Pro Athletes Serving Prison Sentences

A former NBA player near my hometown was found guilty of all charges after breaking into a neighbor's home. According to the April 2, 2010 edition of The Cincinnati Enquirer, former NBA player Kirk Snyder faces up to 18 years in prison for aggravated burglary, felonious assault and assault. He is currently being held in the Warren County Jail in Lebanon, Ohio.

Even if Snyder receives the maximum term of 18 years, his sentence would still fall far short of the longest prison term given to any professional athlete from the country's major sports.

Perhaps the worst sentence received by any professional athlete was execution. In the West Indies in 1955, former cricket standout Lesley Hylton was convicted of murdering his wife and was executed by hanging. According to the May 17, 2008 edition of ExecutedToday.com, Hylton shot his wife seven times after finding out she had committed adultery.

While no professional athlete in America has received the death penalty, some have received very heavy punishments for their crimes. Here are some of the longest prison terms for professional athletes.

Life Sentence for Edward Lee Johnson: An NBA player mostly associated with the Atlanta Hawks, "Fast Eddie" Johnson received life imprisonment after being convicted fop robbery, drug possession, sexual battery and sexual molestation on an 8-year-old girl, according to the October 30, 2008 edition of Ocala.com.

45 Years for Mal Hall: The former Cubs outfielder was sentenced in 1999 for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child, according to a June 17, 2009 Associated Press article in The Long Island Press.

41 Years for Darryl Henley: This defensive back for the Rams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, according to an article in the January 22, 2000 L.A. Times.

30 - 60 to Years for Terry Underwood: He was a college football star at Staten Island and later played professionally for the Toronto Argonauts. Underwood fatally stabbed his pregnant wife 88 times, according to Wayne Coffey in the October 7, 2007 edition of the New York Daily News.

33 Years for O.J. Simpson: The star running back at USC went on to a brilliant career with the Buffalo Bills and later became a TV star. After being cleared of murdering his wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman, Simpson years later was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. According to the October 4, 2008 edition of CNN.com, Simpson was convicted on 12 charges and sentenced to up to 33 years.

22 Years for Stanley Wilson: A former star for the Bengals, Wilson battled drug problems during his career. He was even suspended for the 1987 season after testing positive for cocaine use. According to the January 31, 1999 edition of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Wilson later was convicted of first-degree residential burglary.

20 Years for Rae Carruth: The former Carolina Panther was sentenced for conspiracy to commit murder after shooting a gun into an occupied car and trying to kill his girlfriend's unborn child, according to the January 23, 2001 edition of the L.A. Times.

20 Years for Willie Mays Aikens: A former Major League Baseball All-Star first baseman, Aikens was sentenced after being found guilty of drug possession with the intent to distribute and gun possession. According to the May 21, 2009 edition of the New York Daily News, Aikens served 14 of the 20 years before his release.

19 Years for Rubin Carter: The boxer known as "Hurricane," the subject of both a Bob Dylan song and a hit film, was sentenced to life for murder. The conviction was overturned after Carter had served 19 years in prison, according to an article by Lona Manning of crimemagazine.com.

20 Years for Denny McLain: He was the last pitcher to win 30 games (31 in 1968 with Detroit), but he has since then spent much of his life in prison. According to his autobiography, I Told You I Wasn't Perfect, McLain served separate sentences of a combined 20 years for drug trafficking, embezzlement, racketeering, conspiracy, theft, money laundering, and mail fraud.