There are many headcases in sports in today and also in the past but, are they really worth the risk? Many names come to mind in this discussion.

There are some that are worth the risk.

In the NBA, there’s Demarcus Cousins, who likes to slam people to the ground when he gets mad and mouth off to the refs and gets technical fouls. At the same time he is considered the best center in the NBA to many. He dominates other players inside the paint. You almost can’t play defense inside the paint on him.

Another is Kobe Bryant, who needs to have complete control of his team year in and year out. He is arguably the best player of his generation.

Are these two players worth the risk? Kobe led his team ( the Lakers) to 5 NBA titles. Cousins is a former All-Star. Both are high risk but the reward they give certainly seems to outweigh that. Kobe is known for not getting along with teammates and running players like Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal out of L.A because they didn’t get along. It is well-known Kobe still has bad blood with Dwight Howard (who now plays for the Houston Rockets). Kobe called out Dwight this year for being to “soft.”

In the NFL, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots is a huge party animal. Pictures have been leaked of him partying the day before a practice, and make their way to the social through Twitter or even on shows like TMZ. Many sports fan consider Gronk the best tight end in the game and has help lead the Patriots to deep playoff runs. He is one of the NFL’s most unstoppable “monsters.” Competitors just can’t cover this guy when he is healthy and not hurt. Is that really a guy you would give up because he likes to party?

Manny Ramirez.A baseball player that played for the Boston Red Sox, was once in the outfield and went into the well-known “Green Monster” of Fenway Park to go to the bathroom -between outs. They called it “Manny being Manny.” He led the Red Sox to two World Series (2004 and 2007) and had a total of 274 home runs as a Red Sox to go along with a .312 batting average and 868 RBI’s.

There is always that occasional bone-head players in the NFL like DeSean Jackson and Terrell Owens. Many teammates disliked both players. Both were great receivers for the Eagles and if they kept theses two players, the Eagles could of possibly gone on a deep Championship run, this year that just passed (the incident with DeSean Jackson) and the 2006 season (after letting T.O go.) Yes, DeSean was a top 10 receiver in the 2013-14 season with the Eagles but, do you want a player that has no respect for his coach, (since reports came out that DeSean cursed out head coach Chip Kelly) and has a past where he gave up on the team and “didn’t try” because he wanted a bigger contract? The Eagles let Terrell Owens go after the 2005 season. If they kept him the Eagles could of made a Super Bowl run that year too. Will that be the case with D-Jax? Only time will tell but, after one year it is looking like the Eagles might of made a huge mistake cutting a top tier receiver like that.

All of these players are great players but at the same time you have many people that could of got their head in the game and could of/be really good players.

Johnny Manziel, an NFL quarterback for the Browns, is a prime example. He is very talented but lazy and loves to party. He didn’t even know his own playbook this year and had two of the worts starts in the NFL as a quarterback this season according to statistics. If he really cared about the game he would stop partying, study film, stop being a trash talker, and would stop being a “man of the media”. Manziel’s cockiness gets in the way of his talent way too much. If he can put his ego aside he has the potential to be a star.

Nyjer Morgan, who used to play baseball for the Pirates, Nationals, and Brewers actually had an alter ego! He could of been a great player maybe even an all star but you never knew when “Tony Plush”(his alter ego) would come out. He once charged the mound when he was on the Nationals and threw a punch at pitcher Chris Volstead (for getting thrown at) and would end up getting cloths lined by Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez. This is one of many “bone-head moves” Nyjer had in his career.

Eddie Johnson was an NBA player that wasn’t  just a head case but, he was also just a sick individual. He could of been such a great player and once he hit his prime he was a 2 time All-star. However he had a bad cocaine addiction, many suspensions, and would end up being banished from the NBA in 1987. His highest points per game in a season was 19.1. He is now serving a life sentence in jail.

Jameis Winston is another huge name. He is coming out of FSU college and making the transition into the NFL this year. He has a track record of bone-head mistakes that he has made. He is a great talent but is he really worth the huge risk. He has been caught stealing crab legs from grocery stores, allegedly sexual assaulting a women, and not following team rules many of times. He spends more time goofing off then getting his head in the game and just playing the game of football. The potential is there, he won the Heisman award his Freshman year and also won the National Championship the same year. Is he worth that risk though? The kid could do something to get him in trouble at any time it seems. Many team owners don’t want to have to make that choice and put their trust in a franchise quarterback like that.

All theses players had high ceilings but, just never understood that if their early focused on their game they could of been/could be great players.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a huge decision this April since they have the first overall pick. Do they go with quarterback Marcus Mariota ( almost a sure thing but might not be able to run their offense like they want) or go with a quarterback that’s a headcase in Jameis Winston that has a future that could lead them deep into the payoffs. At the same time he could end up not even being around in a couple of years due to many possibilities. So the real question comes down to are headcases, locker room cancers , or whatever you want to call them worth keeping on your team?