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Some NFL players play the game of football as hard as they can until the whistles blow, but there are a handful of players who take things a step further. The NFL's dirtiest players are widely hated around the league, but how they obtained the dirty label varies from case to case. These specific players put the health of their opponents at risk with more frequency than the average player, often taking cheap shots even in a game known for its violence.
We were reminded of some of the dirtiest players and their respective dirty plays when Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a cheap shot to a sliding Trevor Lawrence. The Houston Texans linebacker was handed a three-game suspension because of the hit, and in the aftermath, fans discovered that this was far from the first time that Al-Shaair pushed the limits of what someone should do on the football field. So, check out the gallery to see if Al-Shaair ranks among the dirtiest players in NFL history.
1. Bill Romanowski, linebacker
Bill Romanowski was the dirtiest player of all time and an all-around bad dude. Romanowski came into the league dirty, and it only got worse throughout his career. He spent six seasons each with the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in the late '80s-early '90s, which means he won four Super Bowls in his career. Romanowski was going to be in the spotlight because of that, but he drew attention to himself for all of the wrong reasons.
The linebacker's most notorious incident came when he pulled off his own teammates' helmet (Marcus Williams) and sucker punched him. The attack burst Williams' eye socket and ended his career, and that was his teammate, so you can only imagine what he did to opponents.
Spitting on the face of J.J. Stokes and breaking Kerry Collins's jaw in the preseason with an illegal hit are other incidents that come to mind. Romanowski was fined for three separate illegal hits, for punching Tony Gonzalez, and for throwing a football at Bryan Cox's crotch, all in just one single season.
Allegations of roid rage as well as racism must be mentioned when talking about Romanowski as well. The linebacker found a lot of success on the football field, but he probably wasn't a good person. He took being dirty past the point of big or late hits and doing things completely unnecessary that shouldn't be a part of football.
2. Conrad Dobler, guard
Conrad Dobler was recognized as one of the dirtiest players ever a long time ago, as Sports Illustrated made him the cover story in 1977 as “Pro Football's Dirtiest Player.” Dobler did his best to take other players out of the game with cheap shots that resulted in injuries.
He also punched Mean Joe Greene (another player on this list), kicked Merlin Olson in the head, and spit on Bill Bergey when he was down on the ground with what was a career-ending injury. The disrespect was the ultimate form of adding insult to injury.
Dobler played in the '70s, so he got away with way more than he would have if he played in today's game. Even so, it was well-recognized around the league that Dobler would either try to hurt you to try and make things go his way or disrespect you if things didn't go his way.
In today's game, Dobler likely would have quickly been kicked out of the league. Biting, kicking, and eye-poking were all in Dobler's arsenal of dirtiness. He would also allegedly punch players in the stomach when they tried to bat balls down at the line of scrimmage.
3. Vontaze Burfict, linebacker
A lot of new fans might recognize Vontaze Burfict as the dirtiest player in NFL history, as his reign of terror lasted from 2012-2019. Burfict did things that weren't allowed or were frowned upon in an era where the NFL was a lot less lenient with unnecessary hits and dirty plays, which makes him stand out on this list.
Burfict's hit to the head on a defenseless Antonio Brown is one of the most recognizable plays of the 21st century. It knocked the star receiver out, and Brown was never the same after that.
All in all, Burfict was suspended for 19 games in total because of illegal hits, including a 12-game suspension for repeated violations. That suspension effectively ended Burfict's career, as he simply wouldn't be available enough to teams because of the likelihood he'd be thrown out of games/suspended. Known for his Cincinnati Bengals tenure, Burfict was a cheater, too. He was suspended for four games on top of his foul suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs.
The linebacker targeted opposing players' heads and landed vicious hits with extreme precision and ferocity. He did that in an era when the league was trying to cut back on helmet-to-helmet hits, too, but Burfict seemed to care more about big hits than avoiding suspension.
4. Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle
The referee's ultimate enemy was Ndamukong Suh. One of the most feared players ever because of the havoc he could wreak during a play, Suh was equally as feared for what he would do after the whistle was blown. The legendary defensive tackle was most known for stomping on players. He also tended to drive quarterbacks into the ground with a little extra oomph.
Suh wasn't on the football field to make friends, as Tom Brady highlighted in an interview. He was out there to make plays and inflict pain on opposing players. Linemen need to be bullies in the NFL, but Suh was the biggest bully of them all.
Fans' issues with Suh stem from because he was so talented that he didn't need to take cheap shots, but he still did anyway. Later in his career, Suh cleaned up some of his dirty habits, but the label stuck with him and led to some penalty flags that he probably didn't deserve but that he got just because of who he was. The former number two overall pick's two most famous incidents were when he stomped on Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm and when he kicked Matt Schaub in the groin.
5. Jack Tatum, safety
Jack Tatum was the epitome of a hard-hitting safety, but he also put opposing players' health at risk every time he stepped on the football field. Any pass in Tatum's vicinity was a hospital pass, but what made Tatum dirty was that he seemingly felt no regard for the opposing players that he injured.
Notably, Tatum had a preseason hit on Darryl Stingley that was so brutal that it broke his back and made him a quadriplegic. Reports indicate that Tatum never apologized for the hit, either. The New York Times labeled Tatum “a symbol of a violent game,” and he was given the nickname “The Assassin.” Tatum is also known for being on the wrong end of the Immaculate Reception.
6. Mean Joe Greene, defensive tackle
Mean Joe Greene is one of the best players in NFL history, but he certainly lived up to his nickname. Greene won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was named the Defensive Player of the Year twice, largely because of his vicious play style. The 10-time Pro Bowler who was the leader for the Steel Curtain defense would verbally threaten opposing players, and he usually lived up to his word. He was yet another spitter, too, as he spit on Fran Tarkenton. Greene even threw a punch at Paul Howard.
7. Aqib Talib, cornerback
Disclaimer: Aqib Talib is my all-time favorite player, so I loved his shenanigans. The uber-talented cornerback was certainly known for the extracurriculars, though. Talib was the kind of player you loved if he was on your team and hated if he wasn't. He always had his teammate's backs and was the first player willing to fight.
Talib's chain-snatching beef with Michael Crabtree will never be forgotten, and he also famously poked Dwayne Allen in the eyes. If there was a scuffle to be had or a button to be pushed, Talib was going to be involved.
8. Rodney Harrison, safety
Coming across the field was always a risky proposition for pass-catchers when they were playing a team with Rodney Harrison on the roster. Harrison had no problem laying the wood in the worst kind of way. Harrison was known for his spear tackles, where he used his helmet as a weapon. He was voted the dirtiest player in the NFL three different times during his career. Harrison went for everybody's head, and it didn't matter who you were. This was evidenced by his headshot of Jerry Rice, the greatest non-quarterback in NFL history.
9. Johnny Sample, defensive back
Johnny Sample has some of the biggest highlights in NFL history. He was a three-time champion, winning two of the biggest games in league history. Sample was a key figure in both “The Greatest Game Ever Played” and Super Bowl III, which was a turning point in professional football. There were lowlights associated with Sample, though, and those stemmed from his dirty playstyle. Sample was dirty enough that his autobiography is titled “Confessions of a Dirty Ballplayer.”
10. Charles Martin, defensive end
Charles Martin is responsible for one of the most blatant and obvious dirty plays in NFL history. This came when he WWE-style body-slammed Jim McMahon multiple seconds after the Chicago Bears quarterback had already attempted a pass. He did this for no apparent reason other than to be dirty, and it was heavily criticized even during a time when it was acceptable for quarterbacks to get hit.
The hit resulted in a season-ending injury for McMahon, but it wasn't Martin's only incident. Martin was known to have a “hit list” of players he'd target. Martin's incident with McMahon led to both the first multi-game suspension for an on-field play as well as the first time a player was ejected from a game for a violent incident.
11. Richie Incognito, guard
Richie Incognito is most known to the public for his bullying scandal involving Jonathan Martin. He was certainly a bully on the field, too, and to his peers, he was most known for his dirty play style. Incognito was known to gouge eyes and throw punches to get a competitive advantage and to place fear into his opponents. Incognito was once fined three times for his actions in just one game.
12. Steve Wisniewski, guard
An offensive lineman is supposed to block defensive players at all costs, but Steve Wisniewski took that mindset too far. He regularly hit players who couldn't defend themselves, whether that was with blocks in the back or by targeting players' knees. He would also regularly roll over players' knees, causing long-term injuries. The guard spent his entire career with the Raiders, who are arguably the most notoriously dirty team throughout the NFL's history.
13. Dick Butkus, linebacker
Dick Butkus is an NFL legend, but he isn't the player you'd want to be at the bottom of a dog pile with. A lot of dirty tricks are used in dog piles, but Butkus was known to bite his opponents. Punches kicks, and eye-pokes were other tricks Butkus used when the referees couldn't catch him.
14. Mark Schlereth, guard
While Mark Schlereth's habit of going to the bathroom in his pants was dirty in the sense that it was disgusting, it isn't the type of dirty that qualified him for this list. Instead, the three-time Super Bowl champion is here because of how often he'd use chop blocks. As an undersized guard who was limited athletically, Schlereth wasn't going to maul through a defensive lineman.
Instead, he would just take out their legs and render them immobile. Schlereth's knees took a beating in their own right, as he had 15-plus surgeries in his career, but that doesn't excuse the playstyle that the lineman used that put others at risk.
15. Albert Haynesworth, defensive tackle
Albert Haynesworth is most known for being arguably the biggest free agent bust ever because of the ineffectiveness he showed on the football field after signing a mega deal with the Washington Redskins. In his prime, though, Haynesworth was a dominant player. The massive defensive lineman is responsible for one of the biggest cheap shots ever, though. He received a five-game suspension after cleat-stomping Andre Gurode's head. At the time, that was the longest suspension for an on-field incident ever.
16. Brandon Meriweather, safety
When the league wouldn't allow Brandon Meriweather to go for players' heads anymore, he made it publicly known that he would just go for their ACLs instead. The safety wanted to hurt his opponents, and he didn't hide that fact from anybody. It was evident with his play on the field, too.
17. Lyle Alzado, defensive end
On the field, Lyle Alzado was the poster child for roid rage. While his aggressive playstyle was a good thing for his teams, it was what he would do after plays that got him in trouble. The NFL had to ban taking off and throwing opposing players' helmets because of Alzado. The NFL player was a man who loved to fight, which is obvious considering he once boxed Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest boxer of all time.
18. Hines Ward, receiver
Most receivers try to avoid contact, but that wasn't the case with Hines Ward. Don't let the constant smile fool you; the long-time Pittsburgh Steelers receiver was a mean player. He was known for crackback blocks against players that weren't looking. Ward was more than happy to take cheap shots at opposing players, but he certainly only did it when there wouldn't be a chance for retaliation.
19. Roy Williams, defensive back
Roy Williams was the master of the horse-collar tackle. The defensive back consistently utilized the move to bring down ball-carriers even though it regularly resulted in injuries. Because of that, the tackle had to be banned, and Williams was the main reason why. Williams caused at least three significant injuries in 2004 alone.
20. Cortland Finnegan, cornerback
Cortland Finnegan was more of a pest than a dirty player, so we are only going to place him in the last spot on this list, but it is still worth bringing up his name. Finnegan was always bugging opposing receivers, and he often did enough to lead to a fight. This was highlighted by his long-time rival, Andre Johnson. Finnegan was smart with when he would act up, though, as he was able to get Johnson ejected from a game, which took away the Houston Texans' best weapon.
