Top 10 cover athletes with criminal records

#2: Don King
Covers: Don King’s Prizefighter, Don King Boxing

Don King isn’t an athlete, but he is one of the most influential figures in the history of boxing and has two games that bear his name and likeness. He’s also a criminal – boy is he a criminal. Where do we start?

Above: Name recognition should sell a few copies, right? 

King’s criminal career got started in high school where he began running numbers for an illegal gambling ring. By college he was in charge of his own illegal betting operation, one in which he cheated his customers by manipulating the odds. After dropping out of college, King expanded his gambling empire and also started killing people.

The first man to die by Don King’s hands was Hillary Brown who was shot in the back and killed after trying to rob one of King’s gambling dens in 1954. The courts found this to be justifiable homicide, but King wasn’t so lucky in 1966 when he was found guilty of second degree murder for pistol-whipping and stomping-to-death a really unlucky man who owed him $600.

After nearly four years behind bars King stopped killing people and became the most successful boxing promoter of all time. But just because he wasn’t offing anyone, doesn’t mean Don King was done getting in trouble. Over the years he has been investigated by the FBI for doctoring fights (twice), charged with tax evasion by the IRS, questioned by the senate for his relationship with John Gotti, sued by seven former clients including Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Muhammad Ali for a grand total of over $494.6 million dollars, and been indicted twice for insurance fraud (not guilty both times) as well as wire fraud (mistrial).

Proving that character means nothing in this world, 2K Sports gave the man his own video game in 2008 and another in 2009

#1: Mike Tyson
Covers: Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Mike Tyson Boxing, Fight Night Round 4

Oh Mike Tyson, how you love to star in video games and get arrested. Well before he was first featured in the classic Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Tyson was better known as a 13-year-old that had been arrested 38 times for crimes such as mugging and purse snatching. In a surprising decision, Tyson decided to put his budding criminal career on hold to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history and earn millions of dollars. This proved to be unfulfilling so “Kid Dynamite” decided to cause a little trouble. He was accused of domestic violence by his wife on national television, and then arrested for rape in 1991 and later convicted.

After serving three years in prison Iron Mike returned to boxing. After a few warm-up fights, Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a bout, lost a bunch of fights, appeared on Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing from Codemasters, and then retired in disgrace.

Above: That man is terrifying

But being retired meant more time for crime! Yay! Since his last fight, Tyson has been arrested for assaulting motorists (twice), DUI (several times), as well as possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia (a few times). Just for good measure, Iron Mike recently declared bankruptcy despite having earned around $300 million in his career.

Above: A guy incarcerated for rape headlines EA’s new AAA title. Classy

Apparently none of these terrible crimes are bad enough to prevent Electronic Arts from putting Tyson on the cover of Fight Night Round 4. Clearly, whether you want to be him or just punch him in the face repeatedly, Iron Mike Tyson is still the most appealing rageaholic thug in videogame sports today.

Jul 10, 2009

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