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The naughty and nice athletes list for 2017
USA TODAY Sports

The naughty and nice athletes list for 2017

As 2017 draws to a close and the holiday season sets in, it is as good a time as any to take inventory on has been very good, as well as very bad this year. For a handful of athletes and sports luminaries, it was a banner year of accomplishment that spanned far beyond just what their statistical success indicated. And for a handful of others, they should look forward to a substantial lump of coal as penance for a year of behaving badly.

So as you gather together gifts for your loved ones, take a few moments to remember to good boys and girls of the year in sports. As well as those that need a reminder to do better in the new year.

 
1 of 20

Nice: JJ Watt

Nice: JJ Watt
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes it pays to have the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. J.J. Watt checked all those boxes for the city of Houston, when Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on the city in August. And Watt’s presence paid out in a very literal sense, as his viral campaign to help raise aid funds for the city began with a $200,000 goal, before ultimately seeing $30 million worth of donations find their way towards the effort. Watt’s efforts were a motivating presence in the moment of need, and will continue to help the long-term rebound efforts in the future.

 
2 of 20

Naughty: Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell

Naughty: Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The spat between the two executives highlighted a year of failure to launch for both parties, both together and separately. The NFL Commissioner and Dallas Cowboys owner have been at odds since Goodell suspended Jones’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott for six-games following domestic abuse allegations. Jones stated that he would come after Goodell ‘with everything that he has’, and even went as far as attempting to block a contract extension for the commish. Meanwhile, Goodell has been ping ponged between public player accountability demands via on-field protests, and even drew the ire of the President in the process. Although only one year passed since January, it likely feels like many more for the both dueling power brokers.

 
3 of 20

Nice: LeBron James

Nice: LeBron James
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, LBJ is playing his best basketball in years, averaging a triple-double in the NBA Finals and putting up an astonishing MVP push in his 15-year this fall. However, it is what James is accomplishing off the court that is the most remarkable part of his increasing portfolio. In late November, James received approval to move forward with ‘The I Promise School’, an endeavor based in his hometown of Akron, geared towards keeping at-risk youths from falling behind. The three-time champion and four-time MVP ranked the project as save for his family it is ‘the most important thing I have ever done’. And it is hard to dispute that.

 
4 of 20

Naughty: Micheal Crabtree and Aqib Talib

Naughty: Micheal Crabtree and Aqib Talib
Stephen Lam/Getty Images

Round one came last year, when the fiery Broncos defensive back snatched the gold chain from the neck of the equally mouthy Raiders receiver, and sparked up a melee. Round two came in week 12 of 2017, when just three minutes into the game, Crabtree again had his chain grabbed by Talib, followed by his helmet ripped off. What followed was brawl that saw both players ejected and suspended for a week. At this pace, the NFL should have Showtime and Mayweather Promotions sponsored the first Denver/Oakland game of 2018.

 
5 of 20

Nice: Jameson Taillon

Nice: Jameson Taillon
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In just six weeks’ time in early May, everything changed for the Taillon. The Pittsburgh Pirates hurler discovered he had testicular cancer and swiftly underwent surgery to address the issue. Miraculously, just three weeks later he was make a rehab start in the minor leagues. And by June 12, he was back on the mound for the Pirates as one of the enduring winners of the year, more importantly in life as opposed to just baseball.

 
6 of 20

Naughty: Matt Harvey

Naughty: Matt Harvey
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Everybody has been in a place where they had to think up an excuse for being late for work, with some being much better than others at the craft. Mets pitcher Matt Harvey needs work at the craft, because when he failed to show up at Citi Field in May, he simply claimed to be under the weather. It was eventually revealed that his illness was of the manmade variety, and stemmed from a full day of golfing and partying. Ultimately, Harvey missed a start due to a three-game suspension and was forced to come clean to teammates.

 
7 of 20

Nice: Dale Earnhardt Jr

Nice: Dale Earnhardt Jr
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most beloved guys in the history of racing hung it up this fall, as Dale Earnhardt Jr stepped away from the track for the final time. 15 times voted the most popular racer in NASCAR, consecutively, Dale Jr did an impeccable job of not only picking up the torch from where his father tragically left off at, but also crafting his own impressive lane along the way. He is the link to an era that has passed, and leaves with just the right bit of nostalgia and ‘what if’ factor to keep him on minds for long to come.

 
8 of 20

Naughty: The guy that designed THAT Ronaldo bust

Naughty: The guy that designed THAT Ronaldo bust
Octavio Passos/Getty Images

More specifically, Emanuel Santos, who is responsible for rendering one of the most recognizable athletes in the world into an image better fit for an episode of Looney Tunes. This was the case when Santos was commissioned to design a bust in honor of the superstar at the christening of the renaming of an international airport his name his native Portugal. And while this should have been an extraordinarily easy assignment, considering Ronaldo is one of the most photogenic people on Earth, it fell off the rails somewhere along the way, and made it immediate social media fodder of the most rampantly hilarious variety.

 
9 of 20

Nice: Carlos Correa

Nice: Carlos Correa
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As if winning the most thrilling World Series in years was not enough, Correa had to go an up the gamut by providing an encore of proposing to his girlfriend on the field immediately following the Astros’ victory. In the process, he raised the stakes for virtually every guy ever looking to plan a dramatic proposal scenario, so perhaps he should be more appropriately placed on the ‘naughty’ list here.

 
10 of 20

Naughty: LiAngelo Ball

Naughty: LiAngelo Ball
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It was uniquely cluttered end of the year, as Vol. 2 of the Ball experience has not gone as smoothly as the first time around did. LiAngelo Ball followed in his brother Lonzo’s footsteps to UCLA, but never got off the ground after some ill-advised decision-making during a trip to China, of all places. The then-freshman guard was suspended before ever hitting the floor for the Bruins, after being arrested by Chinese police officers, in a situation that ultimately called up President Trump intervening to have him and two teammates released. Ultimately, LaVar Ball (predictably) inserted himself in the situation, pulling LiAngelo from college and sending him across seas with little brother LaMelo to jump start their pro careers.

 
11 of 20

Nice: Jeffrey Loria

Nice: Jeffrey Loria
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Marlins fans could ask for no greater gift this holiday season than the one they received when Jeffrey Loria finally relinquished control of the ballclub. Loria’s famous frugality and sell offs in favor of sustaining a promising on-field product had long kept the Marlins as substandard ball club. And his unapologetic nature for putting the dollar above the game made him regularly be ranked among the worst owners in pro sports.

 
12 of 20

Naughty: Derek Jeter

Naughty: Derek Jeter
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Okay, while the newly minted owner of the Miami Marlins has not truly done anything truly terrible this year, his appropriation of his new team has not gone without some abrasive moments along the way. In one fell swoop, Jeter wiped out a pair of Hall of Famers and another duo of who’s who among Marlins greats from positions with the company within his first month on the job. HOFers Tony Perez and Andre Dawson were sent on their way, while Jack McKeon and Jeff Conine (who is known as ‘Mr. Marlin’, no less) were ousted as well. That’s not the stuff that happy holiday parties in the future are made of.

 
13 of 20

Nice: The Turnover Chain

Nice: The Turnover Chain
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It is the season for giving, so it must also be the season for receiving as well, or perhaps taking. And nothing has better honored spirited theft this year than the University of Miami’s ‘Turnover Chain’: a 36-inch Cuban link, with a 6.5 inch charm decked out with orange and green sapphires. And the incentive of the bling worked, as The U forced 30 turnovers on the year, insuring the Turnover Chain was a well-traveled piece of paraphernalia.

 
14 of 20

Naughty: Baker Mayfield

Naughty: Baker Mayfield
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It was a banner year for Mayfield, who led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoffs and picked up a plethora of individual awards along the way. But the senior signal caller was not shy about making the news for his more juvenile exploits as well. This included an arrest for public intoxication and fleeing police in February (which was all caught on tape). Mayfield did not stray away from on-field moments either, as he planted the Oklahoma flag at the midfield of Ohio Stadium in September following a Sooners victory and grabbed his crotch during an exchange with the Kansas Jayhawk defense, a gesture which caught him a suspension to open the final game of the regular season Sooner slate.

 
15 of 20

Nice: Carlos Beltran

Nice: Carlos Beltran
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

After finishing up his 20th season with a first World Series title, Beltran decided to hang up his cleats. But that is far from the last time we’ll hear from the industrious nine-time All-Star. Beltran has been a force in driving forward opportunity in his native Puerto Rico, with his baseball academy opening doors that had never been as easily available in the country previously. And when hurricanes devastated his homeland, Beltran was one of the biggest advocates and aid providers in efforts to save the nation, donating over $1 million worth of funds and essentials to relief efforts, many of which he personally oversaw amid the Astros run towards the World Series.

 
16 of 20

Naughty: Ben McAdoo

Naughty: Ben McAdoo
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Already one and a half feet out of the door in New York, apparently going off quietly into the night is not McAdoo style. In his last act of contrition as head coach of the New York Giants, McAdoo decided to bench franchise cornerstone quarterback Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith. In the process he ended a streak of 210 consecutive starts for Manning, who considering the condition of the Giants, was far from the biggest problem needing to be address. His push to shake things up behind center instead ended with a 24-17 loss at the hands of the Raiders, and McAdoo fired less than 24 hours later – and general manager Jerry Reece following quickly behind. Way to burn the house down on the way out.

 
17 of 20

Nice: Neymar

Nice: Neymar
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The star forward received a nice payday to shift sides from Barcelona to Paris-Saint Germaine back in August, and while it is a great nice coup for Neymar himself, it will find its way home to his native Brazil as well. He has long been one of the most active philanthropist. Via his Instituto Projecto in Brazil, Neymar takes in 2,400 children to provide educational opportunities in an area that otherwise would be unable to facilitate them. He has also utilized his fortune to battle Ebola and bring in clean water into impoverished areas.

 
18 of 20

Naughty: Chris Christie

Naughty: Chris Christie
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Every great athlete knows that being heckled on the road is a sign of respect. This perhaps does not extend to politicians, and often the rules work the other way in political critiques. These worlds collided when Christie caught some flack at a Milwaukee Brewers game in July, and the controversial governor of New Jersey stopped to berate a fan who dared to speak towards him. And the best part is that it was all caught on cellphone video, further extending Christine’s also-ran reputation.

 
19 of 20

Nice: Colin Kaepernick

Nice: Colin Kaepernick
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

While Kaepernick has been absent from the football field, he has remained ever-vigilant in his $1 million mission to aide those in need. After initially starting shortly after his protest in the fall of 2016, Kaepernick has donated upwards of $900,000 in just over a year’s time. Among the groups he has donated to thus far are a charter school in East Harlem, the Coalition for the Homeless, which aide education and the underprivileged. He has also aided organizations focused on social equality, such as Justice NYC (which looks to reform the New York criminal justice system) and United We Dream, a non-profit which works to preserve DACA legislation. He has truly spent his time putting his money not only where his mouth is, but also his actions.

 
20 of 20

Naughty: Mohammad Anas

Naughty: Mohammad Anas
Julian Finney/Getty Images

Not that this should need to be stressed, but it’s a bad idea to have a wife AND a girlfriend simultaneously. And if you do decide to make that life decision and you happened to be a professional athlete, DO NOT thank them both on live TV, simultaneously. These memos were lost on Anas, as the Ghanaian soccer player thanked both during a postgame interview, consecutively. While he returned in an attempt to clarify later, stating that he calls his daughter his ‘girlfriend’ (another odd turn of phrasing), it is still a moment that is a lump of coal in interview history.

Matt Whitener is St. Louis-based writer, radio host and 12-6 curveball enthusiast. He has been covering Major League Baseball since 2010, and dabbles in WWE, NBA and other odd jobs as well. Follow Matt on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

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