Peyton Manning is the blueprint for being a high-caliber quarterback at the highest level. His precision, poise, and ability to read defenses like the back of his hand has allowed him to become the first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback that he's worked towards since his youth. Peyton Manning attended the University of Tennessee from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure with the Volunteers, Manning became the school's all-time leading passer with a total of 11,201 yards, 89 touchdowns, and a 39-6 record as a starter at the institution.
Manning was selected 1st overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft where he played fourteen out of the eighteen seasons of his NFL career. While a member of the Colts, he won four NFL Most Valuable Player Awards, a Super Bowl (XLI) victory in 2006, and Super Bowl XLI MVP. After a neck injury mishap with the Colts medical staff, Manning took his talents to the Denver Broncos where he won his fifth and final NFL MVP in 2013 and Super Bowl (50) victory in 2015. With three contracts worth at least $90 million under his belt, Manning has racked up close to $250 million in earnings throughout his career. The funny thing is that he left $19 million at the table when he decided to retire in 2016.
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.