We buy the jerseys and cheer them on, but what happens behind the scenes is often overlooked, as shown in some of the most shocking scandals in sports history from Tom Brady and Deflategate to Abby Wambach’s shocking addiction confession.
Faking injuries
In 2011, the New York Giants were accused of faking injuries when two players seemingly fell to the ground in pain, but as one player saw the other putting on the same charade, he hopped up quickly and seemed fine. This resulted in the NFL issuing a memo, “informing all teams that if evidence concludes that a team has faked injury to gain an advantage, players, coaches, and teams may face fines, suspensions, and lost draft picks,” said the Guardian.
Bounty scandal
From 2009 to 2011, the New Orleans Saints were found to have a bounty system in place, where players were given bonuses to purposely injure an opposing player. It is said that 22 to 27 players participated.
Adrian Peterson
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was suspended for the remainder of the season after he was found guilty for child abuse when it was revealed he had beaten his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch.
Spygate
In 2007, the New England Patriots were flawless with an undefeated record as they entered the playoffs. It seems, however, that they were flawless for a reason: They videotaped the coaches of the opposing team from the sidelines, most likely to get inside information. The scandal earned the title of “Spygate.”
Deflategate
This past NFL season, before the Patriots won the Super Bowl, they were caught using deflated footballs in the AFC championship game. It is unknown what advantage it actually gave the team, but when the footballs were inspected two hours before the game, they didn’t have anything wrong wth them, reported the Guardian. For the team to deflate them before the game implies it added some sort of significant advantage.
Bill Belichick
Once again, the Patriots were caught up in a scandal when head coach Bill Belichick was caught and fined for videotaping the opposing team in order to know their play signals.
Brett Favre
In 2008, Brett Favre allegedly sent voicemails and nude photos of himself to Jenn Sterger, the Jets game-day host, creating quite the scandal for the all-star.
Kerrigan and Harding
After a practice session in the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Nancy Kerrigan received a blow to her right leg after Tonya Harding’s bodyguard and ex-husband hired Shane Stant to break her leg, causing intense media coverage to commence. Fortunately, Kerrigan’s leg was only bruised, not broken, but the injury still caused her to withdraw from the competition.
Lance Armstrong
After being accused of “doping,” Lance Armstrong covered the media before it was finally found that he did in fact regularly take drugs, including EPO and testosterone, and carried out blood transfusions to boost oxygen-carrying blood cells.
Pete Rose
Pete Rose recieved a lifetime ban from the MLB on Aug. 23, 1989 after he was found to be betting on games. It was even said that he compromised the integrity of the game.
Ray Rice
Just last year, Ray Rice was charged with domestic abuse when a video was found of him knocking his fiancée out cold in a hotel elevator.
Reggie Bush
After reportedly receiving impropers benefits from USC at his time there, Reggie Bush handed over his Heisman Trophy, years later, on account of this speculation.
Computer hack
This year, the St. Louis Cardinals are under investigation after the FBI caught them hacking into the comnputer network of the Houston Astros.
Over-the-top tutor
In March of 1999, the tutor of the University of Minnesota’s basketball team admitted to writing more than 400 papers for at least 18 players over a five-year period, leaving the team with four years of probation.
Abby Wambach
After pleading guilty to a DUI in April, the now-retired leading goal scorer in the history of international soccer and two-time Olympic gold medalist opened up about her history of alcohol and prescription drug abuse in her new book Forward: A Memoir.
Maria Sharapova
The tennis star received a 24-month suspension from her sport after testing positive for meldonium, a banned substance. She admitted she had taken it after it was banned in January 2016 but claimed she was unaware of its changed status. The Court of Arbitration for Sport recently reduced the suspension to 15 months. She will be eligible to play again in April 2017.
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