When athletes retire, they often pick up weight after no longer having a proactive training regimen. They have to stay in great shape as top athletes, and trainers help them to do so. When they retire, they must exercise self-discipline to stay in shape. The transition back to normal life and maintaining a strict diet can be difficult.
William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry
The former Chicago Bears player had a weight issue throughout his career as a defensive tackle but it escalated after retirement. Perry played over eight seasons with the Bears before ending his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. His impressive athleticism and larger-than-life personality won him many fans.
In Super Bowl XX, the Bears were expected to win big against the New England Patriots. The Sports Manager at Caesar’s Palace produced the idea of a prop bet on Perry scoring a touchdown. Prop bets were rare in U.S. sports betting at the time. The interest in that prop bet led to more prop bets in subsequent years, and players can place many different types of prop bets today.
When Perry retired in 2016, his health went downhill, and he started weighing in at about 400 pounds. He had to sell his ring after battling alcohol and his weight went up to about 450 pounds. ESPN reported that he is now living in an assisted living community.
Shaquille O’Neal
In his 19 seasons of playing basketball for the NBA, Shaq wasn’t a lightweight, and this worked to his advantage. He deployed his size as a weapon because he was nimble on his feet. The fact that he won four National Basketball Association titles proves this.
Shaq was never great at managing his weight and was called out for this over the years. As early as the 2002-2003 season, media outlets exposed his issues with weight and motivation. Kobe Bryant infamously clashed with him over his weight while playing with the Lakers. In 2002, he weighed his most at 395 pounds when winning the third Lakers title.
In sports like golf, there are few overweight players, but in the NBA several great players carry extra pounds. Unfortunately, Shaq simply became too big for peak performance. When he retired from the sport and became a sports analyst, his weight increased even more. At a point during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was up to 415 pounds. Since then, he has been on a drastic diet and in August 2023, he cut his weight down to 320 pounds.
Diego Maradona
The famous soccer player from Argentina was known for carrying the entire team on his back in his prime. He had exceptional reflexes and ball control. This is remarkable considering his drug and alcohol abuse during and after his career. He still managed to dominate the game and made a name for himself.
When Maradona retired at the age of 37, his weight started to spiral. At one point, he was so overweight there were fears he would lose his life. He underwent a gastric bypass in 2004. With the current obesity epidemic, having a gastric bypass has become increasingly common for obese individuals.
After surgery, he lost 110 pounds and followed a diet and exercise treatment plan. He didn’t stick to this and rapidly started gaining weight again. He ended up undergoing bypass surgery again in 2015. The soccer player placed huge pressure on his body for years and faced not only physical but psychological issues with weight. He later more recently turned to alternative regenerative medicine but sadly, that also did not work for him.
