FirstCuts: Kobe Ready To Push Product?

From my experience, 60 percent of the time CNBC's Darren Rovell is correct every time. So I don't doubt his recent blog entry saying that newly anointed MVP and all-around great guy Kobe Bryant is ready to sell products again.

At least Kobe still gets love from UNDRCRWN.

After the Colorado trial where Bryant was charged with sexual assault -- and that awfully awkward press conference where he admitted infidelity -- sponsors, for the most part, ran from the star. Nike was one of the few that stuck with him, but as Rovell points out, they'd just inked him to a big deal and it would be the ultimate sell-low move to drop him at that point. Instead, they hid him and only recently have we seen Kobe come back. Obviously, everyone has probably seen video where Bryant jumps the speeding Aston Martin -- and the equally enjoyable follow-up where Kenny Smith tries to jump a car.

With Kobe allegedly poised to jump back in the marketing game, it brought me to a larger topic. If the blogosphere has brought us anything, it's the day-to-day failings of athletes. Let's look back at some of the biggest screw-ups in the sports world (and I'm talking pre-blogs and during blogs, as well) to try and find whether anyone has come back the way Black Mamba has.

Legal Trouble

Ray Lewis: One of the NFL's best linebackers avoided a murder charge by testifying against two co-defendants. As it turns out things were OK as Lewis picked up a Super Bowl ring within 12 months of his plea deal. Although he should've been the man on the Wheaties box, it was still a little too soon. Shannon Sharpe and four other Ravens appeared on the box instead. Ditto for Disney, who had Trent Dilfer do the "I’m going to Disney World!" line after the game. Perhaps Lewis more than anyone has had a Kobe-type rebound from his drama. You can find Lewis in Under Armour ads and he even landed the Madden '05 cover a few years ago.

Carmelo Anthony: From an endorsement standpoint, became the post-MJ face of Jordan Brand just long enough to turn up on the infamous "Stop Snitchin'" video and cause a stir. Things had cooled down recently until he was nabbed on a DUI charge and then again on a speeding ticket (Personal note: The reporting of the speeding ticket, which came from doing 60 in a 45 seems more like piling on than anything.) But with his first-round exit in the playoffs -- combined with the quick rise to stardom for fellow Jordan Brand athlete Chris Paul -- it would seem Melo is positioned to lose some cash and stature as a big-time signature athlete.

The Steroid Era: I'm making a specific note on baseball, because frankly substance abuse hasn't bubbled to the public surface in any other sport. You've got the perjury and the tarnishing of records. The embarrassing Capitol Hill sessions didn't help. When you look at the biggest names associated with steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, it hasn't ended in bounce-back stardom to this point. Barry Bonds? Unemployed. Roger Clemens? Being dragged very publicly through the mud as we speak. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa? Faded into obscurity. Even recently, Clemens had an endorsement deal with AT&T, but I can't say I've seen that ad running lately. I do like this new version, courtesy of Tirico Suave.

Michael Vick: You know the dogfighting story. It would be easier to list what he hasn't lost in terms of endorsements than what he has. But just a reminder, he was once the cover athlete for the Madden football franchise and was the Nike athlete when it came to football. If he comes back from this ... well, I guess I'll believe it when I see it.

Gossip Gaffes

Matt Leinart: His legend seems to grow with every set of pictures at a party, every bit of baby mama drama and every rumor he's dating some starlet. The jury still is out on Leinart, who finished last season on injured reserve, but was already splitting time with veteran QB Kurt Warner. Hey, at least he still has those wacky ESPN the Magazine commercials.

Dana Jacobsen/Chris Berman: I'm lumping these ESPN personalities together because they've had their moments recently -- Jacobsen with her drunken Mike and Mike roast moment and Berman with his undiscovered tapes, full of lovely behavior toward women and talk of smuggling pills from Canada. Look, the two of 'em retained their jobs as pretty high-profile talking heads on ESPN, so that's gotta be a win for the two of them, right?

Darren McFadden: He's allegedly produced three kids in the last four years -- and this would be the part that will scare those trotting on their high horses -- out of wedlock. OK, I get it, it's very irresponsible. Still, it didn't seem to stop the Raiders from drafting him No. 4 and he also inked four-year "head-to-toe" deal with Nike. As long as his 1,200-yard seasons outnumber his kids, he should be just fine.

And there are others to think about certainly: Tom Brady missing the birth of Bridget Moynahan's child, Pacman Jones' many offenses or Bode Miller's admission he skied in a race while still drunk. Just to echo Richard Justice's sentiments in a piece he wrote about Roger Clemens, people who apologize, move on and keep their noses clean do the best. We're a pretty forgiving in the sports world, so just about anything can happen.*

(*Except Michael Vick, c'mon, no way.)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.