Athlete Hall Of Shame
Where we remind you of the events the athletes would love to forget!
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Darryl Strawberry
Inducted April 2007
Photo From: thesmokinggun.com
Former outfielder in 80’s and 90’s primarily for the New York Mets and New York Yankees. Drafted 1st overall in 1980 MLB draft by Mets. Won three World Series Championships (1 with Mets, 2 with Yankees). Named Rookie of the Year in 1983. Named to 8 consecutive All-Star games. Finished 2nd in 1988 NL MVP vote and 3rd in 1990 NL MVP vote. Won 1986 Home Run Derby. He later spent a lot of time in hospital, rehab and other facilities where it took a team of men and women in scrubs to try to keep him alive and off-drugs. Led NL in home runs in 1988.
Shameful Moments:
-Wife, Liza, filed for separation on January 29, 1987 accusing Strawberry of breaking her nose after a game from the previous October
-Sued by Lisa Clayton on April 7, 1989 claiming that Strawberry was the father of her son (January 10, 1990 blood tests showed that Strawberry was the father)
-Arrested two days after the blood tests for allegedly slapping wife, Liza, and threatening her with a pistol (no charges were filed)
-Checked into rehab on February 3, 1990 for alcohol
-Tied a NL record while with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 1, 1991 by striking out five times against the Montreal Expos (also dropped a fly ball for a 3-base error)
-Arrested for hitting girlfriend, Charisse Simon, on September 17, 1993 while she was three months pregnant (witnesses said she hit him with a baseball bat - no charges were filed)
-Never showed up for an April 5, 1994 baseball game and wasn’t found until that night (checked into the Betty Ford Center a few days later for a substance abuse problem)
-Indicted, along with his agent, on December 18, 1994 for failing to report $500,000+ of income from autograph shows and other events (ordered to pay $350,000 in back taxes and sentenced to six months of house arrest)
-Suspended for 60 days by MLB on February 6, 1995 after testing positive for cocaine (released by San Francisco Giants on the same day)
-Charged with failing to make child support payments on December 19, 1995 (missed June 5, 1996 deadline and went to trial - used Yankees signing bonus to pay debt)
-Sued by attorney Rob Shapiro for legal fees from earlier contract negotiations on August 25, 1998 (unidentified decision was made 7 months later)
-Allegedly solicited an undercover cop for sex for $50 in Tampa, FL on April 3, 1999 (officers searched him and found .3 grams of powder cocaine - charged with cocaine possession and solicitation for prostitution and sentenced to 21 months probation, 100 hours of community service, two weekly drug tests, and 140-day suspension by MLB)
-Tested positive for cocaine on January 2, 2000 (1-year suspension by MLB)
-Checked into rehab on January 8, 2000 for drugs
-Blacked out and rear-ended another vehicle on September 11, 2000 while on painkillers and attempted to drive away, but was arrested at gunpoint by an officer who witnessed the incident (probation was changed to two years of house arrest and was later sentenced to a concurrent year of probation and 50 hours of community service)
-Used drugs after leaving Tampa, FL drug treatment center violating his house arrest and parole on October 25, 2000 (sentenced to 40 days in jail with credit for time served)
-Sentenced to 2 years of house arrest after he admitted to violating his probation when he drove under the influence of medication and left the scene of an accident
-Arrested on April 2, 2001 for leaving his house arrest drug treatment center in Tampa and testing positive for cocaine (sentenced to more time at drug treatment center)
-Arrested on March 12, 2002 for violating multiple non-drug rules at the drug treatment center (6th time violating probation - ordered to serve suspended 18-month prison sentence from 1999 drug and solicitation charges on April 29, 2002)
-Reported SUV stolen in Miami, FL on September 17, 2005, but an anonymous person told police Strawberry had given keys to SUV to another person (charged with filing a false police report)