By Doug Barry
ModernMan.com

Terrell Owens and Allen Iverson may be in the news, but they aren't the only superstar athletes who've squandered tens -- or hundreds -- of millions of dollars.

8 Superstar Athletes Who Went Broke Slideshow

 

Allen Iverson

By our count, Allen Iverson earned more than $154 million during his 14-year NBA career. He was Rookie of the Year, MVP and an 11-time All-Star. But after blowing insane amounts of money on booze, gambling, jewelry, friends, family, and a personal hairstylist who traveled with him to away games, he's now broke. Iverson owes a couple million on a six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home in Denver, and most recently had his wages garnisheed for failing to pay a $860,000 jewelry bill. (We've all been there, Allen.) Of course, A.I.'s ... intemperate financial history is hardly unique amongst athletes. A few years ago, Sports Illustrated claimed that 78 percent of former NFL players and 60 percent of former NBA players go broke or find themselves in serious peril following retirement.

 

Terrell Owens

Even with a 15-year career in pro football, reality TV show and endorsement deals that totaled more than $80 million, Owens has apparently managed to squander most of his money. For starters, he endured $44,600 per month in child support payments, and made a slew of bad real estate investments that went bust after the housing market crashed in 2008. After the 2010-11 season, the Cincinnati Bengals declined to renew his $4 million contract, and no other NFL teams showed interest in signing him. To keep money coming in, Owens is now playing for the Indoor Football League, but he’s making ... significantly less than $4 million a year. In a recent interview with GQ, T.O. admitted he's "in hell" and that he has "no friends." Shocking; he always charmed his teammates.

 

Lenny Dykstra

In 2009, the former Mets and Phillies scrapper, who'd become a successful businessman in retirement, was supposedly worth an estimated $58 million. And then he wasn't. Dykstra was accused of credit card fraud, bouncing checks to escorts, and trying to lease high-end vehicles by providing fraudulent financial info (among a laundry list of other things). In April 2011, Dykstra was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with five counts of attempted grand theft auto, eight counts of filing false financial statements, four counts of identity theft, three counts of grand theft auto, and three counts of possession of a controlled substance. Originally looking at 12 years in prison, Dykstra struck a deal with prosecutors, and earlier this month he was sentenced to three years in the clink.

 

Mark Brunell

After spending 19 seasons in the NFL and amassing more than $50 million, current New York Jets backup quarterback Mark Brunell faces a string of lawsuits that could end up costing him about $25 million. The former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ reportedly dumped his fortune into failed real estate deals and Whataburger restaurants? Ouch. In June 2010, Brunell filed for Chapter 11. No word on whether he's decided to become a vegetarian. Check out more great stories on ModernMan.com

 

John Daly

Between 1991 and 2006, Daly gambled away between $50 and $60 million. His favorite game: $5,000 Las Vegas slots. His gambling addiction -- combined with his alcoholism, four failed marriages, child-support payments, and lost endorsement deals -- eventually wiped him out. At least he still has income; so far this year Daly has earned about $150,000 on the European Tour.

 

Mike Tyson

The good news: Iron Mike is digging himself out of his financial hole nowadays with roles in The Hangover movies, a reality TV show, and a feature-length documentary. The bad news: Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003 after pissing away more than $300 million. He reportedly spent more than $4.3 million on cars alone, $2 million on a bathtub, and $140,000 for two Bengal tigers. In fact, the youngest man to ever win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles was at one point worth less than $1,000.

 

Michael Vick

Before felony dogfighting charges in 2006 sent Vick to prison and kept him out of the NFL for two seasons, he'd made roughly $25.4 million a year since 2001. While locked up, Vick's legal expenses and child support payments, plus his lack of income, plus the fact that his goofball friends were handling his money for him, forced him to file for bankruptcy. After his successful return to football, Vick signed a $100 million contract extension with the Eagles in 2011 that made him the third-highest paid player in the NFL. Still, Vick owes creditors about $19 million and is on a court-approved budget through 2015.

 

Mario Jones

Jones won five medals as a sprinter during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and signed multimillion-dollar endorsement deals shortly after; seven years later she had been stripped of her medals after being caught lying under oath to authorities about steroid use during the BALCO investigation that outed Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Bill Romanowski. (She even served prison time.) At one point things got so bad that Jones reportedly had only $2,000 left in her bank account. Jones played on the WNBA's Tulsa Shock during the 2010 season, reportedly earning the league minimum of $35,000; she was cut last year. Check out more great stories on ModernMan.com

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