Famous Athletes Who Were Involved In Cults

When hearing the word "cult," figures like Charles Manson might come to mind, or potentially the Branch Davidians, the group from Waco, Texas. Recently, though, the most famous cult has been the NXIVM sex cult, thanks to their recruitment of celebrities like Allison Mack of "Smallville," reminding us that cults still exist and always will. Someone somewhere will claim to be God, and someone else somewhere else will believe them.

Cults are strange, scary, fascinating, and always make for a good documentary that often prompts the age-old question of why people join them. And while we're not sociologists or psychologists, so we aren't fit to answer that question, we do know that anyone — even celebrities — can fall victim to them.

The list of celebrities who've joined a cult isn't extensive, but it is interesting, and famous athletes take up quite a few spots. Their involvement in these organizations is varied, ranging from the recruitment of friends to the denial of even being in a cult. No matter their level of participation, though, each story is bizarre and unique in its own way. So let's get into it.

Cults need followers, and the religious organization Straitway managed to wrangle three former NFL players into its midst. Former Green Bay Packer Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilia was the first to join. He pledged allegiance to the organization after discovering Straitway leader Pastor Charles Dowell's videos on YouTube while researching head coverings for women, per Sports Illustrated. Gbaja-Biamilia is now the leader of one of the church's offshoots, Straitway Truth Ministry.

Soon after, Gbaja-Biamilia began sharing his newfound faith with other football players. What some see as evangelism, others see as cult recruitment. One person who identified with the Straitway teachings after hearing his friend speak was former Indianapolis Colts player Daniel Muir, who later recruited another former Colts player, Robert Mathis. Mathis had similar religious concerns as Gbaja-Biamilia.

All three men are still members of Straitway, but for Gbaja-Biamilia and Mathis, their beliefs cost them their families, as the former is divorced and the latter is reportedly estranged from his wife and kids. Gbaja-Biamilia was also under fire for having instructed two members of his church to attend his children's Christmas pageant, as both arrived with firearms, per the Green Bay Press Gazette.

The Straitway church denies allegations of being a cult, though Gbaja-Biamilia told the Daily Beast of the claims, "I guess I wear it as a badge of honor ... There's good cults out there, there's bad cults. But I like to think we're a good cult because we're commandment-keepers."

While there aren't many athletes who've been involved in cults, most of them — perhaps coincidentally — are football players. Another former NFL player who joined a cult is Robert Rozier, who committed crimes and subsequently served time as a result of his involvement.

Rozier joined a cult based in Miami, Florida, that went by many names, including the Black Hebrew Israelites of Miami, The Brotherhood, and the Nation of Yahweh. Per New Arena, the group believed themselves to be the original Israelites. Scholars consider the original Israelites to be the people who lived in the Levant, which is present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, dating back to 1203 B.C., per Live Science. As Miami is not one of the aforementioned countries and 1979 — the date this particular organization was founded — is not 1203 B.C., scholars would not most likely not consider members of the Nation of Yahweh to be the original Israelites.

But the opinions of scholars did not matter to the organization, and in 1990, 14 members, including the cult's founder, were arrested for racketeering after a five-year period of committing and attempting murders, arson, and extortion. The LA Times reported Rozier pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in exchange for becoming a star witness for the prosecution. After he was released, however, he received another 25 years for check fraud, per Sportscasting. He is still serving time as of 2021.

Cults are typically built around a set of religious beliefs, but athlete Mary Cain had a different experience. Cain, a World Junior Champion runner, joined the Oregon Project, a Nike training group run by Alberto Salazar, and came forward years later claiming the abuse she endured as part of that gave her suicidal thoughts.

As is typical in a cult, Salazar was highly revered, especially by Cain. As The New York Times reported, Cain said, "For many years, the only thing I wanted in the world was the approval of Alberto Salazar. I still loved him. Alberto was like a father to me, or even a god."

Another former Oregon Project athlete, Kara Goucher, had a similar experience while training, and said, "When you're training in a program like this, you're constantly reminded how lucky you are to be there, how anyone would want to be there, and it's this weird feeling of, 'Well, then, I can't leave it. Who am I without it?'"

In 2019, Nike shut down the Oregon Project, per The New York Times, shortly after Salazar received a four-year ban from the sport of distance running from the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Cain still runs today and is the CEO of the non-profit Atlanta NY, per her Instagram. In 2021, she filed a lawsuit against Nike and Salazar, seeking $20 million in damages for what she endured while training at the Oregon Project, reported Oregon Live.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) .

An interesting aspect of cults is that some people — especially those involved in the organization — don't consider their group to be a cult. This is a fairly regular occurrence and applies to the Gülen movement as well, the group NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is a part of.

The Gülen movement has addressed these allegations on their website, claiming, "it's clear the Gülen movement is the furthest thing from a cult." Much of the Gülen movement's cult status is rooted in a political rift between the group and the Turkish government, particularly their president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In 2016, the Gülen movement attempted to overthrow the Turkish government, and that same year it was declared a terrorist organization.

So what does this have to do with Freedom? The basketball player is Turkish, and his family supports the Turkish government, however Freedom is a follower of the Gülen movement. Due to their differing beliefs, he and his family have cut ties, reported the BBC.

Freedom took to The Atlantic to share his side, calling Erdogan "an emotionally fragile dictator" and noting that contact with his parents could have them arrested. Freedom acknowledged his gratitude for his American citizenship, but made no direct mention of the Gülen movement.

American Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney — who won gold as a member of the Fierce Five and went viral with an epic scowl that sparked a meme – may be part of a religious cult.

Years after competing in the Olympics and testifying against Larry Nassar for the abuse she suffered, fans of Maroney fear she may have joined a cult. Sleuths noticed Maroney wearing a necklace in an Instagram post from the Church of the Master Angels, a religious organization claiming to be "open to all seekers of truth, cosmic awareness and soul-realization," per their website. They note they are anti-cult like the Gülen movement.

The Church of the Master Angels is led by Master John Douglas, who said in an interview, "The process of being able to scan frequencies has allowed me to find many cures and treatments for diseases that are not understood by medical science, and also to see where science may be coming in from the wrong angle." The website has a page called Scientific Research, which lists books and periodicals that allegedly have scientific research to back their claims.

Maroney is one of many who state they've been healed by Douglas. She detailed her experience in the "Let's Get Metaphysical" podcast, where she says he healed her chronic fatigue and stomach issues, adding, "He also helps with understanding spirituality a little better."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).