A look at some of the worst on field/court and off field/court behavior in history.
“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” is a mantra that is used by many a coach and player in professional sports and otherwise. Unfortunately, some players (and referees) are caught cheating and have to pay dearly for it whether that means being banned from the game that they love or actually serving hard time for the offenses that they committed. Bossip has put together a short list of some of the most egregious crimes that athletes have been accused, tried, and often convicted of over the years.
Flip through the following pages and let us know which you think is the worst.
Operation Slapshot
In February 2006, professional hockey was rocked when New Jersey law enforcement officials uncovered a multi-million gambling ring involving former NHL player and then Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet, as well as Janet Jones, the wife of the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
Michael Vick’s Dogfighting Ring
On April 25, 2007 a search warrant was executed at the home of Davon Boddie, cousin and tenant of a house the Vick owned. Feds found evidence of dogfighting and quickly charged the star football player with felony interstate dogfighting for which he served 23 months in prison.
Mike Tyson Rape Conviction
In 1992 “Iron” Mike Tyon was convicted of the rape of Desiree Washington in her hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1991. Tyson served 3 of his 6 year sentence before being released.
Pete Rose Bets On Baseball
In August onf 1992 Pete Rose admitted to allegations that he not only bet on major league baseball, but he also bet on the team he was managing. These charges got Rose permanently banned from baseball and has kept him from the Hall Of Fame despite being the all-time hits leader (4,256).
Kobe Bryant’s Sexual Assualt Case
In the summer of 2003 Kobe Bryant was arrested and charged with the sexual assault of a 19 year-old Colorado hotel worker that he slept with while visting the city of Eagle preparing for knee surgery. The accuser refused to testify and the matter was settled out of court. Bryant admitted to chopping ol girl down, but said it was totally consensual.
Tim Donaghy
No two words in the NBA are more hated and reviled than the name Tim Donaghy. In 2007 the crooked ref admitted to betting large sums of money on NBA games that he was officiating and making calls that would be in his favor for winning his wagers.
Doping in the Tour de France
Although cyclists have always been under scrutiny for using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in 1998 a major bust in bikers hotel rooms proved that there was indeed illegal substances used by a number of riders in the legendary competition. This lead to officials enforcing stricter drug testing and a heated accusations that the sports star, Lance Armstrong, was also a part of the scandal though no tests ever showed that to be true.
The Black Sox World Series Scandal
The 1919 World Series will forever be remembered as the “the fix”, where eight members of the Chicago Black Sox team conspired to throw the World Series to get rich through illegal betting. All parties involved with the scandal were banned from baseball and a new commissioner was appointed to oversee player behavior.
MLB Steroid Scandal
Names like BALCO, and The Mitchell Report will also always be burned in to the memories of baseball fans young and old alike as the institues that brought baseballs lofty, pedestal risen, ego crumbling to its knees. After several seasons of an exorbitant amount of homeruns were hit by stars like Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and an intense investigation by Congress, the truth was revealed. Majority of these players were in fact using steroids to beef up and gain an unfair advantage over other players.
O.J. Simpson Trial
Hall of Famer and Heisman award winner Orenthal James Simpson was arrested in 1994 for the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. After a captivating and breath-taking police “chase” that had the nation in shock, O.J. turned himself in and began a trial that ended with him being pronouced innocent of all charges. Despite clearing his name in the court of law, a large segment of the country had already decided that Simpson was guilty and he instantly became one of the most polarizing figures in sports history.
