Recently, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram in his autobiography, Sultan: A Memoir, revealed one of the darkest chapters of his life. He confessed to having been addicted to cocaine during a turbulent period of his, a habit he eventually let go of after the demise of his first wife. This shows stress can be too much to bear even for celebrities and they are forced to go wayward without thinking about the repercussions. But is he the lone victim of substance abuse in the sporting world? Definitely not, as there are others as well who have fallen prey to such bad traits. So, who are they?
Diego Maradona (Football)
The Argentine legend is well known for the decisive goal he scored against England in the 1986 World Cup and the controversial “Hand Of The God” incident. But there is another chapter of his life, pertaining to drug abuse, that cut short his life brutally at the age of 60. A self-confessed party freak who claimed to have tried out every narcotic substance on the planet had a close shave with death in 2004 but continued with his wild ways till he was forced to make his way to his heavenly abode in 2020.
Jennifer Capriati (Tennis)
She lost her way completely after her dalliance with drugs and consequently attracted bad publicity as well. Jennifer Capriati became the lowest-ranked player in the game’s history to triumph at the Australian Open in 2001 by defeating Martina Hingis comprehensively. Aside from this, she also pocketed two more Grand Slams, an Olympic Gold in 1992 and broke into the International Hall of Fame. But the downfall happened soon as she got embroiled in cases of drug abuse and shoplifting. For these misdemeanours, she got prosecuted as well. Eventually, she left the game to spend some valuable time in rehab and is currently leading a simple life in Miami, US.
Michael Phelps (Swimming)
As the most prolific Olympian with 29 medals in the swimming category Michael Phelps happens to be one of the most celebrated athletes in the sporting arena. However, he also ran into a huge problem due to his obsession with the recreational drug, Marijuana. As he created numerous records in the game of swimming, he also started to develop an inclination towards Marijuana. Shockingly, Phelps was once seen in a British newspaper smoking the pot but he somehow managed to escape prosecution for the offence. However, he did not emerge unscathed from the unsavoury episode as the US Swimming Federation banned him for three months, and Phelps also lost a big-ticket endorsement deal in the whole chaos.
