I did a quick search of “pro athletes,’’ “out-of-wedlock children’’ and “paternity suits.’’ It produced a star-studded list of some of the greatest American athletes of the last 20 years who have fathered children out of wedlock at either a rather high rate or in a way that resulted in a paternity suit. This is just a very shallow sampling, again, focusing on headline-grabbing stuff. Ready?
QUANTITY SHOOTERS
*NFL, Ray Lewis (six kids by four women)
* NBA, Larry Johnson (five children by four women)
* NBA, Latrell Sprewell (three kids by three women before his 21st birthday)
* NFL, Darren McFadden (three illegitimate kids in four years of high school and college)
* Boxing, Evander Holyfield: He has 9 illegitimate kids)
* NBA, Jason Caffey: (eight illegitimate kids by seven women)
*NFL, Marshall Faulk (six kids by three women)
*NFL, Charles Rogers: (five illegitimate kids)
* NFL, Santonio Holmes: (three kids while in college)
* NBA, Stephon Marbury, (two illegitimate children)
*NBA, Juwan Howard (three kids by three different mothers)
*NBA, Shawn Kemp (twelve children from different mothers)
*NFL, Derrick Thomas (seven kids by different women)
*NFL, Willis McGahee (three children out of wedlock in two years)
*MLB, Vlad Guerrero (four kids by four women)
*NBA, Mike Bibby (two children while in college)
*NFL, Shannon Sharpe (three children out of wedlock)
*NFL, Chad Johnson (three children out of wedlock)
*NFL, Ricky Williams (three children out of wedlock)
*NBA, Willie Anderson (nine kids out of wedlock)
*NBA, Calvin Murphy (nine women, 14 children)
*NBA, Julius Erving (two children by two women)
ON THE COURT, IN THE COURT
*MLB, Pete Rose (paternity suit)
*NBA, Larry Bird (paternity suit)
*Boxing, Oscar de la Hoya (paternity suit)
*NHL, Mark Messier (paternity suit)
*NBA, Patrick Ewing (paternity suit)
*MLB, Jim Palmer (paternity suit)
*MLB, Juan Gonzalez (paternity suit)
*MLB, Steve Garvey (paternity suit)
*NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon (paternity suit)
*NBA, Gary Payton (paternity suit)
*NBA, Scottie Pippen (paternity suit)
*NBA, Isiah Thomas (paternity suit)
*NBA, Allen Iverson (paternity suit)
*NFL, Travis Henry (nine children in eight years)
*NFL, Rae Carruth (fathered an illegitimate kid before the incident where he had his pregnant girlfriend gunned down)
And then, finally, a sampling of men who’ve fathered children without the benefit of marriage:
GOOD OL’-FASHIONED OUT-OF-WEDLOCK
*NBA, Dwight Howard
*NBA, Walter Herrmann
*NBA, Peja Stojakovic
*NBA, coach Eddie Jordan
*NHL, Daniel Alfredsson
*NHL player Richard Zednik
*NBA, Mike Miller
*NFL, Marvin Harrison
*NBA, Tracy McGrady
*MLB, Darryl Strawberry
*NFL, Matt Leinart
*NFL, Tom Brady
*NBA, Antawn Jamison
*MLB, Chipper Jones
*NBA, DeShawn Stevenson
*MLB, Cliff Floyd
*NFL, Brian Urlacher
*NFL, Andre Rison
*MLB, David Justice
*MLB, Andruw Jones
*NFL, Alonzo Spellman
*NFL, Dave Meggett
*NBA, Gary Payton
*MLB, Randy Johnson