These are the most hated current NFL players
Perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL, New York Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. has plenty of haters out there. Along with being fined multiple times for endangering other players, Beckham Jr. is disliked by many fans for his cocky attitude and over-the-top sideline antics.
A year after he looked like he was on his way to becoming a quality NFL quarterback, Blake Bortles has become one of the most frustrating signal callers in football to watch. Bortles has regressed in his third season in the NFL and angered many fantasy football players who believed he would put up big numbers in 2016.
Forever and always, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be one of the NFL's most hated players. The “Deflategate” controversy and another Super Bowl victory in 2015 have spurred on more hate for the future Hall of Famer, who is still one of the NFL's elite quarterback at the age of 39.
Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant is viewed by most as football’s latest prima donna wide receiver. Bryant is outspoken, emotional and has been accused of domestic violence in the past. Combine all of this with the fact that he is an All-Pro player who is employed by Jerry Jones, and you have one of the most hated players in the NFL.
Suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season, Steelers, Ravens and Browns fans hate Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict for his blatant disregard for player safety. Burfict is considered on of the dirtiest players in the NFL by both fans and players, and most can’t wait for the day that he steps away from football.
Texans linebacker Brian Cushing just feels like a bad guy on the field. Exuding arrogance, Cushing loves talking trash and isn't afraid of committing a personal foul, ever. He is one of the most hated linebackers in the NFL.
There is no player in the NFL despised more by his own fan base than Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. In almost eight seasons in the Windy City, Cutler has thrown 109 interceptions and failed to lead his team to any sort of postseason success. Year after year, Cutler has been an immense disappointment to Bears fans.
No fan likes it when his or her team gets torched by a rookie. This is exactly what Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has done in his first season in the NFL. On pace to set the rookie rushing record, Elliott has been a major reason why the Cowboys are the top team in NFC, and his success on the field has quickly caused him to become one of the most polarizing players in the NFL.
Although he certainly has a strong fan following, in the eyes of many NFL fans Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is an obnoxious meathead. Gronk is one of football’s most wild, out-of-control, outspoken players off the field, and although his antics are just about always in good fun, he has rubbed many NFL fans the wrong way.
A two-time First-Team All-Pro linebacker, James Harrison plays football in a manner that is dangerous for his opponents. While no one can deny the effectiveness of his on-field attitude, it makes him a marked man for the NFL in an era that continues to emphasize head and neck safety. Additionally, the Steelers linebackers has been publicly critical of opposing players and league executives.
Perhaps the fastest player in the NFL, Chiefs rookie Tyreek Hill has a stain on his record from a 2014 domestic violence incident. According to police records, Hill choked his pregnant girlfriend and was eventually sentenced to three years of probation, an anger management course, a yearlong batterer's program and was required to undergo a domestic-abuse evaluation. Hill has not had any issues since and, according to Chiefs management, is a changed man. Still, something of that nature is hard to wash away.
Prior to the 2013 season, few NFL fans even knew who Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito was. Then, midway through the season, Incognito was accused of harassing and bullying then-teammate Jonathan Martin. An independent investigation by attorney Ted Wells revealed that Incognito regularly taunted Martin and other Dolphins employees with racial slurs and vulgar comments. Incognito now plays for the Buffalo Bills.
After nearly leading the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl XLVII victory in just his second season, quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the darling of the football world. The three years since then haven’t been as kind to Kaepernick. The 49ers signal caller is now the NFL's most hated player for his refusal to stand for the national anthem due to his belief that there is racial oppression in the United States. Although many fans support Kaepernick, that base has largely dwindled away after the 29-year-old revealed that he didn't even bother voting in 2016 and praised Fidel Castro.
One of the best tight ends in the NFL, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs wouldn’t draw so much ire if he had not had his own reality show. Kelce recently stared in “Catching Kelce,” a dating show that featured women competing for the love of the Pro Bowl tight end. To many football fans, the reality show seemed highly self-indulgent.
Eli Manning has a classic love-hate relationship with his own fan base. Aside from the two Super Bowl runs he led the Giants on, Manning has not won a single playoff for New York, and his high interception rate constantly frustrates his own fans. Although the Giants look poised to make a playoff run this season, don't be shocked if all the blame falls on Eli's shoulders should the Giants disappoint.
Currently a free agent, former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel had a target on his back even before he was drafted. “Johnny Football” has been disdained by fans since the day he walked into the league for a sense of arrogance and entitlement no rookie should ever have. After two dismal seasons with the Browns, Manziel was cut for his incessant partying, lack of professionalism and poor attitude.
Josh Norman is a classic example of an athlete who can back up the big game he talks. Norman is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL but also one of its most agitating. Then again, there are few great shutdown corners who don’t agitate opposing fans and players.
Very little has gone right for Cam Newton in 2016. Always a lightning rod for criticism, Newton has handled the Panthers' losing season poorly, cutting media sessions short and displaying a poor attitude. Additionally, Newton's professionalism has been called into question after he was benched to start Carolina’s Week 13 game against the Seahawks for a violation of team rules. 2016 can’t come to an end soon enough for Cam.
Fans tend to hate players who are overpaid. There isn’t a better example of one right now in the NFL than Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler. Signed to a $72 million contract in the offseason, Osweiler was benched in Week 15 for his ineffective play and constant mistakes from behind center in Houston.
Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson has gone from one of the most beloved players in the NFL to one of its most hated. Peterson played in only one game of the 2014 NFL season after he was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. Though AP reached a plea deal with the prosecution and avoided jail time, the incident has tarnished his reputation.
Although he’s not a player fans tend to hate, on multiple occasions this season opposing defensive backs have called out Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. The gist of the criticism coming from Janoris Jenkins of the Giants and Adam Jones of the Bengals is that Pyror is fake tough guy and an overrated player.
He’s said and done all the right things since the incident, but Ray Rice remains one of the NFL’s most hated players. After a security camera tape surfaced of Rice punching his then-fiancée unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator, Rice was subsequently suspended indefinitely and released by the Baltimore Ravens. The incident set off the domestic violence firestorm that has been an albatross around the NFL’s neck for well over a year now. Rice is currently a free agent.
Although most fans seem to have forgotten it, Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault multiple times over his career. Though no charges have ever been brought against the two-time Super Bowl champ, the NFL did suspend “Big Ben” six games in 2010 due to his conduct off the field. The suspension was later reduced to four games.
Regardless of who it is, the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys will always be one of the most hated players in the NFL. Tony Romo, however, has taken the hatred to new heights. Although he is a four-time Pro Bowler, his inability to get it done in crunch time, unique flair and love from Cowboys fans has made Romo a player NFL fans love to hate. Romo is now backing up rookie sensation Dak Prescott.
Despite taking the New York Jets to two straight AFC Championship Games, quarterback Mark Sanchez is loved by very few in the NFL. The fifth overall pick of 2009 NFL Draft has been a turnover machine since entering the league and is disliked by fans and players alike for his perceived “playboy lifestyle.” Now with the Cowboys, Sanzhez’s most infamous moment in his career occurred on Thanksgiving night in 2012 against the Patriots, when he ran into the rear end of his teammate Brandon Moore, fumbling the ball away for a touchdown. The gaffe is forever remembered as the “Butt Fumble.”
The self-proclaimed “best corner in the game,” Richard Sherman is hated by fans and players alike. The All-Pro Seattle Seahawks cornerback is a villain on the field in the eyes of most fans, and outside of the Seahawks locker room there is little love for the Compton, Calif. native. Sherman is loud, brash and arrogant, and easily one the most hated players in the NFL.
One of the fiercest trash talkers in the NFL, Steve Smith Sr. is generally respected by fans, but opposing players tend to hate him. In 2016 alone, Jalen Ramsey of the Jaguars and Anthony Brown of the Cowboys have gone on record stating they feel Smith Sr. takes his trash talking way too far.
Ndamukong Suh is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL but also its most hated. Suh has garnered a reputation over the past few seasons as a dirty player, as he has been suspended twice and fined over $420,000 for repeated player safety violations. Still, the four-time First-Team All-Pro was able to sign a six-year, $114 million contract in 2015 with the Miami Dolphins.
Even before Manti Te'o entered the NFL, the Chargers linebacker had more than his fair share of haters. Most of the disdain for Te'o stems from a bizarre 2013 hoax in which he believed he had an online relationship with a nonexistent woman. The details of the hoax are peculiar to say the least, and there are some who believe Te’o was complicit in it, perpetrating the prank in order to make himself seem more likable to the public. In reality, the exact opposite happened. The 2016 season was cut short for Te'o after he suffered a lower leg injury in Week 2.
Russell Wilson's "golden boy" persona has finally worn off with NFL fans. After leading the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, Wilson has become one of the NFL's most hated quarterbacks. He has also drawn criticism for endorsing a "miracle healing water" that has no proven special medical value whatsoever.
In a recent Sports Illustrated poll, it was revealed that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is the second most disliked player in the NFL by fans. One of the best young quarterbacks in the league, past allegations of sexual assault and an incident in which he shoplifted crab legs appear have tarnished Winston’s reputation.
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