Tony Mandarich is one of the most popular and richest American Football Player who was born on September 23, 1966 in Oakville, Oakville, Canada. Ante Josip “Tony” Mandarich (born September 23, 1966) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He was drafted in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft by Green Bay Packers as the second overall pick. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts.
Drafted as an offensive tackle, Mandarich never lived up to the stellar expectations set for him. After a lengthy holdout, which was not settled until the week before the regular-season kickoff, he spent most of his first year on the special-teams unit. He was also known for having attitude issues. He was quoted as saying: “I am not like other players, I am Tony Mandarich, and they have to understand that. If they don’t like it, that is just the way I am and they are going to learn to like it.” After three seasons of lackluster performance on a four-year contract, Mandarich was cut in 1992 by the Packers who cited a non-football injury. Mandarich is often referred to as one of the top 5 bust NFL draft picks of all time, having been drafted ahead of such future NFL stars as Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders, Steve Atwater, Eric Metcalf, and Andre Rison. The September 28, 1992, cover of Sports Illustrated featuring Mandarich labelled him “The NFL’s Incredible Bust”.
After his career was over, he moved back to Canada. He owned a golf course and remarried his wife Char in 2004. From September 2004 until September 2005, Mandarich served as an NFL analyst for The Score TV sports network in Canada. He quit in October 2005 and moved to Arizona.
In September 2008, Mandarich admitted to using steroids at Michigan State and faking a drug test before the 1988 Rose Bowl. Mandarich has denied using steroids while in the NFL but has admitted to being addicted to alcohol and painkillers while playing for the Packers.
He now runs a photography studio, having begun doing nature photography as a hobby in 1990. Mandarich has expanded his business, named Mandarich Media Group, to include photography, video production, web design, search engine optimization, and Internet marketing.
