Saddest decline of a professional athlete.

Oh Please wrote:

Lenny Dykstra aka "Nails"

He's funny on Howard Stern, but amazes me how far he has fallen.

Oh, god, yes. I remember when Nails was profiled in SI as a pro athlete getting into business/franchising in retirement. At the time he was a car wash magnate. Shortly thereafter, the bottom fell out.

Carlos Zambrano

Hector “Macho” Camacho

Just in recent NFL memory Peyton Manning had a more severe decline. His final Super Bowl he could barely throw the ball 40 yards. He couldn't throw a spiral if he had a gun to his head. He had about as much power behind his throws as a 5 year old throwing a wiffle ball. It was abysmal. But he was the Sheriff and won the game. That's all that matters in the end.

Salazar

Started doping at the end of his career, still dropped out of the Trials.

Started coaching and had an athlete busted for doping.

Got his own program backed by Nike with some success and then he is banned for doping and people finally feel safe to come out with their stories of mistreatment by him.

I hate Tom Brady and the Pats but you are way off.

I’d say Ichiro. Really a significant decline. It was kind of pathetic at the end. And Phillip Rivers. But I never thought much of him regardless

Tony Mandarich - The Incredible Bulk/Bust

Suzy Favor Hamilton....The pretty white gal turned high dollar Vegas hooker...sad but true

Oh Please wrote:

Lenny Dykstra aka "Nails"

He's funny on Howard Stern, but amazes me how far he has fallen.

The slot, how's the slot?

Kobe.

Ruined the Lakers for 3 years by getting his money when he was horrible.

Someone mentioned Favre. I wouldn't say so. He played one of the best years of football of his life at age 40, and took the Viqueens to the NFC champsionship after going 12-4. He had his best completion % of his career, and lowest interception %.

He went down hard in a few games the next year, and never recovered. So not a long steady sad decline. Just done. For me, the sad ones are the ones who string it out over 3-5 years.

Running wise I cringed when I saw Webb attempt to race.

There are lots of athletes who don't leave at the top.

Even Jordan put in a couple of extra years and it started to get ugly. Remember the missed dunk in the all-star game?

If we're talking life, in general, how about Bruce Jenner.

From a running standpoint from a sportsman perspective watching Ryan Hall's decline was pretty depressing. At least it seemed he was always happy in his life outside the sport.

oliverbrown wrote:

Who is Tom Brady? (I am serious).

Gisele Bundchen's husband.

Was Bruce Jenner ever a professional athlete. Good athlete, yes. Good enough to play NAIA football for the Graceland Yellowjackets.

I think it is sad that Brady is so insecure that he needed to get hairplugs. Now it looks like he is dying his hair as a 42 year old man.

I find it extremely odd how grown men are fanatically obsessed with a man that they'll never meet that plays a game that they were never good at. It just seems so arbitrary and disproportionate.

Danny Democrat wrote:

Someone mentioned Favre. I wouldn't say so. He played one of the best years of football of his life at age 40, and took the Viqueens to the NFC championship after going 12-4. He had his best completion % of his career, and lowest interception %.

He went down hard in a few games the next year, and never recovered. So not a long steady sad decline. Just done. For me, the sad ones are the ones who string it out over 3-5 years.

I was pleased to see Favre throw that pick to essentially end that game. MIN fans deserved the FFE (Full Favre Experience). It was great.

Lyman Bostock and Tony Conigliaro for reasons outside their control.