Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor, the New York Giants linebacker who was better known by his initials, “L. T.,” went bankrupt after being arrested on a narcotics allegation in 1998, according to his own admission. According to TIME, he was spending “thousands of dollars a day” on drugs during the height of his power, and he had also launched a $10 million company that would ultimately go bankrupt. Taylor was sentenced to five years of federal probation in 2000 after he was found guilty of filing false tax forms and dodging taxes. In 2004, he admitted to spending approximately $1,000 per day on escort services, and he claimed to have phoned up to six prostitutes in a single day on average. Taylor was the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at the time of his signing in 1990 when he received a $4.6 million contract from the league. He is estimated to have made about $50 million during his career.
Lawrence Taylor
Mark Brunell
In his 10-year NFL career, this former New York Giants quarterback amassed a net worth of $50 million, yet he was the subject of six lawsuits in 2011, the same year he filed for bankruptcy. Brunell’s downfall was the result of five failed business initiatives, which included a high-end real estate venture that went bankrupt and an investment in a Whataburger franchise that went bankrupt. At the time of the filing, he and his wife owed a total of $24.8 billion in debt. After he retired from football, he obtained a job as a medical sales representative and supplemented his income with minor side companies such as a kid’s football camp to help alleviate some of the financial pressure. Brunell was appointed as the new quarterback coach for the Detroit Lions in 2021, according to an announcement made at the time.
Mark Brunell
