Richard Joseph Gannon is one of those anomalies that is seldom ever seen in the NFL. Most of Rich Gannon's success came at the end of his career after he had failed to find a secure starting job or home as a backup quarterback. This experience would discourage many athletes, but Rich Gannon rose to the occasion and became one of the most respected quarterbacks around the league and during his era in the early 2000s. Gannon attended the University of Delaware from 1984 to 1986 where he began his football career as a punter before switching to quarterback his sophomore season. Despite not being a true quarterback Gannon broke a total of twenty-one school records including passing yards in a single season (5,927) and completions (462) in a single season. In his final year with the Fightin' Blue Hens, Gannon was named Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
The 6'3, 210lb quarterback was selected 98th overall in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings where he played the first six seasons of his NFL career. As a third-string quarterback, Gannon saw limited time on the field until he won the starting job his final three seasons with the Vikings. Rich Gannon also played short stints with the Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs before finding a home with the Oakland Raiders in 1999 where he would become a dominant force in the NFL close to half a decade. Gannon went on to go to four straight Pro Bowls (1999-2002), earn an NFL MVP Award (2002), and lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl (XXXVII) appearance in 2003. While he wasn't able to secure a championship with the Raiders, he's a legend to this very day in Oakland.
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.