Virginia-native, Bruce Smith, might hold the all-time reacord amount of sacks, but that still isn't a big enough accolade to pass up Lawence Taylor as the NFL's greatest player to hail from the Mother of States. With Lawernce Taylor being the greatest defensive football player the world has ever seen, of course he was going to make the list. Watching old clips of Taylor brings goosebumps to many football purists while it brings nightmares and PTSD to his former NFL alumni and gratefulness to current NFL o-linemen and quarterbacks. Taylor's All-American football career at the University of North Carolina led hom to become the 2nd overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.
Throughout his thirteen-season Hall of Fame NFL career, Taylor started 180 out of the 184 games he played. The 10x Pro Bowler, 9x First Team All-Pro outside linebacker redefined how linebackers were utilized around the league. Taylor also was the anchor of the team's defense during their two Super Bowl victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. With three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and one NFL MVP (1986) under his belt, these accolades don't define how much he means to the game of football. Regardless of his personal struggles, LT will forever be one of the NFL's greatest athletes to play the game.
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.