While Gale Sayers is worthy of praise, the NFL throne of Kansas has to go to the Wichita, Kansas-bred Hall of Fame running back, Barry Sanders. Sanders was one of the most electrifyingly elusive runners pro-football has ever seen. He inspired a generation of young football hopefuls to play what can be considered a dangerous style. Somehow, standing at just 5'8 Sanders was able to stand the test of time playing for a total of ten years in the most combative sports league in America. In three years of collegiate football at Oklahoma State University Sanders rushed for close to 3,800 yards and scored a total of 52 touch downs earning the Heisman Trophy in 1988.
His impressive college performance led him to be the third overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Detriot Lions where he played his entire career. While Sanders was unable to earn any diamond-encrusted hardware, he was a 4x NFL Rushing Yards Leader (1990, 1994, 1996, 1997), a 1x NFL MVP (1997), 10x Pro-Bowler, and so much more. Sanders is the third all-time leader in rushing yards carrying the ball for a total of 15,269 yards. To this very day, we haven't seen a single player recreate what Barry Sanders was able to do on the football field.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.