Athletes Who Suffered Bizarre Off-Field Injuries By SportsYeah [94 more lists]

Athletes who suffered bizarre off-field injuries number in the dozens with stories of freak accidents, or pure stupidity, leading to missed playing time. Normally athletes are injured on the field, and get paid very well for that risk, but in these crazy cases it was something completely unrelated to their respective sports that got them in trouble.

Some of these stories, such as the ones involving motorcycle accidents involving the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Kellen Winslow, Jr. and Ron Gant, among others, can be directly attributed to athletes making poor choices. Despite modern-day sports contracts having provisions expressly prohibiting the athlete participate in dangerous activities, these guys threw that out the window and ultimately paid the price.

Other freak accidents were just that, accidents and happened during normal everyday activities. Glenn Healy, a former NHL goaltender, injured himself cleaning his bagpipes. Lionel Simmons, a now-retired NBA player, missed time after too much Nintendo GameBoy play gave him tendonitis. Adam Eaton, a MLB pitcher, stabbed himself in the stomach while trying to remove the cellophane from a DVD case.

Even some of the best athletes to ever play their respective sports have been involved in these strange injury accidents. Baseball great Nolan Ryan was once bitten by a coyote. Cal Ripken, Jr. suffered a broken nose while taking a team photo with the Chicago White Sox. Three-time World Series champion Roger Craig cut his hand on women's underwear. The list goes on and on.

Just like weird injuries that happen after the whistle on the field, this list shows that athletes are at their best when playing sports, not doing mundane and apparently dangerous tasks in the real world. Did we miss a funny or freakish injury to your favorite athlete? Add it below and tell us which strange off-field sports injury tops them all by voting for your favorites.

Print Info View Views: 3074 Items: 15

< >

Show: 5 25

Rank Name

1

Up 7

Down 0

Cal Ripken, Jr.

In a weird turn of events, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. busted his nose after he was accidentally hit in the face by teammate Roberto Hernandez as the Chicago White Sox were taking their team photos. Ripken, being a total boss, never missed a game and played with the broken nose.
2

Up 8

Down 1

Ken Griffey, Jr.

The legendary baseball player missed games throughout his career for a variety of bizarre reasons including once when his protective cup pinched a testicle and when he broke his throwing hand while wrestling with his son. This only scratches the surface of the many freak injuries Ken Griffey, Jr. experienced throughout the years.
3

Up 7

Down 1

John Smoltz

Notable MLB pitcher John Smoltz suffered a severe burn to his chest though exactly how it happened has been up for debate. Legend has it that he was running late and rather than taking the 10 seconds to remove his wrinkled shirt before ironing it, he skipped that part and ironed it while he was wearing it, burning himself in the process. Smoltz later denied the story and said he actually put on a piping hot shirt that had just been cleaned and that's how he was burned. Both stories are pretty idiotic.
4

Up 5

Down 1

Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan was easily one of the best baseball players ever but that does not make him immune from freak injuries. In 1985, Ryan was bit by a coyote and suffered an injury to his left hand. It was no wild coyote attack though, Ryan stuck his hand into a dog enclosure containing three coyotes. Who would have thought that coyotes are not friendly little animals?
5

Up 5

Down 1

Glenallen Hill

MLB players like Glenallen Hill are certainly tough but that does not mean they are any match for spiders. Hill missed several games with cuts to his hands and body that he suffered when he fell out of bed and crashed into a glass table. The cause for the fall? According to Hill, he was having a nightmare about being attacked by giant monster spiders.
6

Up 4

Down 1

Ben Roethlisberger

In 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was seriously injured after crashing a motorcycle in Downtown Pittsburgh. He underwent a seven-hour surgery to repair damage to his face and head and was later cited for failure to wear a helmet and failure to possess a proper motorcycle license. Big Ben certainly wasn't the first to crash a motorcycle and live to talk about it. Kellen Winslow Jr., Ron Gant and Jay Williams all did the same thing.
7

Up 4

Down 2

David Seaman

Proving once and for all that too much television is bad, professional soccer player David Seaman once broke a bone while reaching for the TV remote. He was with his team at a hotel at the time and ended up missing playing time from the freak injury.
8

Up 4

Down 3

Adam Eaton

San Diego Padres pitcher Adam Eaton likely intended to show the cellophane covering a DVD case who was boss when he grabbed a sharp knife and began struggling to unwrap the disc. Unfortunately for Eaton, the cellophane proved to be the victor when Eaton ended up stabbing himself in the stomach in the process. No word on if he watched that DVD while he missed a game recovering.
9

Up 4

Down 3

Glenn Healy

As if being the backup goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs and playing the bagpipes was not embarrassing enough, Glenn Healy took it a step further. Healy suffered a serious cut to his hand and required 40 stitches while cleaning said bagpipes. Had he been more than a perennial backup, he might have missed playing time from the injury.
10

Up 4

Down 3

Larry Walker

For the most part, fishing is usually only dangerous to fish, not those doing the fishing. MLB player Larry Walker changed all that when he separated his shoulder fishing in Canada. He ended up missing the beginning of the 1997 season as a result.
11

Up 4

Down 3

Lionel Simmons

The acclaimed NBA player developed tendonitis and missed games during the peak of his career. This tendonitis however was not from playing basketball but rather something that he suffered from his addiction to his GameBoy.
12

Up 2

Down 0

Kevin Mitchell

The former Major League Baseball player had not one but two bizarre injuries during his playing career. Mitchell missed time once after straining his back vomiting but that was nothing compared to when he was sidelined after chipping his tooth by biting down on a frozen donut.
13

Up 3

Down 2

Jimmie Johnson

In a freak accident involving a vehicle of another kind (and a bit of stupidity) NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson missed a good four weeks of racing while recovering from a wrist injury. Johnson apparently fell from the top of a moving golf cart and injured his wrist in the process. Ricky Bobby would be so proud.
14

Up 2

Down 2

Roger Craig

Roger Craig, a three-time World Series champion, didn't have any odd injuries during his playing career however he certainly had one after joining the San Francisco Giants as manager. Craig showed up for a game in the early 90s with an injured hand, one he said he cut while fiddling with a bra strap. Props to Craig though as he was man enough to admit how he got the injury.
15

Up 2

Down 3

Bret Barberie

Retired second baseman Bret Barberie apparently didn't get the memo that spicy foods and eyes make for a horribly painful combination. Barberie happened to learn that the hard way, and miss playing time in the process, after he rubbed his eye while he had chili juice on his fingers. That sounds like one lesson he won't make again.
+Add New Item

Is this list missing something?

BE THE FIRST TO ADD AN ITEM

Showing items 1 - 5 of 15

make your votes count more