*Besides the endless traveling, debilitating injuries, family always asking you for money, and insane pressure to perform night in and night out

Well, human nature is what it is, and being rich and famous doesn’t mean you’re not greedy and stupid. So sometimes, pro athletes end up in jail.

Today we’re going to take a look at 13 such pro athlete-convicts who had their careers interrupted by incarceration. But don’t worry: this will be Vick-free list. You’ve heard enough about that guy, and frankly I’m tired of writing about him. Thus, since we all know he went to jail for running a dogfighting ring, we’ll just leave him off.

So with that said, click away to see who comes in at #13…

Gianluigi Buffon

Mario Balotelli has won…well, nothing really.

So why would Balotelli be the one receiving all of the attention from dozens of inmates during a recent visit to a prison near Florence, while Buffon was almost entirely ignored?  Perhaps being in prison has made them unaware of Buffon’s many accomplishments over the past decade?  Or maybe the televisions in Italian prisons only offer feeds for English Premier League games?  Or, as prison inmates, maybe they simply can’t stop themselves from rooting for the bad boy?

Whatever the case may be, I am still surprised to see that Balotelli was somehow able to escape that mob with all of his jewelery still on his body.

Hat Tip – [101 Goals]

The MLB all-time hits leader pleaded guilty to two charges of tax evasion on April 20, 1990, after filing false income tax returns and not showing income he received from selling autographs and memorabilia, as well as his horse race winnings.  On July 19, Rose was fined $50,000 and sentenced to five months in a medium security prison camp.  He was released on January 7, 1991, after paying back $366,041 in taxes and interest.

Being jailed for tax evasion is just one of a few incidents that have placed a dark cloud of controversy over the life of Rose.  As many already know, he was banned from the game of baseball and its Hall of Fame after evidence surfaced that he had bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.

Here is a look at Pete Rose’s popular on-field interview with Jim Gray.

Notable Birthdays

Rashard Lewis, NBA -Born on August 8, 1979 (age 32) in Pineville, Louisiana

Roger Federer, Tennis -Born on August 8, 1981 (age 30) in Bottmingen, Switzerland

Danilo Gallinari, NBA – Born on August 8, 1988 (age 23) in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy

It’s the “09-R-3260″ New York Giants jersey, or for those of you who are not familiar with what exactly that may mean, it is the new number that former Giants’ receiver turned prison inmate, Plaxico Burress, will be dawning on the back of his orange jumpsuit.  Now you can have your own Giants jersey with the same numbers on the back.  That is, of course, if the NFL will allow you to.

While they haven’t been advertised yet on NFL.com, you can only assume that Giants haters alike will be rushing to their computers or stores in order to get their hands on this newly released article of clothing.  What makes it so new?  Well it has only been one day since Burress was assigned his inmate number, and that was just one of the notable events among a day with plenty for him as he enters a dreadful two years of confinement.

Plaxico Burress got a zero’s welcome behind bars at Rikers Island, including taunts of “a – - hole!” and “The Giants suck!” according to jail guards.

“He was depressed,” said one guard from Rikers, where the former Giants superstar spent his first-ever night behind bars. “He was trying to keep to himself, but everyone was yelling at him.”

“These people got nothing,” a second guard explained of the taunts. “What else are they gonna do?” [New York Post]

And that was just the beginning.

His stay at his first stop, Rikers, was brief. By 11 a.m. yesterday, he’d been driven upstate to the medium-security, 586-inmate Ulster Correctional Facility in Napanoch, an intake center where he’ll be evaluated for more permanent placement elsewhere in the state prison system, said Correction Department spokeswoman Linda Foglia.

At Ulster, Burress was strip-searched. He was also shorn of his trademark goatee.

He got a shower, an ID card, an orientation session and his new wardrobe. That includes his hunter-green uniform tops and bottoms, a pair of black work boots, and a pair of white, low-top canvas sneakers.

Now the difficult decision begins for Cowboy and Redskins fans.  Do they opt for a Michael Vick jersey for their pouch, or are their interests better served with Burress’ inmate number plastered on the back of their very own Giants jersey.  Either way, you can expect the Giants to see this creative new look in visiting stadiums everywhere.

The Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass said this while handing down Simpson’s sentence,

“all of which was presented on tape to a jury — was overwhelming.”

OJ Simpson and his friend Clarence “C.J” Stewart were convicted on October 3rd, 2008 of 12 criminal charges including kidnapping and armed robbery all which took place in a Las Vegas Casino Hotel Room.

OJ Simpson addressed the court for his final thoughts, he said,

“I Apologize, the only things I intended to retirve were personal items, family photos and sports mementos that were had been stolen me earlier this years. I didn’t mean to steal from everybody”

Maybe this was OJ Simpson fate? He was released on the murders chargers earlier on in life, to now at 61 years old get sentenced to something much smaller in stature.  Fate or not well leave it up to you to decide?