Skip to content

First Order: The 3 most hated stars in the NFL

Rob Foldy / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The NFL's never been short on villains, but these three players take the cake, making up the NFL's First Order of bad guys as the league's most hated stars.

Tony Romo

A number of signal-callers could have made this list, but Romo gets the nod because he's the rare star quarterback whose own fan base hates on him on a near-regular basis.

Replacing a quarterback carousel that featured names like Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson, the home crowd's love for Romo dried up in short order on a botched snap in a postseason game in Seattle.

Romo's earned an unfair label as a turnover-prone choker who lets his team down in the biggest moments. Although, to be fair, the Cowboys will finish this season without their quarterback for the third time in six seasons.

Ndamukong Suh

There's no quarterback in the league that feels safe when Suh lines up across from them. While playing to the edge is certainly encouraged in the NFL, no player takes as much joy in crossing the line as Suh.

Suh's kicked Matt Schaub, body-slammed Jake Delhomme, and stomped on Evan Dietrich-Smith, just to name a few of his many transgressions.

In an era in which the NFL is scrambling to shed its label as a violent sport, Suh embraces the dark side. Signing a six-year, $114-million contract to play in Miami and flopping flat on his face hasn't scored him any points, either.

Richard Sherman

There's been no better cornerback in the NFL over the last few years, and Sherman's been happy to shout it from the rooftops at every opportunity.

Whether it's trash talk on the field or a prepared postgame rant, Sherman runs his mouth like few players before him. He's had very public beefs with Darrelle Revis, Michael Crabtree, and even Skip Bayless. That he's parlayed his antics into on-field success only served to anger his detractors.

Sherman backed up his talk by anchoring the league's No. 1 defense in 2013, en route to a Super Bowl victory. With all the added spotlight on him, Sherman has embraced his roll as villain, even manufacturing a feud with one of the top players in football, Tom Brady.

Related: First Order: The 3 most hated stars in the NBA

Related: First Order: The 3 most hated stars in the NHL

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox