3 NFL players who were banned forever from the league
When NFL players break league rules, they often receive suspensions. The length of the suspension varies based on several factors, including the severity of the offense and the history of the player who committed it.
Most suspensions last weeks, and some can last years, while the possibility of a lifetime ban from the NFL also exists.
On that note, here's a look at the only three players who were ever banned for life from the league.
#1 Rae Carruth
The Carolina Panthers selected Rae Carruth with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He proceeded to have a promising rookie season, recording 44 receptions for 545 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
He appeared in just one game during his second season due to injury and just six games in his third season.
In November, during the 1999 season, Cherica Adams, who was carrying Carruth's child, was shot four times. The baby survived, but Adams passed away about a month later.
Carruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder for hiring the gunman responsible for the shooting, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was handed an indefinite suspension from the league and never played football again.
Rae Carruth walked out of Sampson Correctional Institution and back into the free world today. https://t.co/IdRxPMSlaQ
#2 Frank Filchock
Frank Filchock was a member of the New York Giants during the 1946 season, playing tailback and quarterback. Despite throwing a massive 25 interceptions in just 11 games, he helped the Giants to the NFL Championship Game.
Filchock was accused of taking a bribe to lose the Championship game by more than 10 points. He admitted the incident occurred but denied being involved with it, claiming he refused the proposal.
The league punished Filchock with a lifetime ban, so he joined the Canadian Football League. The NFL lifted the ban three years later and allowed him to return to the league.
#3 Merle Hapes
Fullback Merle Hapes was involved in the same scandal as Frank Filchock with the New York Giants during the 1946 Championship Game. Hapes was found guilty of accepting bribes to fix the game and received a lifetime ban.
Gambler Alvin Paris was accused of conspiring to fix the NFL championship game today in 1946 by bribing New York star back Frank Filchock and fullback Merle Hapes. Commissioner Bert Bell suspended Filchock and Hapes indefinitely after the conviction of Paris in 1947. #OTD #TDIH https://t.co/mKZYhyysvd
Like Filchock, Hapes also went to the CFL to continue his football career but only lasted one season. Unlike Filchock, Hapes was never reinstated to the NFL.