Who was the biggest prick athlete you ever encountered in person?

[FairWarning]

Met Muhammad Ali a couple of times. When his health is OK, he is great. He signs a bunch of postcards in his spare time, so when his health is poor, he just hands them out.

Other gems - Musial, LaRussa, Tim Brown, Gordie Howe, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams

Dicks include Ditka, Jim McMahon, Steve McMichael.

 

[SkinsRaj28]

I completely forgot about some athletes I met last summer when I was covering this charity golf tournament hosted by hall-of-famer Bobby Mitchell...got to interview a bunch of hall-of-famers over a few hours.

Mitchell was a really nice guy. Made sure that the day was about fun as well as a good cause.

Sonny Jurgenson was hilarious...that guy doesn't give a fuck about anything anyone thinks of him, he just does his thing. He was also hilarious.

Oscar Robertson was as nice as can be.

My mini-claim to fame was getting snubbed for an interview by Bill Russell...went up to him and asked if he'd mind if I asked him a few questions about the charity cause, and he said, "yes." I said, "wait, yes you DO mind?" He said "Yes I do, thank you." Then he walked away. I know he's notorious for snubbing the media, but I found this even more amusing than usual because of two things:

1) It was a charity event. I wasn't going to be asking him about anything serious or whatever.

2) I had actually met him before...he was friends with an alumni at my old high school when I was attending there...so he came to speak to our school(it was a huge deal, since he never does shit like that, apparently)...afterwards, my basketball coach introduced me to him and he talked to me personally for a few minutes. It was awesome.

 

[SkinsRaj28]

Also met Renaldo Wynn(he actually hooked my brother and I up with field passes before a Skins game, since he knows my mom)...guy was really nice, the story is actually insane as to what occured that day, but I'm tired of typing.

 

[DickyW]

Pete Rose...

4 Different Times !!!!!!!!!!!




Unless you're one of the 64,256 who wasted your money for his 8-letter scrawly signature, he'll treat you like the dirt on his toenails.

Or unless your a restaraunt and bar owner and offer to pick up his tab, he may even say thanks

 

[accventures]

Had dinner with Steelers Kicker Jeff Reed last month. Nice guy.

Cal Ripken, great guy. Davis Love III, great guy.

 

[wmublows]

Not as well known as many of the ones in the posts, but Shawn Burr (Played for the Red Wings) is a very cool guy. I played in the same softball league and he is real down to earth. He does all kinds of stuff for minor hockey in our town as well.

Hatcher Brothers (NHL) are also very cool guys. They use to live in a little town near where I live and they would frequent the bars in the area. They would talk to anyone, anytime.

Darrin McCarty also freguented the local bars and is equally as cool.

 

[go2guy]

Met Dwight Howard this summer in ATL. Nice, classy kid who can't beat me at arcade basketball :lolBIG:

 

[kosar]

Biggest pricks: Pete Rose and Dan Marino.

Rose has a restaurant in Boca Raton and he used to (maybe still does-this was like 8 years ago) host a radio show out of a booth there. I lived pretty close to there and liked the food, atmosphere, monitors in all the booths and all that. Went there a lot. I never approached him, but many others did and he was the rudest f*ck i've ever seen to everybody. Not just grown men, clowns, like winky looking for autographs to sell, but just anybody looking to just shoot the sh*t. Kids, women...didn't matter. Dick!

Marino and his pristine image? LMAO! I saw him all over town (Fort Lauderdale) at the clubs ALL THE TIME hitting all over, amking out with, 21-25 year old women and generally acting like an assho*e. My friends and I would actually *expect* to see this tool out, when we went. Nice marriage, guy.

 

[Wynn]

Biggest pricks: David Wells and Matt Geiger - hands down

 

[JohnnyB]

Marino and his pristine image? LMAO! I saw him all over town (Fort Lauderdale) at the clubs ALL THE TIME hitting all over, amking out with, 21-25 year old women and generally acting like an assho*e. My friends and I would actually *expect* to see this tool out, when we went. Nice marriage, guy.

Not that I condone this, but what professional athlete doesn't cheat on their wife, honestly?

 

[VaultedTreehouse]

I have to agree with those who have said you shouldn't judge an athlete simply on autographs. Can't tell you how many of these things are based simply on that.


As for the good ones. The nicest athlete I ever met was Mark Leiter. He was working at a baseball camp I worked at while he was working his way back to the big leagues. Went out of his way for me and my family. Took us to Yankee games. And his wife was just as nice and extremely hot.

Also nice: although I only sort of spoke to him in passing---Marvin Harrison.

 

[Puccini]

Willie Mays was the keynote speaker at our Little League end-of-the-year dinner one year (must've needed the money). He was great during the Q&A part, but when it was all over and a bunch of kids came up to him for autographs he got the hell out of there like his tail was on fire.

Another year we had Ralph Branca. I don't think many of the kids even knew who he was (the fathers did, though). He looked sad, but seemed nice.

 

[O.C.Buckeye]

Nicest for me...Tony Rice the quarterback at Notre Dame when they won it all back in 1989. Okay, keep in mind that I was 9 years old then. The previous year, Notre Dame played at Pitt in the pouring down rain, about 38 degrees outside. Just shitty as possible. Most ND fans are gone and my Father and I stay the entire game. AFterwards, Gate 1 is where the players came out of old Pitt Stadium. I wanted Tim Brown's autograph more than anything, so we stuck around in the rain..I didn't get Tim Brown but I got Tony Rice. Well...FASTFORWARD to the next year, ND is on route to win the national championship and they're playing at Pitt..after the game I wanted to get a few autographs again. Here comes Tony Rice. He looks at me and goes "Hey, weren't you that kid standing out in the rain last year when we were here?" I'm like "yes sir". He grabs me, says "come with me" takes me inside the stadium right up in the door way of the ND locker room and got everyone to sign for me. From Holtz, to The Rocket to Ricky Water to Chriz Zorich.

CLASS ACT!

 

[kosar]

Not that I condone this, but what professional athlete doesn't cheat on their wife, honestly?

It wasn't as much that he cheated on his wife, as him acting like an a*shole at the clubs.

That said, you are probably right that most pros cheat, but they don't do it as publically as Marino.

 

[O.C.Buckeye]

Biggest Prick: Barry Bonds

Back in 94-95 when Pittsburgh had the All Star game at Three Rivers Stadium, the police had the player's entrance barricaded like nothing you've ever seen before. You couldn't get within 20 yards of it. So all the players Frank Thomas, Bagwell, Clemens, etc. were all going out of their way to come up to the kids lined up outside these baricades to sign autographs and what not. The ONLY player not to come up and sign was Barry Bonds. About 10 minutes later, a news crew starts interviewing Bonds outside the entrance, as soon as that camera man's light came on Bonds start signing autographs and talking to fans. BOOM...that light turned off several minutes later after they wrap up the interview and Bonds stops in the middle of signing this kid's baseball, drops the ball with the pen and just walks into the ball park. No shit.

 

[Horseshoe]

One of my best friends owned a limo company for fifteen years, when swamped with heavy weekends, I sometimes handled as an guide along with drivers, and met some of his clients that ranged from Hollywood studio heads and their wives/girlfriends, to actors, to rock stars, to athletes,etc..and heard of other stories..

The best..Shaq(hounded during eating, yet signed a $20 dollar bill and gave it to the kid and his father that had approached him earlier.. when on the way out the door..does it all the time..genuinely loves people)..Dick Butkus(always a pleasure in his elder years)..Stan Musial(a true gent..always signs autographs..always classy to all)..Hot Rod John Williams(actually took off his suit coat and changed a flat tire because the limo driver didn't know how to..and didn't complain..but rather still tipped the driver kindly as usual)..Brett Favre(very grounded and kind)..Don Shula(classy gent), Max McGee(fun-loving gregarious), Jim Brown(what you see is what you get..no BS), etc..

The worst..rock stars(Axl Rose..smelly lil' primadonna that my buddy/owner handled personally and wanted to put to the curb but didn't due to professionality..yet my buddy is tight with Isaac Hayes/Gandy/Cheffy and Quincy Jones/Q and says they are TOTALLY COOL!)..and also actors(most "assume" or play the "studio is picking up the tab" card on the issue of tipping/quality tipping..often are on the road with mistresses in-tow or wanting to be brought to strip clubs and/or "serviced")

 

[Journeyman]

There are some great stories in this thread! Some I would have never imagined.

 

[JustWin]

Hale Irwin

 

[lionking]

Lavar Arrington is the biggest jerk in the NFL. For a preson that is very much overrated, stardom went to his head the minute he signed the contract. He hates signing autograph for kids, unless a camera is around, and before he started being guest on all these shows, was very bad with the press. what an *******.




:finger: :finger: :finger: :finger: :finger:

you have got to be kidding me

man, he must really just hate the redskins because i have seen him, hell i have tailgated with him at penn state games and any time anyone, whether it is a little kid, grown man or a person of his same age he would gladly sign autographs and take photos

never, EVER have i seen him turn down an autograph or picture.....from anyone.... and i have seen him at probably 20 or more psu games

 

[Trapstar]

Mark Brunell


True story..........my family's company has a suite in Alltel Stadium for the Jag games. As a result, each year we get 4 tickets to any away game and we get to fly with the team to wherever it is they are playing. Well, around 1998 or so (give or take a year), my parents went with the team to an away game. Long story short, the Sunday before the game, they got to eat breakfast with the team. Each table had 6 seats. My parents and another couple were already sitting down, and Brunell walks by the table to find a seat and my parents simply say, "Good Morning." Not only does he ignore them, he turns right around and goes and sits at another table, like they were going to ask him for autographs or something. He never would sign autographs for fans after games.

To this day, I hate the prick, and I was so happy the day we cut his ass.