Going from gaol to goals galore

Shaun Metcalfe. Photo / Chris Skelton

Sportsmen from football, rugby league and American football are among those who have played professionally after serving time.

Shaun Metcalfe

Metcalfe seemed to have the world at his feet, having become the youngest person to play first-grade for the Warriors, but instead used them to kick his then 15-year-old girlfriend in an attempt to cause a miscarriage. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail in 2004. In 2011, he signed a two-year contract with the Warriors.

Duncan Ferguson

Dubbed Duncan Disorderly, the footballer was jailed for three months for an on-field assault of Raith fullback John McStay in 1994. He was already on probation after two previous assaults. He went on to play for Everton and Newcastle and also won seven caps for Scotland before retiring in 2006.

Michael Vick

The American football quarterback spent 21 months in prison for being involved in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring. On his release in 2009, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles and this year transferred to the New York Jets.

Suaia Matagi

At 19, Matagi was serving a three-year jail term for serious assault. He vowed to turn his life around - he found God, then a job and started making a name for himself in Auckland league circles. Last year, the 26-year-old made his NRL debut with the Warriors and played for Samoa at the World Cup.

Joey Barton

The English footballer was sentenced in 2008 to six months in prison for assault as well as a four-month suspended sentence after an assault on a team-mate during a training ground dispute. Barton has three times been charged with violent conduct by the England FA but still forged a long career with Manchester City, Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers.