In the world of sports, honesty is essential. Otherwise, it is pointless to do so. The truth is, however, that throughout sports history, there have been numerous athletes and coaches who have used dishonest means to achieve success. The most obvious way is to use illegal medications such as steroids or other performance-enhancing chemicals. However, there are several loopholes in the regulations that one could choose to ignore.
Today, we’ll look at thirty different sports figures who have been known to cheat in some form or another throughout their careers. A few of these characters almost deserve to be noticed because of their impressive level of originality. Unfortunately for them, the majority of them were forced to deal with the consequences of their unethical behavior in some way. Check out the list provided by Casino below.
Jose Canseco
Canseco is a fascinating and multifaceted individual. To begin, he admits unequivocally that he acted dishonestly throughout his Major League Baseball career. Despite this, the former Oakland Athletics star went on to become a significant force in the anti-doping fight. This was because of his scandalous book, which he published in 2005. Canseco, who was named to the All-Star Game six times and twice won the World Series, felt no resentment or sympathy for his teammates. During his time in MLB, he made the shocking admission that the vast majority of the players were dishonest.
As a result of this, Canseco remains a fascinating mystery. Nonetheless, some believe that Cooperstown should create an exception to its anti-doping policy. They say this about him because he is a company whistleblower. They are, however, a minority of the population. The truth is that he made millions of dollars through the use of illegal drugs. Canseco returned to MMA after retiring and went on to become a reality TV personality.
Josh McDaniels
Bill Belichick was responsible for the most serious videotaping scandal in the history of the National Football League. He was not, however, the only one who engaged in this questionable behavior pattern. McDaniels, another of his former students and protégés, is the current head coach of the Denver Broncos. McDaniels duped the officials by having his team’s video operations director film a practice session with the Niners. He did not, however, escape the ordeal unscathed.
The National Football League did the right thing by suspending him for his unethical behavior. He received a $50,000 fine for his poor performance. Furthermore, the Broncos did not have a successful season, so it is unlikely that it aided them in any way. During this time, Steve Scarnecchia, the Patriots director of video operations, was also involved in the controversy. It was pure luck that kept him out of the NFL for the rest of his life.
Don King
This boxing promoter is well-known for his exploitative and violent behavior toward athletes, as well as his unethical business practices. He was responsible for more than one cold-blooded death and defrauded his fighters of millions of dollars. However, the events that followed the 1976 Summer Olympics influenced his inclusion on this list. King proposed to ABC that they hold a nationally televised boxing competition to capitalize on the popularity of boxing during the Olympics.
On the other hand, he paid Ring Magazine to falsify a large number of competitors’ records, allowing him to successfully rig the competition. The King took precautions to ensure that the combatants fighting under his banner had favorable matchups. The scheme was eventually discovered, and the tournament was canceled. It is a clear demonstration of King’s relentless avarice, which is why he is regarded as one of history’s most repulsive promoters.
Antonio Margarito
When a fighter wraps their hands, they are observed by athletic commission officials as well as a member of the opposing team. Cheating is extremely rare at the highest levels of boxing, but it has occurred in the past. One of the most stunning cases was that of Margarito, a former welterweight champion who defeated boxers such as Miguel Cotto. Before his fight with Shane Mosley in 2009, a chemical known as gypsum was discovered in his hand wraps.
To put it simply, the laster of Paris forms as a result of this process. Margarito and his crew were all banned for their obvious attempt to fool the system, but there were still questions about the incident. Skeptics have questioned his victory over Cotto because a similar drug was discovered in his wraps before the fight, but no one questioned it. Boxing is a dangerous sport because boxers take a lot of damage to their heads and put themselves through a lot of trauma.
Shawn Merriman
After Merriman was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005, the NFL changed some of the rules. He moved to the West Coast to play for the team that signed him after the San Diego Chargers selected him in the first round of the draft. Merriman received widespread praise and established himself as an extremely effective player in his first season. Merriman was named to the Pro Bowl and received the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in addition to his Pro Bowl selection.
Despite this, Merriman was caught with illegal drugs near the end of the season. Despite this, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl after the information became public. The National Football League imposed the standard punishment for a player who fails a drug test for the first time, which is a four-game suspension the following season. However, the rules were changed so that athletes could no longer compete in the Pro Bowl during the same season in which they tested positive for drugs.
Jake LaMotta
To be honest, when dealing with the mafia, it is sometimes more advantageous to act unethically. LaMotta was one of the most accomplished boxers of the 1950s. Robert De Niro’s unforgettable performance in Raging Bull cemented the actor’s place in cinematic history. He competed in six-round bouts against the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. However, he makes this list because of an incident in which he threw a punch to win a championship battle.
LaMotta claimed that he made a deal with the mafia to lose the match against Billy Fox, but the arrangement did not work out in his favor. It took him ten more fights before he was finally able to win the titles he had been chasing. Furthermore, the fact that he cheated did not sit well with his supporters at the time, because LaMotta was a better boxer than Fox. Boxing has a long history of being one of the most unethical sports on the planet.
Marcelo Bielsa
Bielsa is one of the most interesting and influential soccer coaches working today. The Argentine is intelligent, but he also has a quirky personality. During the season in which he led Leeds United to promotion, he sparked outrage by instructing a member of his coaching staff to secretly record a Derby County training session. However, a Derby staff member was able to find him hiding in the bushes at the training area.
Following that, Bielsa stated unequivocally that they had not cheated. He gave a fantastic two-hour presentation to the assembled media, discussing Derby County’s playing style. He appeared to know more about the club than the team’s actual manager, Frank Lampard. Regardless, the FA disagreed with Bielsa’s assessment. They claimed that by acting in this manner, he was violating the spirit of the game. He received a hefty fine as a reward for his efforts.
T.J. Dillashaw
Dillashaw had everything he could want, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting more. The UFC bantamweight champion dropped down to the flyweight division to challenge the division’s champion, Henry Cejudo, and win a second title in the organization. He was able to lose an absurd amount of weight as a result of this. Cejudo knocked him out in the first round while everything was going on. However, Dillashaw’s situation deteriorated. Later tests revealed that he was positive for EPO, a performance-enhancing drug that improves red blood cell control.
EPO allows the athlete’s body to perform at a higher level. As a result, their cardiovascular fitness and endurance will improve. This is significant in the world of combat sports because competitors become increasingly exhausted as the match progresses. Dillashaw testified that he used the chemical because the amount of weight he had to lose was too great. His former teammate Cody Garbrandt, on the other hand, was not convinced. He claimed that Dillashaw was a constant cheater. ‘The Viper’ was sentenced to a two-year suspension.
Alex Rodriguez
Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the most divisive Major League Baseball players of the 2000s, and not just because he is widely blamed for Jennifer Lopez’s engagement. That, like the last half of his baseball career, eventually disintegrated. A-Rod was able to break a staggering number of records. As an example, he set a record by becoming the youngest player to hit 500 home runs. During that time, he was named an All-Star 14 times. He did, however, continue to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
After Biogenesis exposed his steroid use, Major League Baseball suspended him for 211 games. Although his appeal resulted in a reduction, he was still suspended for the entire season. Furthermore, it had a significant impact on his popularity, which was possibly the most damaging aspect of this situation for him. Despite being notoriously ineffective when the game was on the line, Rodriguez managed to win a World Series ring. This did not make matters any better.
John Calipari
Derrick Rose was a phenomenal athlete when he was at his peak. He hasn’t been the same player since winning the MVP award last season. However, there is no denying that he possesses natural talent. He would almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame if his body didn’t fail him. Memphis went to great lengths to secure his services because he was so talented. Someone, however, should have stopped head coach John Calipari and told him that what he was doing was inappropriate.
Following a devastating loss to Kansas in the championship game, the team decided to investigate the situation. Rumors were flying around about how they managed to secure Rose. His SAT scores were discovered to have been fabricated by having someone else take the exams in his place. As a result, he was ruled ineligible for the rest of the season. Calipari was aware of this, but he still cheated. After reaching a $100,000 settlement, he fled from Memphis to Kentucky.
Mike Tyson
Unlike most people who cheat to win, Tyson cheated to ensure that he did not lose. Following Evander Holyfield’s knockout victory over him in 1996, a rematch was scheduled. When ‘Iron Mike bit off a piece of Tyson’s ear, Holyfield was once again dominating. Holyfield was defeated in the fight. Surprisingly, the referee, Mills Lane, did not stop the fight when it should have. He deducted two points from Tyson’s score but allowed the fight to go on. Holyfield was enraged but maintained his cool throughout the fight.
The fact that Tyson bit Holyfield a second time is frequently overlooked. Lane was eventually able to exclude him. He was disqualified, ensuring that he would always have a place in history. Even though Tyson was well past his prime, he was able to continue to build his legend. Despite the bite, the two people have become friendly. Holyfield has stated that he forgives his former opponent for disfiguring him physically and that he has moved on with his life. However, this will undoubtedly go down in history as a watershed moment.
Wilson Chandler
The most common cause of doping offenses in the NBA is marijuana use, not performance-enhancing drugs. The National Basketball Association suspended Chandler for 25 games in 2019 after he tested positive for Ipamorelin. Because this steroid facilitates fat loss and lean muscle gain, it is obvious that great athletes would benefit from using it. The National Basketball Association has a three-strike rule in place for SPED (Steroids and Performance-Enhancing Drug) test failures.
If it is the player’s first offense, they are immediately disqualified from the next 25 games, just like Chandler. The number of games suspended increases to 55 after the second failed drug test, and the suspension is extended to two years after the third failed drug test. Before being suspended for the first time, the Brooklyn Nets star had played 12 seasons. A large number of senior athletes have been caught cheating in competitions due to the gradual deterioration of their physical abilities with age. Unfortunately, it has the potential to tarnish their reputation and destroy their legacy.