On February 14th 2013, Oscar Pistorius was arrested in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The Paralympic superstar, famous for being the first handicapped athlete to compete in the able bodied Olympic games in London, was accused of shooting his girlfriend 4 times, killing her in the home they shared. This is not Pistorius' first run in with the law, after he was arrested in 2009 for assault after slamming the door of his home on a woman, and while in that case, charges against Pistorius were dropped, the same does not look likely for the murder charge as police found a bloodied cricket bat in the house, casting doubt on Pistorius' version of events. However, Pistorius is not the first, nor will he be the last athlete to come under scrutiny from the law. While the charges against him are serious, athletes are often under a harsher spotlight than the average member of society. Several factors, such as the use of sports stars as role model, added pressure of constant performances as well as a heavy spotlight shone on each superstar athlete, a single infraction is enough to make headline news. However, while all this is true, some sports stars have often added fuel to the fire by constantly breaking a variety of different laws, and giving the media material to write on them, for actions other than what they are paid for. The following is a list of five sporting "bad boys" who have crossed the line between legal and illegal.
5. Ben Cousins
While many reading this article may not know who Ben Cousins is, ask any Australian who knows about Australian Football and the mere mention of the name will inspire memories of his incredibly public battles with drug addiction, and in turn his battles with the law. While there have been connections between Australian footballers and drunken party scenes, including players who have been involved in drunken fights in the street, riding around with known members of biker gangs and one player has even been found on the streets of Melbourne passed out with drugs still in his possession. However, none of these can compare to the story of Ben Cousins, who is one of the most decorated players in the AFL, and despite his drug issues, Cousins still managed to be one of the best midfielders in the league winning the leagues highest award, the Brownlow Medal in 2005, and was a key member of the West Coast Eagles 2006 Premiership side. As good as Cousins was off the field, it seemed he couldn't avoid trouble off the field. It seemed to start with Cousins fleeing from his car prior to the 2006 season, resulting in him being stripped of the captaincy. While his club would hope the decreased spotlight from relinquishing the captaincy, things only got worse for Cousins after he went to America to a drug rehabilitation clinic. Not long after returning Cousins was once again pulled over, and his car was searched turning up a cocktail of drugs as well as traces of ecstasy and cocaine after returning to drug rehabilitation, Cousins went missing, only to turn up in hospital after a cocaine binge. Cousins rejoined the AFL at the start of the 2009 season, hoping for a clean start with a new club. Cousin's has since retired, but it seems his issues with the law are not yet over as he was recently arrested for possession of methyl amphetamines and cannabis.
Source: ABC