Sports fans know that, just like sports, life has its ups and downs too. You can’t celebrate the glories without looking back at the largest scandals. Here are some of the largest scandals in sports along with some juicy details.
1. Hand of God
Argentine football superstar Diego Maradona used the “hand of God” regarding a goal he made during a quarter-final match between Argentina and England at the FIFA World Cup in 1986. Maradona should have been penalized with a yellow card as he used his hand to make the goal, but the referees did not see this. During that time, a referee that handles video monitoring was not yet available.
The game was a win for the Argentines 2-1, and after the match, Maradona claimed that he made the goal with his head and with the help of the “hand of God.”
2. The Fine Cotton/Bold Affair
Australian Thoroughbred gelding Fine Cotton had limited abilities and was only eligible to compete in restricted races. A syndicate signed it at an Eagle Farm race in 1984 under a handicap. But instead of the gelding riding, an open class horse named Bold Personality was used in the ring-in.
The two horses were of a different color, so the syndicate applied hair color to Bold Personality and used white paint to apply color on his legs. After winning the race, stewards were surprised with the fantastic improvement of Fine Cotton. The horse’s trainer Hayden Haitana escaped after the race authorities discovered that the paint and hair color applied to Bold Personality started to run from his legs.
3. Tiger Woods’ 12 Mistresses
Tiger Woods has shocked the golf scene and possibly everyone when the truth of his alleged 12 mistresses came out. It appears that the champion golfer is easy to fall for porn actresses, cocktail waitresses, models, and escorts.
Just among Wood’s ladies were Rachel Uchitel, an events planner, and news producer; Jaimee Grubbs, a cocktail waitress from LA; Kalika Moquin, a night club executive in Las Vegas; Mindy Lawton, a restaurant manager from Orlando, Jamie Jungers, a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, Cori Rist, a Manhattan model, and Holly Sampson, a porn star from Los Angeles.
4. 2015 FIFA Corruption Case
In 2015, officials and associates of the Federation Internationale de Football Association or FIFA were charged with corruption cases. Fourteen people were a part of the investigation by the U.S. FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. Issues were racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Seven FIFA officials were taken in Zurich as they prepared the 65th FIFA Congress and were ready to elect the next FIFA president. The officials were to be deported to the United States as they were reported to have received bribes up to US$150 million. Other arrests were in the CONCACAF office in Miami. This investigation ignited local arrests in other countries like Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Columbia.
5. 2007 NBA Betting Scandal
The NBA betting scandal occurred in 2007, and it involved an NBA referee stating that he knew of ties between players, referees, coaches, and franchise/team owners. Reports of the scandal investigation were made public by the FBI. The reports said that referee Tim Donaghy gambled at games that he managed.
Donaghy pleaded guilty in 2007 to 2 charges, and he was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison. Reports also mentioned that aside from betting on games he officiated in 2005, Donaghy also had ties with organized crime groups. In a press conference, NBA commissioner David Stern said that what Donaghy did was an isolated matter, and it was the worst thing that he had seen. This betting scandal also shocked the world of online sports betting.
6. The Mitchell Report
The Mitchell Report was an informal name for a report known as the “Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball” made by George J. Mitchell, Maine Democratic U.S. Senator. The report resulted from 20 months of investigation into the use of steroids and HGH or human growth hormone in the MLB.
The Mitchell Report was published on December 13, 2007. It also highlighted the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs work and the handling of previous drug use and future practices. It names 89 players that were allegedly taking steroids as well as other performance-enhancing drugs.
7. Lance Armstrong’s Doping Case
Lance Armstrong was removed from his 7 Tour de France titles due to a doping scandal. He later admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs. There were no investigations about the matter until 2006. In 2011 the USADA cited Armstrong for doping and drug trafficking. The accusations came from his blood samples taken from 2009 to 2010 and numerous testimonies from former teammates and witnesses.
Armstrong was banned from competing in triathlon and cycling with his former manager Johan Bruyneel included in the report. According to the USADA, Armstrong used various banned substances and erythropoietin, a blood booster, and steroids.
8. Black Sox Scandal
Another Major League Baseball scandal was the Black Sox Scandal. It is a game-fixing scandal involving 8 Chicago White Sox players; they were accused of fixing the 1919 World Series versus the Cincinnati Reds. The eight were involved in a gambling syndicate headed by Arnold Rothstein.
A public trial was held in 1921, and the eight were acquitted. But despite this, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players permanently from playing in professional baseball. This was further defined as banishment from being included in the Hall by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
9. Disgrace of Gijon
This scandal happened at the 1982 World Cup between Austria and West Germany, where West Germany beat Austria 1-0, which led to Algeria’s elimination. The game was the last of the 1st round Grp 2 after an Algeria and Chile match. The outcome of West Germany vs. Austria match was already decided. A West Germany win of only 1 or 2 goals will lead to both the two countries qualifying without considering Algeria, who won against West Germany during the first game.
The Germans led the game in just 10 minutes, while the remaining minutes were simply a few scoring attempts for both countries. FIFA concluded that neither team broke the rules while both teams were cited for game/match-fixing.
10. Mike Postle & Veronica Brill
Mike Postle managed to cheat his way to multiple wins on Stones Live Poker, but it took the courage of Veronica Brill to spill his secrets and bring these allegations out in the open. Veronica Brill was a commentator for live poker games in Stones Gambling Hall in Northern California. This was where Postle was able to get away with more than $300,000 playing games of $1 to $3 and games $5 to $5 in a year and a half of play.
11. Kerrigan’s Attack
Skating champion Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by Shane Stant in a Detroit skating rink after the practice session. Stant hit the back of Kerrigan’s knee with a club which led to the skater’s unable to compete at the 1994 Olympics. Her rival, Tonya Harding, won the title.
Investigations found out that Harding’s ex, Jeff Gillooly, talked to Shawn Eckardt, who paid Derrick Smith and Shane Stant to injure Kerrigan. Smith confessed to his involvement while Harding denied that she was involved.
12. New Orleans Saints Bounty Scandal
Also called “Bountygate,” this scandal involved the New Orleans Saints. The NFL team was accused of paying bounties for hurting opposing players. This was found to be in operation starting 2009 when the Saints won the Super Bowl XLIV up to 2011.
Suspensions were provided for the defensive coordinator, head coach, general manager, and assistant head coach. Simultaneously, the team was penalized with a harsh fine and was forced to forfeit their draft selections from 2012 to 2013. There are more scandals to uncover in modern sports. These offenses are part of human nature and the result of the sheer competitive nature of sports.
Sports fans all over the world were shocked when they found out about these scandals. Sports can be really frustrating. Sometimes people accept their fate in not winning. But sometimes, they don’t and proceed to find a way to cheat or lash out.