Wilting in the spotlight

Tiger Woods hardly is the first sports figure to fall from grace, and many have proven a scandal doesn’t have to be the end. Here’s a look at some recent figures to take the fall, with a handful landing on their feet:

Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod was on track to become the all-time home run king, with three MVP awards, a batting title and two Gold Gloves on his mantle. His admission of steroid use in 2009, however, changed all that. By 2015, A-Rod had fallen so far in the public eye the Yankees settled milestone clauses worked into his contract in court and benched him in the playoffs. Since his forced retirement last season, A-Rod has recouped his image some, with successful broadcasting gigs showing a brighter side of the former persona non grata.

Michael Vick

Vick became the first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season in 2006, but that offseason, he was arrested and convicted for running an interstate dogfighting ring. After surrendering endorsements, salary and two years of his athletic prime while serving time in jail, Vick returned to post a Pro Bowl season in 2010 and by 2014 had repaid all $18 million he owed creditors after filing for bankruptcy in 2008, while also becoming an animal-rights activist.

Michael Phelps

Phelps always has been on top of the swimming world since his career began, but that spotlight got the best of him following the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was pictured using a bong at a college party, which lost him endorsements and garnered a suspension from USA Swimming. Phelps also was twice arrested for drunk driving, in 2004 and 2014, the latter resulting in a 45-day stint in rehab. All of these have failed to dim Phelps’ star, and he remains one of the most revered athletes in U.S. history.

Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden

New York remembers Gooden’s 1985 as well as any single pitching season in history, when Doc struck out 268 batters with a 1.53 ERA to win the Cy Young award at just 20 years old. But substance abuse derailed his career for years before he made a successful late-career comeback on the other side of town, throwing a no-hitter and winning a World Series with the Yankees in 1996.

Lance Armstrong

In the mid 2000s, there was no more inspirational figure than Armstrong, who beat testicular cancer, won seven consecutive Tour de France titles and started a foundation that raised millions for cancer research. He vehemently denied doping allegations but was found in 2012 to be part of one of the biggest doping programs in sports history.

Mike Tyson

Tyson was once the most feared fighter in the world, knocking out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds to become the undisputed heavyweight champion in 1988. But in 1992 Iron Mike went to prison for rape. He failed to regain his form upon release and the later years of his career were marked by a desperate chomp of Evander Holyfield’s ear and an ill-advised face tattoo. Since then, he’s strangely become a comic figure, appearing in ‘The Hangover’ and his one-man Broadway show. —