UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones, who shockingly admitted himself into rehab after revealing a positive test for cocaine less than a month before he defended his title, exited rehab after just one day, according to his mom.
His mother claimed the positive test was more of a one-time failure to resist temptation, which goes against Jones' statement of admission that he has a "problem."
A source close to Jones told journalist Greg Howard, however, that Jones is denying a real issue.
"I think he has a problem," the source said. "He doesn't have the right people around him."
The man Jones beat, Daniel Cormier, last week expressed great disappointment at Jones' latest misstep outside the octagon as well.
"We all praise [former UFC middleweight champion] Anderson Silva for being the greatest fighter of all time and we praise all these other people but not many people can reach outside of the sport and outside of the world of mixed martial arts," Cormier said.
"I believe Jon is one of those people that can do that. It's just very unfortunate that these incidents keep happening after he has these unbelievable performances where it kills his momentum. Very sad. I just wish that he would get it together and be that beacon of light, beacon of hope that so many people need in the world right now."
Jones is the clear-cut top fighter pound-for-pound in the UFC, so his positive drug test, coupled with his extremely brief stay in rehab could portend a sad fall for someone atop the sport. It would not be the first time this story played out, sadly.
Here are seven other elite athletes whose careers were hindered or ruined by addiction.
Len Bias, Forward, Maryland Terrapins
Bias was expected to challenge Michael Jordan as the preeminent player in the NBA after excelling at Maryland from 1982-1986. As a senior for the Terrapins Bias scored 23 points a game to go with seven rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor.
He was drafted first overall by the Boston Celtics, but tragically passed because of a drug overdose before ever playing an NBA game.
Dwight Gooden, Pitcher, New York Mets
Gooden debuted in 1994 as an astonishingly dominant 19-year-old, whose curveball was electric enough to be dubbed “Lord Charles,” and whose body of work earned him the moniker “Dr. K.” In 1985 Gooden made history, and in 1986 he remained excellent as the Mets won their last World Series.
His drug problems flared up in 1987 however, when he was tested positive for cocaine. The issues with drugs persisted for years, and while Gooden had memorable moments, such as a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners as a Yankee in 1996 after being suspended for the whole 1995 seasons, he was never the same.
Ricky Williams, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
Williams was a superstar rusher at the University of Texas, and thought of so highly that in 1999 then-New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka traded away his entire draft to pick him. Williams was productive, but not transformational, in three years with the Saints and his unorthodox lifestyle made him unpopular to many.
Williams was more well-known for the treasure trove of picks the Saints surrendered, his penchant for giving interviews with a helmet and visor on, and his love of marijuana than for any of his NFL exploits. He tested positive for marijuana twice before abruptly retiring in 2004. He returned in 2005, but failed another test in 2006. That test triggered a full-season suspension, which he spent in the Canadian Football League playing for the Toronto Argonauts.
He failed another drug test in 2007, and never lived up to the prodigious potential he displayed with the Longhorns.
Tiger Woods, Golfer
Tiger was not a drug addict, but he did enter rehab. A winner of 14 major championships Woods was the unquestioned No. 1 golfer in the world for many years, and looked to be a shoo-in to not only surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 22 major victories, but to plant his flag as the greatest golfer ever.
Then, scandal hit. Woods crashed his car in November 2009, days after a story leaked about an affair Woods had with a New York nightclub manager. Droves of women subsequently revealed their own affairs with Woods, who copped to sex addiction and entered rehab. Woods and his wife divorced in 2010, and while he has won numerous tournaments since then, he has failed to capture a single major.
Josh Hamilton, Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds
Hamilton was a can’t-miss prospect in the mold of Ken Griffey Jr. for the Tampa Bay Rays but drug issues that began in 2003 completely stalled his career. He failed a test in spring training, then left the team multiple times before taking the remainder of the year off. In 2004 he failed more tests, then was suspended for the whole year after consistently failing to stay clean.
Hamilton then was out of baseball due to his addiction for three whole years before getting married and finding his way with the Cincinnati Reds. He debuted in 2007, played in 90 games and hit .292 with 19 home runs. He was then traded to the Texas Rangers where he blossomed into a superstar, winning the MVP award in 2010 despite missing 30 games due to injury. Hamilton has been to five All-Star Games, and dropped jaws at the 2008 Home Run Derby by doing this:
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