trouble.

His worst altercation came during a visit to a strip club in Las Vegas when a person in his entourage fired a gun into the crowd injuring a guard and paralyzing a man from the waist down.

Many of his teammates had attempted to straighten him out but by 2007 the NFL stepped in and suspended Jones for one year for violating the player conduct policy.

Even when on suspension Jones couldn't stay out of legal troubles. In the spring of 2008 the Titans traded him to the Dallas Cowboys, basically giving him away to get him off the team.

He only lasted one season with the Cowboys before being dropped.

Jones managed to salvage his career in 2012, playing a trouble-free season with the Bengals. Whether the turn-around is permanent remains to be seen.

4) Jeff George

7 of 10

Colts 1990-1993; Falcons 1994-1996; Raiders 1997-1998; Vikings 1999; Redskins 2000-2001

Jeff George defined the saying, "million dollar arm, ten cent head".

He was widely regarded to have one of the strongest arms of anyone who has ever played quarterback and was the first overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1990 NFL Draft.

With Indianapolis he argued with coach Ted Marchibroda, ridiculed his offensive linemen and traded rude hand gestures with fans.

He caused more problems for himself when he would refuse to fall on fumbles or walk off the field instead of pursuing when he threw an interception.

In 1983 the Colts traded him to the Falcons where he fit in with their run and shoot offense and led them to their first ever playoff appearance in 1991.

His time in Atlanta ended when he got into a sideline yelling match with head coach June Jones. The Falcons traded him to the Raiders.

George struggled with Jon Gruden's offense when he was hired as head coach. George began ignoring the offensive coordinator and ran his own plays when in the game.

George spent a season in Minnesota and led them to a playoff win but couldn't come to terms on a new contract and in 2000 he went to the Redskins.

George bounced to the Seahawks and Bears without seeing action and became a victim of his reputation when no team would chance signing him, regardless of his incredible talent.

3) Terrell Owens

8 of 10

49ers 1996-2003; Eagles 2004-2005; Cowboys 2006-2008; Bills 2009; Bengals 2010

Owens was one of the most talented wide receivers in the game during his career which is why he received chance after chance, and self-destructed each time.

The problems began with the 49ers when he questioned quarterback Jeff Garcia's sexual orientation.

They continued in Philadelphia. In 2004, Owens' and Donovan McNabb worked together well enough to make Super Bowl XXXIX.

Things broke down with the Eagles between Owens, McNabb and Eagles' ownership in 2005. Owens was suspended and then deactivated for the season after seven games.

He played two seasons with the Cowboys then claimed he was blindsided when Jerry Jones released him.

After that he spent seasons in Buffalo and Cincinnati but his skills had deteriorated so much due to age and injury that teams weren't willing to put up with the problems that came with signing him.

Owens has been reduced to appearing on reality television while he tries to convince an NFL team that he still has something left.

2) Keyshawn Johnson

9 of 10

Jets 1996-1999; Buccaneers 2000-2003; Cowboys 2004-2005; Panthers 2006

Johnson was so talented the Jets made him the first overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. The downfall was, his ego was even greater than his talent.

After his rookie season Johnson wrote a book with the title "Throw Me the Damn Ball". That person is someone begging to be on this list.

Johnson's issue was that the Jets were losing because they were "throwing it to a short, little white guy," or Wayne Chrebet to the rest of his teammates.

In 2003 the Buccaneers deactivated Johnson for the final six games of the season after he let it out that he felt underused by Jon Gruden in his offense and would not be back with the Buccaneers in 2004.

After all the controversy that 2003 team followed up their Super Bowl season with a 7-9 record, third in the NFC South.

The Buccaneers traded him to the Cowboys where he played two seasons before they let him leave as a free agent.

He signed a four-year contract with Carolina but was released after one season.

1) Ryan Leaf

10 of 10

Chargers 1998, 2000; Cowboys 2001

Leaf was 1A to Peyton Manning's No. 1 in the 1998 NFL Draft. He may as well have been Mr. Irrelevant as far as the Chargers were concerned.

In a training camp prank a group of Chargers players went to dinner and charged the bill to Leaf's credit card. Leaf alienated the team by refusing to pay and complaining to general manager Bobby Beathard.

A couple of days later Junior Seau knocked Leaf down in practice and drew high-fives from teammates.

Leaf yelled at the media and fans. He played golf while other quarterbacks were studying film. During a suspension he was filmed playing flag football at a local park.

The Chargers won their first two games with Leaf at quarterback and only won two more the rest of his time in San Diego.

After being waived by the Chargers he caught on with the Cowboys and started three games, all losses.

He retired at the age of 26 with a less then 50 percent completion rate, 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions. Based on his $11.25 million guaranteed signing bonus he cost the Chargers $2.8 million per win.

Rodney Harrison, who played with Leaf on the Chargers, said, "He took the money and ran. Personally, I could never rest good at night knowing my career ended like that."

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