Nice Guys Finish Last

Congrats to the good guy, Sean Taylor, who has been named one of S.I.'s 10 most controversial football players.

Taylor has had legal problems since entering the NFL. He faced felony assault charges from a 2005 incident in Miami, but eventually reached an agreement with prosecutors that resulted in just community service. Taylor is also controversial for his hard hits on the field. At this year's Pro Bowl, the Redskins safety laid a devastating hit on Bills punter Brian Moorman.

Don't forget that time he spit on wife-beating Michael Pittman in a playoff game.

Also, don't forget a DUI that was throw out when his lawyer claimed that Sean failed the alphabet test because he hadn't had to recite it in so long, so he just forgot a few letters.

And are hard hits on the field controversial? Or are they FOOTBALL?

In fairness to Sean, they're talking about controversy, which is generally not the event but the speculation and hoopla around it. Beating and your wife isn't controversial, just despicable. Ditto for dewies, guns and the entire Bengals team. Although the list is kind of inconsistent, because Chris Henry and Pacman Jones make it which is actual trouble, but I guess those guys are the public faces of trouble and thusly controversial. I don't think T.O. has ever been arrested so putting him above guys who have put lives at risk seems kinda iffy.

The list:
1. T.O.
2. Randy "Straight Cash Homey" Moss
3. Pacman Jones
4. Chris Henry
5. Jeremy Shockey
6. Tank Williams
7. Michael Vick
8. Sean Merriman
9. Sean Taylor
10. Ricky Williams

My list (of recent history) would go:
1. Ray Caruth: killed his pregnant girlfriend
2. Leonard Little: killed a women while driving drunk
3. Ray Lewis: killed a man for no reason
4. Pacman Jones: complicit in shooting that resulted in man being paralyzed
5. Maurice Clarret: Drank a bunch and went on a berserk assassination mission
6. Randy McMichael: pushed his girlfriend out of a moving car
7. Maurice Jones-Drew & Ricky Manning Jr.: beat a guy at Denny's unconscious because he looked like a nerd.
8. Albert Haynsworth: cleated a man's face DURING A GAME
9. a) Koren Robinson: 8,000 DUIs, 90 days in jail.
...b) Chris Henry: 5,000 DUIs
10. Michael Irvin: blow and hoes.