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Fansided

One NFL player you wish never played for your favorite team

By Randy Gurzi

22 Aug 1998: Quarterback Ryan Leaf #16 of the San Diego Chargers standing around talking before the pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Chargers defeated the Colts 33-3. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squ
22 Aug 1998: Quarterback Ryan Leaf #16 of the San Diego Chargers standing around talking before the pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Chargers defeated the Colts 33-3. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squ /
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2022 NFL
Sep 21, 1997; Charolette, NC, USA; FILE PHOTO; Carolina Panthers receiver Rae Carruth (83) carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs at Ericsson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos – USA TODAY Sports. /

Carolina Panthers: Rae Carruth, WR

Still a young franchise in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers used the No. 27 pick in the 1997 Draft on Colorado wideout Rae Carruth. On the field, he never lived up to his status. He had a decent rookie season with 545 yards on 44 receptions with four touchdowns but then played in just seven more games over the next two seasons.

In year two, he was slowed by a broken foot he suffered in the opener. But in 1999, it was what happened off the field that ended his career.

Carruth was part of an unthinkable act as he was accused of hiring a man to kill the mother of his unborn child. The L.A. Times had the story of him being found hiding in the trunk of a car as he was trying to avoid arrest.

"“Rae Carruth was arrested Wednesday night in western Tennessee, where police found him hiding in the trunk of a friend’s car a day after he failed to surrender on a murder charge in the shooting death of his girlfriend.”"

He was then charged with first-degree murder and was in prison until October of 2018. It was a sick act and while most of these players on this list just simply didn’t live up to expectations, Carruth proved to be a terrible person — which is why Carolina fans surely wish he never stepped foot on the field for them.

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