Seventeen seasons in the NFL has earned 6'7, 295lb linebacker, Julius Peppers some rather big paydays in the NFL. It also didn't hurt being a 9x Pro Bowler and 3x First-Team All-Pro nominee to help him secure some of those large checks. Peppers played his collegiate football at the University of North Carolina from 1998-2001. While winning the Lombardi Award, Bill Willis Trophy, and Chuck Bednarik Award for his performance in football, Peppers also played on the school's basketball and even participated in the Final Four. Peppers ditched basketball in his final season and currently is ranked second all-time in career sacks at the institution.
After outperforming his peers in college, Julius Peppers was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by his home state Carolina Panthers where he played a total of ten seasons in two separate stints with the franchise. Out the gate, Peppers signed a seven-year, $46 million contract with the Panthers. Which proved to be beneficial for all parties involved after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002. In 2010, Peppers signed a six-year contract worth $84 million with the Chicago Bears. After four seasons in Chicago, Peppers signed a three-year $26 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. In 2017, Peppers returned to Carolina where he would play two more seasons before retiring in February 2019. With close to $80 million paid to him by the Panthers alone, Julius Peppers is still on the team's payroll in the business operations department.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.