In the world of competition, the passion and desire to win can push individuals to cross ethical boundaries. Cheating is a common issue in sports. While some acts are minor, others escalate into big or major scandals that changed players’ lives forever. Here are some of the most infamous cheating cases or scandals in sports that have not only tarnished the reputations of players or teams, but also spared debates about fairness in sports.
Ben Johnson
In the 1988 Olympics, Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson beat Carl Lewis in the 100m Sprint. Something wasn’t right here, and when Johnson was tested, it was positive for banned steroids. He lost his gold because of this and was barred from competition. Well, this wasn’t all, as he tested positive again after his comeback and was banned for life in 1993. However, it was reinstated in 1999 for non-IAAF competitions, but he failed again.
Rosie Ruiz
A Cuban fraudster Rosie Ruiz was declared winner of 1980’s Boston Marathon. But there was a problem, because no one saw her running, and also, she couldn’t remember the detail, why? Because she hadn’t run the whole race! Apparently, she joined just before finish line. She had also tried the similar trick in New York City Marathon to qualify for Boston by taking subway during the race.
Pete Rose
In Major League Baseball, many things might go unnoticed, but not gambling. Pete Rose, who is one of the best hitters in baseball history and was known as MLB’s hits king, ignored this and bet on games, even when he was managing Cincinnati Reds. This costed him his career, he had to face lifetime ban from baseball.
Danny Almonte
Danny Almonte, Dominican Baseball player, became a sensation for leading Bronx team to the third place in the Little League World Series in 2001. He appeared bigger than most players his age and even threw harder than anyone, dominating other players like no one else. This was because he was two years older than others when he competed in the World Series. He wasn’t eligible to play so that he could throw 76 mph as a 12-year-old. The truth was exposed when the opposing team hired a private investigator to find Danny’s actual birth certificate.
Clem Haskins
Clem Haskins was popular in college basketball. He made Western Kentucky University more famous and excelled when he was with the University of Minnesota. However, later, it was uncovered that he has been cheating! He was involved in an academic cheating scandal, where he arranged for counselors to do homework and write papers for his players so that they could focus only on basketball. He was caught during the 1999 games, and the University was banned from playoffs for several years. He was also forced to resign and was given a seven-year show-cause penalty. He didn’t return to coaching after the notice expired.
Antonio Margarito
Antonio Margarito, a Mexican American former professional boxer, was involved in tampered handwraps controversy. In 2009, just before his fight with Shane Mosley, he was caught cheating by using illegal hand wraps containing gypsum which, when combined with moisture, forms plaster of Paris making the gloves feel like stones. Margarito claimed that didn’t know about the gloves; his trainer, Javier Capetillo was involved and held responsible for what Capetillo did, since he was the leader of the team. Margarito also faced one-year suspension.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady is considered one of the best quarterbacks. He led his teams to a record seven Super Bowl victories. However, no one can forget his involvement in the infamous Deflategate scandal. He and his team Patriots were accused of deflating footballs during 2015 playoffs. Because of this controversy, Tom was suspended for four games and his team was fined $1 million and lost the right to two of their draft picks in 2016.
Albert Belle
In the 1990s, Albert Belle was one of the most powerful sluggers. He was involved in corked bat controversy that led to his downfall. During a game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox, in 1994, White Sox manager Gene Lamont was tipped off that Albert was using a corked baseball bat. Because of this, Albert was suspended for seven days. Albert’s bat was confiscated and was locked in the umpire’s dressing room. However, Cleveland pitcher Jason Grimsley replaced the bat with Paul Sorrento’s. Later, the umpire discovered the corked bat and Albert faced suspension, which also damaged his reputation.
Mark McGwire
Known as Big Mac, Mark was one of the popular sluggers in 1980s-90s. However, his legacy will always remain questioned. Although there were many suspicious occasions during his career, he was never caught having steroids like his peers. He came clean for really long time but 10 years after retiring, he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), which confirmed others suspension, especially after BALCO scandal, that revealed several other players too were involved. Although he claimed that he used PEDs on and off, it is said that he stared using it since early days of his career.
East German Women’s Olympic Swim Team
In 1970s, women swimmers from East Germany went from being average to dominating, overpowering the competition. However, this success was result of the systematic-doping program (where athletes were given performance-enhancing drugs) launched by the communist nation. Reportedly, team doctors fed the East German Women’s Olympic swim team with vitamins (well, they were told it was vitamins, but actually they were steroids). Because of this, in 1976, East Germans won several gold medals. Unfortunately, the athletes suffered a serious health issue later in their life.
Tim Donaghy
Referee during the notorious NBA game “Malice in the Palace,” Tim Donaghy was involve in a bigger scandal. He became involved with the mob and started betting on games in which he was refereeing. This continued until 2007, when he was investigated by the FBI, caught in gambling scandal, and was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
The Black Sox Scandal
It’s not always money, sometimes it’s about revenge! Black Sox Scandal is an example for the same. Eight players from Chicago White Sox team, who were upset with their owner Charles Comiskey, intentionally lost the series to Cincinnati Reds, even though the White Sox was expected to win. These eight players who were known as “Eight Men Out,” were banned for life, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (one of the best hitters in the game), whose involvement in the scandal is still debated. For those who are unaware, Charles, the owner of white Sox, was disliked by his players for his miserliness. The players were underpaid despite being a successful team. This resentment played a major role in the players action in the Black Sox Scandal.
Spanish Paralympians
In 2000 Paralympic Games, Spanish basketball team won gold. However, the win became controversial later when it was revealed that out 10 out of 12 team members did not even have any intellectual disabilities and were not even tested. The cheating scam was exposed by a Spanish journalist, who secretly joined the team. After the fact was out, athletes with intellectual disabilities were temporarily banned from the Games. This scam later inspired Johnny Knoxville’s 2005 movie, The Ringer.
Tonya Harding
American figure skater Tonya Harding’s career was in decline, leading her to take a drastic step to compete against her rival Nancy Kerrigan. In 1994, Tonya planned an attack on Nancy with the help of her then-husband Jeff Gillooly, who hired a guy to break Nancy’s leg. However, Nancy was only bruised in the attack and went on to win a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics, while Tonya finished in eighth place. Although Tonya initially denied knowing about the attack, she later accepted a plea agreement by admitting that she helped cover up the incident after it happened. As a result, the U.S. Figure Skating Association banned her for life and stripped her of her 1994 title. This pushed Tonya to pursue reality TV.
Lance Armstrong
With seven Tours de France victories, Lance Armstrong became one of the most celebrated cyclists in history, and a hero, after overcoming cancer. However, his popularity was later overshadowed by a doping scandal. Although he denied it for a long time, in an emotional Oprah interview, he admitted his mistakes. Following a major doping investigation, he was stripped of all his titles including his Olympic medal.
Marie-Reine Le Gougne
French figure skating judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne was involved in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games scandal. During 2002 Winter Olympics, Marie-Reine was reportedly bribed and pressured by the French, to award a gold score to the Russian pair, leaving the Canadians with the silver. The International Skating Union suspended her, and two gold medals were given- one to Russia and one to Canada.
John Calipari
Coach John Calipari was linked to several scandals. One notable case involved accusations that Derrick Rose’s SAT scores were manipulated just to get him to join Memphis in 2008. He also had a couple of Final Four appearances removed from the records for similar academic frauds.
Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer and his team tried to cheat NASCAR but were caught. In 2010, Bowyer’s car failed inspection after winning in New Hampshire, and NASCAR took 150 points from him. Reportedly, his car was tricked, and NASCAR rejected all his appeals, because of which Denny Hamlin won the championship.
Dora Ratjen
In 1936 Summer Olympics, Dora Ratjen aka Hermann Ratjen or Horst Ratjen competed for German in the women’s high jump and finished at fourth. Although it went unnoticed for years, but was caught in 1939, when he broke a world record, which was stripped later. Till now, nobody knows whether Dora was male or a transgender woman.
Carl Lewis
Ben Johnson was Carl Lewis’s biggest rival, and he was also the reason Ben took steroids. When the committee caught Ben, the Gold medal was given to Carl in 1988. What the committee didn’t know was that Carl, too, was using steroids. The officials covered up his doping test failures even before the Olympics. However, Carl admitted to it in 2003.
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona, soccer icon, who is also known as Argentinean God, was also one of the controversial figures in sports world, given how he led Argentina win the World Cup by defeating England in the quarterfinals with a controversial goal that sparked much debate. During the match, he pretended to head the ball but instead he hit the ball with his left hand, sending it past the goalkeeper, giving his team 1-0 lead. Although Maradona cheated, the referee, Ali Bin Nasser, could have or should have disallowed the goal, which didn’t happen, and the goal later became known as ‘The Hand of God.’ Argentina won the match, and Maradona also scored the ‘Goal of the Century’.
Calciopoli Scandal
In 2006, Italian football was rocked with Calcipoli scandal. It was revealed that some of the country’s big clubs were benefiting by officiating. The investigation also revealed that Juventus, Lazio Fiorentina, Reggina and AC Milan were involved in fixing games. As a result, Juventus was downgraded to Serie B and multiple titles were taken away from him. They were also downgraded to last spot of the table in 06 and until 2007, they didn’t make it back to top-flight league.
Jose Canseco
Jose Canseco was regarded as best power-hitters in baseball history. However, his reputation was damaged as he too, like others, used many banned substances like steroids and hormones. However, he doesn’t seem to regret it, but in turn he appeared to support the use of steroids in sports in a tell-all book. He had also revealed secrets about several former teammates.
Alex Rodríguez
Famous power hitter, Alex Rodríguez, who is known as A-Rod, holds the records of most Grand slams. He is regarded as one of the greatest talents in the sports world. However, his reputation was damaged when he admitted to using steroids, which made him most-hated players in America. But somehow, he managed to bounce back – Yankees still had to pay him a lot of money and he got engaged to Jennifer Lopez!
Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick is known as one of the greatest football coaches in history and the greatest mastermind in the NFL. However, in 2007, he was caught recording the New York Jets’ defensive signals. Also, he was involved in the DeflateGate scandal, and reports claimed that he was spying again in 2019.
Houston Astros
In 2017, Houston Astros crushed their opponents and were nearly unbeatable in the playoffs. under AL MVP José Altuve’s leadership, the Astros won against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 World Series. However, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers revealed that the team was stealing signs using a scheme created by Álex Cora and Carlos Beltrán. Post this, they had to pay hefty fines. Due to their cooperation, players, who were involved, were given immunity from the league and MLB didn’t take away the championship, however, they suspended Álex Cora, AJ Hinch, and Jeff Luhnow.
New York Giants
The 1951 New York Giants used an elaborate sign-stealing scheme. They allegedly used buzzers, bells and telescopes to steal the catchers’ signs and inform the hitters about the upcoming pitches. Fortunately, the New York Yankees won the 1951 World Series.
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry was one of the most successful pitchers in the history. However, the five-time All Star, often used Vaseline on his uniform to improve pitching. He was also master at throwing the tricky and unpredictable Spitballs. It was only after 20 seasons, in 1982 that he was caught of using doctored balls.
Marion Jones
Marion Jones, who won five Olympic medals, including three gold medals, was so successful in track that many suspected that she used PEDs. However, she denied it for years until the truth came out in 2004. It was discovered later that she received steroids from BALCO, the same notorious lab that distributed PEDs to several Major League Baseball players. The International Olympic Committee sentenced her to six months in prison and took away all her medals.
Whitey Ford
Six-time World Series champion Whitey Ford, who was nicknamed ‘the Chairman of the Board,’ admitted to having occasionally doctored baseballs. He is known for cheating in various ways, from using his wedding ring to cute baseballs to applying mud piles on mount to manipulate the ball, he used difference substances to get an advantage over batters. He also worked with catcher Elston Howard to slice the ball with a buckle. Whitney used baby oil, vasaline, resin and other substances to enhance his performance.
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds was the most dominant hitter and holds several records. However, all this went in vain, when he was caught in controversy of the BALCO scandal. Throughout most of his career, he used undetectable steroids and faced charges for lying under oath, including perjury and obstruction of justice.
Tom Williams
Former rugby union player Tom Williams was involved in Bloodgate scandal. In the 2009 Heineken Cup quarterfinals against Leinster, Harlequins wing Tom bit a fake blood capsule to fake injury, to allow a substitute in the game. This became rugby’s biggest scandal when a team doctor allegedly cut Tom’s lip to hide the trick.
Boris Onishchenko
Soviet modern pentathlete Boris Onishchenko was disqualified from the 1976 Montreal Olympics after he was caught using a doctored fencing sword. The Jury of Appeals ruled that the épée was tampered in such a way that it could score points without touching an opponent.
Frederick Lorz
In 1904 Boston Marathon, Frederick Lorz completed in the fifth place and was elected to compete in St. Louis at the Olympics. Although in the Olympic marathon, he was the first runner to cross the line, it was discovered that he cheated by taking a lift in a car for part of the race, and was disqualified. He was also banned for life by the AAU. However, his ban was quickly reduced, and he participated and won the 1905 Boston Marathon.
1951 Point-Shaving Scheme
A group of basketball players from City College of New York decided to take money from bookmakers in return for manipulating the scores of games. In the 1951 point-shaving scheme, 32 players from seven colleges admitted to taking bribes.
Bob Baffert
A well-known horse trainer Bob Baffert has faced controversies as his horses either failed drug tests or died under his care. In 2021, after Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby, the horse failed a drug test. Because of this, Churchill Downs took away Medina Spirit’s title and suspended the Hall of Fame trainer.
Gregg Williams
The defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was caught in New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, also known as “Bountygate.” During 2009-2011, the New Orleans Saints paid players to injure players of opposing team deliberately, and this plan was led by Gregg. In 2012, Gregg was suspended indefinitely from NFL. However, after a year, his suspension was lifted and he returned to the NFL.
Sammy Sosa
Dominican baseball player Sammy Sosa is the 95th most popular all-time sports personality. However, in 2009, Sosa was involved in a controversy over a drug test. He was among the list of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003.
Michael Pineda
During 2014 game against the Boston Red Sox, Boston broadcasters noticed a substance that appeared to be pine tar on his palm. The umpires of the games were not notified about the game and Michael told reporters that the substance on his hand was dirt. However, in his next game against Red Sox, the manager of the opposition team noticed it and notified the umpires. After this incident, Michael was suspended for 10 games.
David Robertson
In 1985, David Robertson was disqualified for not placing his ball back in the correct place on the green. He was fined £20,000 and banned for 20 years from playing professionally by the PGA European Tour. However, the fine was never collected, and seven years later, he regained his amateur status and played in some local amateur events.
Sylvester Carmouche
In 1990, Sylvester Carmouche surprised everyone at Louisiana’s Delta Downs Racetrack by winning a race. Sylvester had apparently dropped out, while out of sight and then rejoined the other horses before finishing first. He won by 24 lengths and was just 1.2sec off the track record, which made people suspicious. Even though he claimed that he was innocent, the stewards disqualified him. He faced a 10-year ban after other jockeys in the race testified that he had not passed them. He later admitted for what he had done. After serving eight years of his suspension, he was reinstated.
Jon Jones
Jon Jones was involved in several controversies and lost his title three times. After returning to the UFC in 2016 and 2017, he won title fights against Ovince Saint Preux and Daniel Cormier but his victories were overshadowed as he tested positive for banned substance and faced more suspensions. His fight against Cormier was later changed to a no contest. After his suspension ended in 2017, he won the championship again in 2018.
Nelson Piquet Jr
During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1 Driver Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally crashed, following the instructions from senior team members, to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso, win the race. This scandal ultimately ended his career in Formula 1.
