NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter almost blew his career on a number of occasions. The gifted wide receiver made some pretty poor decisions during his early days in the game, and his sketchy behavior seems to have culminated in his being let go from Fox Sports. So what happened?

Chris Carter very nearly followed in his older brother's footsteps and played basketball as a young man. Ultimately, however, he chose football and attended Ohio State where he made a big impact on the field during his first season in a Buckeyes jersey. His potential didn't go unnoticed by sketchy agents Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom, who signed Carter to a contract before his senior season, breaking NCAA rules. Carter was ruled ineligible after news of secret payments from Walters and his associates came to light, and the Buckeyes suffered as a result.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, this was the beginning of the end for coach Earle Bruce. With his star player out of the picture, Bruce couldn't deliver the results, and the respected coach was let go. Carter must have felt at least partially responsible, because he later apologized for what happened during his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

"Ohio State, first of all, to all the Buckeyes fans, from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize for me signing with a sports agent and losing my eligibility my senior year. That is the only regret I have in my athletic career, is that I couldn't play for the Buckeyes as a senior. Buckeyes fans, Cris Carter says 'I'm sorry.'"

Watch the video for more about the shady side of Cris Carter!

#CrisCarter #Athletes #Football

Sacking a coach | 0:17

Lying to a grand jury | 1:28

Addiction | 2:07

Rookie advice | 3:19

Dumping the Vikings | 4:24

Fired from Fox Sports | 5:04