Charles Haley

Charles Haley

Cowboys defensive end, 1992-96
Career Stats: click here

Breakdown: A five-time Super Bowl winner and owner of 100.5 career sacks, there is no logical reason Haley is not in the Hall of Fame. Both Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones attribute the Cowboys’ rise from contenders to Super Bowl champions to the addition of Haley. That said, Haley also carried a ton of baggage, ranging from erratic behavior to erratic play.

Pearlman’s take: The weirdest professional athlete I’ve ever come across. Haley was diagnosed as a manic depressive, and elected to take his meds, oh, sometimes. The result: a football player who urinated in a teammate’s car; who masturbated in the presence of teammates; who threatened to tear the heads off reporters; whose instability caused Cowboys to tiptoe around Valley Ranch.

From Boys Will Be Boys: Haley was socially awkward and unflinchingly vicious. Though prescribed medication to treat manic depression, he would take the pills one day, then skip them the next two or three. Haley once exposed himself to reporter Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury News, a pathetic attempt at gender intimidation. He rarely bypassed the opportunity to verbally pounce on a teammate’s shortcoming—an ugly child, a protruding mole, a lisp. “Charles was a great player,” says Dexter Carter, the former 49er running back. “But there’s only so much a man can tolerate.” Once he got going, the words flew from Haley’s mouth as if they were shot from a Browning .50 caliber machine gun. Anyone effeminate was a “faggot.” African-American players who became close with the coaching staff were “house niggers” and “Uncle Toms.” Whites were “honkies” and Hispanics “spics.” (A joke Haley told with particular brio: What do a Mexican and a hotel have in common? A mop) Twice, his racial barbs resulted in fights with former 49er teammate Jim Burt, a white defensive lineman who decked Haley both times.