Jailbird Athletes: Their Sports Achievements Quiz

Answer: Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick was released from the Atlanta Falcons after six seasons. He apologized for his dog fighting ring and educated kids against it. Legal struggles and bad publicity hounded him for a year, then he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2010, he was named National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week, and his game jersey was displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was first among quarterbacks for rushing yards per game.

Answer: Triple axel

Tonya Harding pulled off the triple axel (3.5 revolutions) not just once but four times. She was the first American woman to land two axels in one competition, and first to land a triple axel combination. She won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship after her closest competitor Nancy Kerrigan suffered blows to her leg and had to withdraw. Harding was later stripped of the win and charged with conspiring to protect the attackers, her ex-husband and former bodyguard. She was never again a serious competitive skater.

Answer: Hockey

Danton played ice hockey in the National Hockey League (NHL). He argued with the Devils manager, resulting in suspension and then a trade to St. Louis. Just after the Blues were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, Danton was arrested for attempting to hire a hit man to kill his agent. Danton spent 63 months in federal prison, and was released on parole in 2009.

In 2010, Danton's new team, the university level Canadian Saint Mary's Huskies won the University Cup. Danton was named Academic-All Canadian.

Answer: Los Angeles Lakers

Shooting guard Billy Bates briefly dunked with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won NBA Player of the Week in his rookie year, won Best Import, played overseas and dazzled fans with amazing dunking and jumping ability. In 1998, he robbed a New Jersey gas station, slashing the ear of the attendant with a knife.

He was sentenced to 7 years in prison. After prison, he tried to set up a basketball clinic, but found himself working as a floor technician, night shift. He'd grown up picking cotton and corn in Mississippi and was drinking by age ten.

Some attribute his criminal behavior to drug addiction, for which he got treatment.

Answer: The Black Mamba

Bryant calls himself the Black Mamba. A black mamba is the largest venomous snake in Africa, as well as a supervillan in "Marvel Comics". In 2003, Bryant faced trial but Katelyn Faber decided not to testify, so the case was dismissed. Her civil lawsuit was settled out of court and stipulated an apology, which he provided.

A year later, Bryant signed a lucrative NBA contract, and regained some endorsements. He was voted NBA Most Valuable Player three years in a row. In 2010, he was third on Forbe's list of highest-paid athletes.

In February 2011, Bryant got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Later that year, Bryant took a leading role in a short film, "The Black Mamba".

Answer: Bodybuilding

Sally McNeil was a bodybuilder, though apparently amateur. Ray competed in Mr. Olympia in 1993, an impressive competition won by Arnold Schwarzenegger in previous years. Sally told police she suffered years of domestic abuse at the hands of the 260lb Ray, due to fits of rage brought on by his use of steroids. Failure to pass drug tests was common among professional bodybuilders of the time, and steroids were known to cause rage. Nonetheless, in 1996 Sally was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

The judge instructed the jury that murder can be considered second-degree if the victim perceived herself to be in mortal danger. Ray and Sally came to the sad end of both careers.

Answer: Mike Tyson

In the ring with Evander Holyfield for the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship, Mike Tyson bit first one ear and then bit off a piece of the other. A boxing winner from his youth, Tyson had been arrested 38 times by age 13. His first wife called living with him "torture, pure hell".

He served time for raping a beauty queen, attempted to break the arm of a fighter, and was arrested for road assault. He was treated for "various addictions" but thereafter was arrested for a scuffle with a photographer. Thirteen years after assaulting Holyfield Tyson told reporters he was "completely broke", yet happy, living with his third wife, the father of 7 children. Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Many consider him the greatest heavyweight of all-time.

Answer: Fastest recorded serve

In 1978, champion Tanner powered the fastest serve then recorded at 153 miles per hour. His strong, low lunge earned him the nickname "The Rocket". In a U.S. Open quarterfinal, Tanner's 140 mph serve literally brought the net down. Tanner was first arrested for failure to pay child support, then he paid for a yacht with a bad check.

He served a year in jail, but then wrote a bad check for two expensive cars. He pleaded guilty to grand theft, was evicted, and went into hiding. Investigations suggested Tanner lived on cash while hiding millions in assets. Andy Roddick beat the 1979 fastest serve record in 2004, clocked at 155 mph. Ivo Karlovic topped that at 156 mph (251km/h) in 2011.

Answer: Ramp (Vert)

Rogowski, the "skateboard king" was a ramp or vertical skater. A ramp allows versatile moves such as a flip or spin. At the height of his popularity, Rogowski dated an aspiring model with whom he did endorsement videos and skate-gear advertisements. Rogowski claimed he had raped and killed a friend of his ex-girlfriend because he was distraught over the breakup.

He was sentenced to 31 years in prison. A documentary titled, "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator", tells his story. The other answer options are terms used in ramp skateboarding.

Other types of skateboarding include offroad, pool, and street.

Answer: Drafting

Drafting gives the driver extra speed gained from the car ahead, though as vehicle design changed, drafting lost some of its value. Junior Johnson was named among NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and sponsored many champions including Darrell Waltrip. Junior had served time in prison, but he was pardoned for his moonshine activities in 1986, perhaps ironically by President Nixon.