By: Trevor Roughan
NFL quarterback prospect, Will Levis, recently revealed that he likes mayonnaise in his coffee and eating bananas unpeeled. Yes, you read that right. Levis may be the current poster child for weird athletes, but believe me, he’s far from the only one.
Let’s begin with nine-year MLB veteran, Brian Wilson; he retired in 2014 as one of the best closers in San Francisco Giants history, but he was also an all-time weirdo. Wilson sported a mohawk and a beard equivalent to that of James Harden. Beyond his appearance and antics on the mound, which were equal parts electric and bizarre, Wilson often gave interesting soundbites to reporters after games — for example, he claimed to be a ninja, undercover of course, with psychic powers. Who knows how serious he was when making statements like these, but there’s no doubt that Wilson belongs in the Weird Athletes Hall of Fame.
Labeling John Daly as weird almost feels redundant. I’m imparting news that everyone already knows, but I would be remiss to leave golf’s greatest weirdo off this list. Daly only drives to tournaments because of his fear of flying, inked a father-son brand deal with Hooters, put chocolate ice cream in the Claret Jug after winning the British Open, dresses like an extra off the set of Dave Chappelle’s Half Baked, and we’re not even scratching the surface. Daly can still swing a club too, recently placing 38 of 76 in The Galleri Classic.
Tim Rossovich demands a place on this list. The seven-year NFL Pro Bowler retired from the league in 1976, then went on to enjoy an illustrious acting career. With appearances in the original Charlie’s Angels and The A-Team television series, many recognize Rossovich more as an actor than an athlete. Considering the trajectories of stars like The Rock and Jim Brown, Rossovich’s second career is not what makes him strange. NFL Films president, Steve Sabol, claims,
“Tim was the kind of guy who lived on the razor’s edge of rationality and once in a while he would tip-off to the wrong side.”
In his playing days, Rossovich often chewed glass, drove motorcycles off piers, leaped naked onto birthday cakes, and even one time infamously set himself on fire. As Sabol also said about Rossovich,
“I mean, how many people do you know who set themselves on fire?”
Lastly, let’s talk about Ocho. Chad Johnson, who legally changed his name to Ochocinco, proudly embraces his weirdness. For starters, he often goes out of his way to mention how much McDonalds he ate throughout his career — he dined on golden arch grub before most games, often while he worked out, and even on all first dates. Johnson was just as unpredictable on the field as off it too — of his many legendary touchdown celebrations, his most notable might be when he proposed to a Bengals cheerleader shortly after sauntering into the endzone. She said yes. Ocho also claims to have taken Viagra before every NFL game he ever played, claiming it increased his explosiveness.
Again, Levis is weird. Very weird. So weird, that everyone privy to Levis’ coffee and banana habits agrees that he is weird. With that being said, eccentricity didn’t stop the above-mentioned athletes from achieving greatness throughout their careers. Hopefully the same will be said about Levis in the future.
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