On Wednesday he was issued with a 12-match ban after being found guilty of two counts of violent conduct during Rangers' 3-2 defeat by Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season. Here, BBC Sport reflects on some of the moments that have made headlines during the 29-year-old's career.
Barton, 29, was sent off in QPR's defeat at Manchester City on the final day of the season and had accepted a charge over his clash with Sergio Aguero in the wake of his red card.
He was also found guilty over a separate clash with Vincent Kompany.
The midfielder has been fined £75,000 by the Football Association.
Barton was initially sent off for an off-the-ball clash with City striker Carlos Tevez and will serve a four-match ban for that offence, as it was his second sending-off of the season.
The incidents involving Aguero and Kompany came after Barton had been dismissed, meaning they fell outside the jurisdiction of the referee, and have resulted in a further eight-match suspension.
The real wreckage, however, is not in the length of ban or the period of time in which Barton will not be allowed to play. It is now about the period when he will be allowed to play. A second hearing, this time convoked by his employers, Queen's Park Rangers, will begin now the outcome of the FA's is known. This does not promise to be any more pleasant or easy going than that which took place yesterday, given that there would not necessarily have been many tears shed at Loftus Road for the length of ban.
The harsh reality for a club such as QPR, and there is no disrespect meant here, is that they cannot carry a player who will not be able to play for them until the nights are closing in. It could be a winter of discontent that the former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder faces, as he turns 30.
He may not even be among the Premier League squad of 25 at the season's start, for a club who cannot afford to be a player short for the start of their second campaign in the top flight in the last 16 years.
In April he was involved in a half-time row with his club captain, Shaun Derry, in the dressing room at West Bromwich Albion. That had not helped his standing with some team-mates before the Etihad incident.
An FA statement read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has today (Wednesday) dealt with two charges of violent conduct against Joey Barton, arising from the game against Manchester City, resulting in an eight-match suspension and 75,000-pound fine for the Queens Park Rangers midfielder.
"This eight-match suspension is to run consecutively to the four-game suspension Barton was already given for his dismissal in the fixture, making a total of 12 matches."
The chairman of the Independent Regulatory Commission said: "There are rules of conduct that should be adhered to, and such behaviour tarnishes the image of football in this country, particularly as this match was the pinnacle of the domestic season and watched by millions around the globe."
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