Image via Complex Original
Athletes in our day and age are superstars among superstars, and our society happily places them up on pedestals in celebration. Thanks to social media, we have been as closely connected with our favorite pro ballers like never before, and the barrier between us and them is slowly crumbling. Many athletes in recent years have broken the illusion of perfection they've built for themselves, and have slowly shown us that they, too, are human. Here are the most controversial athletes on Twitter—the bad, the ugly and the funny.
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Jose Canseco
Username: @JoseCanseco
Jose Canseco is the definition of a sports star vying for attention. His Twitter is constantly filled with nonsensical ramblings, and one of his most recent tweets was about him being charged with rape. This man knows no boundaries.
J.R. Smith
Username: @TheRealJRSmith
J.R. Smith is the NBA's social media king. So when the man puts you on blast, people are going to see. Take the human punching bag Kris Humphries, who thought he would be slick when tweeting after a Nets-Knicks game that the Nets happened to win. J.R.'s sixth sense kicked in and he jumped on the opportunity.
Larry Johnson
Username: @TheRealLJ2
When Jason Collins came out as homosexual earlier this year, the basketball world and the LGBT community all praised him for becoming the first active openly gay player in the NBA. Larry Johnson, on the other hand, took to Twitter to openly attempt to make sense of the situation, leading to a series of ramblings that added nothing to the conversation in front of him.
Carmelo Anthony
Username: @carmeloanthony
Melo has been on a bit of an aggressive streak recently (remember when he waited for KG after the game?), so word to the wise: don't cross him. Groupie Kat Stacks learned that the hard way when she sent Melo a few flirty tweets, which got him in some hot water with his wife. Carmelo did his best Godfather impression with this tweet.
Mike Wallace
Username: @Wallace17_daKid
Like Larry Johnson, Miami Dolphins wide receiver, Mike Wallace, made the bad decision to think out loud when Jason Collins came out as homosexual. He quickly apologized after this tweet notincing it struck a chord with fans and followers, and replaced it with this tweet: "Never said anything was right or wrong I just said I don't understand!! Deeply sorry for anyone that I offended." Got to love the "sorry if I offended anyone" apology.
Voula Papachristou
Username: @papaxristoutj
Trouble reading what that says? No Problem: "With so many Africans in Greece... At least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!!!" Yeah. That was bad. That's why the Voula Papachristou, the Olympian from Greece, was kicked out of the summer Olympics.
Brandon Jennings
Username: @BrandonJennings
Brandon Jennings is a solid player in the NBA--it's just a bummer that the Bucks can't seem to get their stuff together. Jennings' Twitter career has included beef with a fake Jordan Farmar, as well as this classic call-out of his coach back in March.
Robert Henson
Username: @Mr_Henson51
Back in 2009, Robert Henson was a rookie on the Redskins. You would think he was humble enough to be on a NFL team, but, of course not--or else he wouldn't be on this list. After a game, Henson took to Twitter to call Skins fans "dim wits," which was probably not his best idea.
Reggie Bush
Username: @ReggieBush
Oh, Reggie. The man has had a rough ride in the NFL since leaving USC, but you wouldn't know it from looking at his Twitter. He constantly tweets about his wealth and fame, and during the NFL lockout, that didn't change much.
Metta World Peace
Username: @MettaWorldPeace
Metta is one of the most entertaining players in the NBA and on social media. The guy really puts himself out there, whether that's giving out his opinion or schmoozing with fans. Sometimes, like last Memorial Day, it looks like all the schmoozing led him to think it was actually Labor Day.
Chad Johnson
Username: @OchoCinco
Chad Johnson is another player who likes to promote himself via social media. But when things go wrong, like discovering he wasn't in Madden 13, the man will show a sensitive side to himself. Such is the life of a man who was cut by the Miami Dolphins following an arrest for domestic violence against his wife.
Stephen Jackson
Username: @DaTrillStak5
Stephen Jackson is no stranger to controversy. On and off the court (he's also an aspiring rapper), Jackson has proved he's a man without a filter for emotion. He's known for talking smack back to his followers, and fellow NBA players are always in his line of fire.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Username: @FloydMayweather
Beyond promoting himself, his money, or his rides, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will occasionally tweet out opinions. These opinions, much like his money and his rides, will grab your attention--but it may be for negative reasons. Take this tweet that Floyd sent out back when NBA star Jeremy Lin burst into the scene as a key player on the Knicks. Think before you tweet.
Quinton Jackson
Username: @Rampage4real
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson once called American MMA fans, "the most negative MMA crowd ever." That's a generalization, but, fans of all sports become desensitized to the things they watch. Rampage felt like giving his followers a brief reminder.
Rashard Mendenhall
Username: @R_Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall didn't rejoice at the news of Osama Bin Laden's death back in 2011. In fact, he seemed outright offended that anyone would rejoice. Naturally, he took to Twitter to voice his opinions, whether or not they made any sense.