Nights That Ended in NFaiLure

The Date: Nov. 28, 2008

The Place: New York, N.Y.

Plaxico Burress was out on the town with former Giants teammate Antonio Pierce. The two decided to spend their evening at a nightclub. Burress brought along his Glock pistol for protection. Apparently, millions of dollars cannot buy you a proper holster, so Burress, being the resourceful individual that he is, held the firearm in his waistband.

The night went sour when Burress' gun slipped down his pant leg. He grabbed for the gun, accidently pulled the trigger, and shot himself in the thigh.

Although the injury Burress sustained was not life-threatening, the fallout from this night would be catastrophic. As the incident happened within the city of New York, Burress was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment and sentenced to two years in prison.

The Date: Jan. 31, 2000

The Place: Atlanta, Ga.

The night of the Super Bowl is nationally-accepted as an occasion to party. This holds true for everyone, especially professional athletes.

On this particular night, Ray Lewis was attending a shindig with a group of his friends at an Atlanta nightclub. Toward the end of the evening, an argument broke out between Lewis' group and another group in attendance. Not much is known for certain about what happened next, but the scuffle ended with two men being stabbed to death by Lewis' group.

Lewis and two of his companions were brought up on charges in relation to the deaths. Lewis was able to avoid jail-time by testifying against the other two men and was sentenced to one year of probation. His companions would also avoid prison, as the charges against them were eventually dropped.

The Date: March 5, 2010

The Place: Milledgeville, Ga.

Everyone who is anyone knows that no city parties harder than Milledgeville, Ga., so, naturally, it would attract people like Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger.

On the night in question, Roethlisberger was visiting local watering holes. As he is a very famous athlete, he caught the attention of a young woman who thought it would fun to spend time with a celebrity. This is where the night got tricky.

Roethlisberger allegedly exposed himself to the woman, followed her into the women's restroom, and sexually assaulted her. Although accused of the crime, Roethlisberger was never brought up on charges due to a lack of evidence to support the victim's claim.

The Steelers quarterback did not go unpunished, however, as he was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Date: Feb. 19, 2007

The Place: Las Vegas, Nev.

During the 2007 NBA All-Star game weekend, Adam "Pacman" Jones hit the strip with companion Nelly. The two, accompanied by an entourage of employees and friends, decided to go to a strip club to enjoy their evening.

While in the building, Nelly and Jones jumped onto stage and began throwing around hundreds of one-dollar bills. The dancers, upon the instruction of club promoter Chris Mitchell, began collecting the money. This was apparently against Jones' wishes.

A fight between club staff and Jones' group broke out when Jones allegedly grabbed one of the dancers and threw her head into the stage. Jones was also heard threatening the life of one of the club's security guards.

The night hit its lowest point when, after the original altercation, one of Jones' companions returned to the club with a gun and fired into the crowd, injuring three people and leaving one paralyzed. Jones claimed that he did not know the gunman but eyewitnesses believed otherwise.

Jones would accept a plea deal in the case that stemmed from the incident and pled no contest to one count of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct. Even though the legal punishment was light, Jones was given a one-year suspension from the NFL.

The Date: Jan. 30, 1999

The Place: Miami, Fla.

This has to be, hands down, the greatest athlete nightlife failure of all time. Not many people will remember Eugene Robinson. He played safety for the Atlanta Falcons during their run to the Super Bowl in 1999, but that is not the only thing he is famous for.

The night before Super Bowl XXXIII, when most players would be preparing for what could be the biggest game of their careers, Robinson hit the streets of Miami looking for, well, let's call it a companion. Armed with $40 and a smile, Robinson found a woman that he believed would be perfect company.

Unfortunately, that woman turned out to be a Miami police officer. Robinson was arrested on the spot and spent the night before the Super Bowl in a jail cell. He was able to post bail and play in the game, but he was never able to shake off the effects of the previous night's debauchery.

To make things worse, earlier in that day, Robinson had received the Bart Starr Award by Athletes in Action – a Christian group – for his high moral character. Robinson, understandably, returned the award.

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