These athletes tried to break the rules but were caught red-handed. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for times athletes were spotted breaking the rules during televised competition.
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00:00It bounces. It's at least a yard over the line.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:04And today we're counting down our picks for times athletes were spotted
00:07breaking the rules during televised competition.
00:10To make it on the list, the infraction has to take place in the event.
00:13Athletes later found to be doping won't count as that technically happened
00:17elsewhere. Yes or no.
00:18Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?
00:22Yes. Number 50.
00:25Rennell Blanco.
00:26During the 2024 Major League Baseball season,
00:29the Houston Astros pitcher threw a no hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays.
00:32But he also was found to be cheating.
00:34And this is an interesting scene because they're passing around
00:37Rennell Blanco's glove.
00:38With Blanco's side taking on the Oakland Athletics,
00:40his glove was inspected before he went to the mound in the fourth inning.
00:43Umpire Eric Bacchus touched what he called the sticky stuff
00:47he'd felt on a baseball glove.
00:48As such, the pitcher was ejected from the game.
00:50Oh, he gone. Yeah, he's gone.
00:53Blanco claimed it was Rosen,
00:55which is legal in moderation that he had on his arm and sweated onto the glove.
00:59Gross.
01:00However, the MLB didn't believe him and suspended him for 10 games.
01:03And that won't be the last we hear of Rosen on this list.
01:06They're not too happy with their explanation right now.
01:10Number 49.
01:11Hu Jie.
01:12In 2024, the Beijing half marathon was set to end dramatically
01:15as four men battled to finish first.
01:17Fans watched eagerly as China's Hu Jie, Kenya's Willie Mnangot,
01:21Kenya's Robert Ketter and Ethiopia's Dijin Haila Bikola
01:25approached the finish line.
01:26But then the three African runners slowed down
01:28and seemingly gestured for Hu Jie to overtake them,
01:31which he did, crossing the line first.
01:33Immediately, there were calls to investigate
01:35whether the group had worked together to ensure Hu Jie won.
01:38Mnangot claimed he was a pacemaker to help the Chinese runner
01:40break a national record.
01:42However, the Kenyan was registered as a runner for the event.
01:45Investigators disqualified the four athletes
01:47and they had to return their medals and money.
01:49One of the runners from Kenya has spoken out about this.
01:52He admits letting Hu Jie win.
01:55Number 48.
01:56Shayla Cooper.
01:57Sometimes in an act of desperation,
01:59athletes can make a bizarre decision to try and gain the upper hand.
02:02For example, when Cooper made her debut for the Georgetown Hoyas
02:05against the Richmond Spiders in 2013,
02:07she lost her footing, causing one of her sneakers to come off.
02:10Instead of continuing without it until the play was over,
02:13she saw an opportunity to be creative.
02:15As the Spiders player attempted a shot,
02:16Cooper chucked her shoe at the ball.
02:18While she missed and managed to grab her lobbed footwear again,
02:21the ball didn't go through the hoop either.
02:22Lucky for Cooper, the ref seemingly didn't see this
02:25as no technical foul was called.
02:27Number 47.
02:28David Luiz.
02:29Football has a bad reputation when it comes to players
02:31diving to get an advantage.
02:33In 2013, Chelsea's Luiz didn't help with that image.
02:36With his side winning against Manchester United,
02:38Luiz was looking to run down the clock.
02:40United's Rafael fought the defender for the ball,
02:43receiving heavy shoes.
02:44The fullback snapped and kicked Luiz,
02:46who went down clutching his leg.
02:48And then amid the chaos,
02:49the Brazilian international is seen smiling.
02:51Rafael kicked out at his opponents
02:53right in front of the assistant referee.
02:56Rafael was sent off for the foul.
02:57United lost the game when their manager compared
02:59Luiz's antics to a dying swan.
03:01The defender claimed he wasn't smiling at his plan working,
03:04but was laughing at the United fans who had been mocking him
03:07by comparing him to Sideshow Bob.
03:09United 0, Chelsea 1.
03:11Number 46.
03:12Miko Rantanen.
03:13For years, the Finnish forward has been one of the Colorado
03:15Avalanche's best players.
03:17But while Rantanen has deserved his plaudits,
03:19there's another side to his game that's less celebrated.
03:22In 2018, the Avalanches took on the Boston Bruins.
03:25In the second period, with his side down 3-2,
03:27Rantanen rushed to stop a Boston attack.
03:30However, he made contact with Patrice Bergeron's stick
03:32and collapsed on the ice dramatically.
03:38While Bergeron was punished for hooking with a penalty,
03:40Rantanen was also penalized for embellishment.
03:43To make it worse, after the game,
03:44as it was his second similar offense of the season,
03:47he was fined $2,000 by the NHL.
03:50Number 45.
03:51Men's Pakistan cricket team.
03:53In 2010, during a test match against England,
03:55Pakistan's Mohamed Amir went to bowl but delivered a no ball.
03:58No ball is a call, but that was a short ball.
04:00Mohamed Asif also did something similar.
04:02But that's not suspicious as that happens to bowlers, right?
04:05Well, not exactly.
04:06Journalists conducted a sting operation with bookmaker
04:09Mazar Majid.
04:10In exchange for a bribe, he could arrange spot fixing
04:13by getting Pakistan's captain Salman Butt,
04:15Asif and Amir to make no balls at prearranged moments
04:18during the England match.
04:19The International Cricket Council banned Butt for 10
04:22years with five suspended, Asif for seven years
04:24with two suspended, and Amir for five years.
04:27In 2011, Butt was sentenced to 30 months in jail,
04:30Asif for 12, Amir for six, and Majid for 32 months.
04:33Number 44. Bobby Unser.
04:36As part of the powerhouse racing family,
04:37Unser won the Indianapolis 500 race three times.
04:40Yet his last in 1981 was mired in scandal.
04:43During a caution period after Unser had a pit stop,
04:46he overtook eight cars as he merged back into the race,
04:49seemingly against the rules.
04:50Oh, James, that's to the yellow.
04:51You can't do that. That is a no-no.
04:54He went on to finish first.
04:55Afterward, officials handed Unser a one position penalty,
04:58giving the win to Mario Andretti.
05:00Then Unser appealed.
05:01This led to the discovery that the United States
05:03Auto Club officials had known about the overtaking
05:06during the race and had enacted.
05:07Thus, this made their punishment for Unser too harsh
05:09in their view. In a narrow vote, the iconic racer
05:12was controversially reinstated the win, but fined
05:14$40,000.
05:16Unser's third and last 500 win.
05:18Number 43, Roy Carroll.
05:20If an athlete made a horrible error, seemingly got
05:22away with it, but didn't say anything to the officials,
05:24that can be seen as cheating.
05:26In 2005, Manchester United goalkeeper Carroll
05:28did just that when his club faced Tottenham
05:30Hotspur.
05:34Spurs midfielder Pedro Mendes took a speculative
05:36shot from the halfway line.
05:38It looked like a simple catch for the Northern Irish
05:40keeper. Instead, Carroll spilled it and lunged back
05:43to sweep the ball away, even though it clearly
05:45crossed the line.
05:46While none of the officials spotted this, Carroll
05:48also said nothing as the game ended goalless.
05:50This incident likely contributed to him being
05:52released at the end of the season.
05:54It took until 2012 for goal line technology
05:57to be introduced.
05:58Number 42, Boris Onyshenko.
06:00Having taken a gold and a silver in the previous
06:02Olympics, the Soviet Union's Onyshenko was looking
06:05to add to his medal tally at the 1976
06:07Olympics in the modern pentathlon.
06:09However, that desire was his downfall.
06:11During the second event with fencing, Onyshenko
06:13During the second event with fencing, Great Britain's
06:16team noticed Onyshenko's EP had tagged a hit when
06:19none was actually made.
06:20Officials examined the Soviet's weapon.
06:22They found it had been modified so the user could
06:24manipulate the electrical circuit within to register
06:27a successful strike whenever they like.
06:29While Onyshenko denied the tampering and claimed
06:31it wasn't his personal EP, he was disqualified
06:33from the event and later banned from the Olympics
06:35for life.
06:37Number 41, New Orleans Saints.
06:39In 2012, the NFL announced that the New Orleans
06:41Saints management had been issuing bounties to
06:43financially reward their players for removing
06:45targets from games by injuring them.
06:47We want him running sideways.
06:50We want his head sideways.
06:53Beginning in 2009, the Bounty Gate scandal claimed
06:56Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and many others as
06:58victims. The punishment was brutal.
07:00Several Saints players were suspended.
07:02However, this was later rescinded as the
07:03management was seen as the instigators.
07:05There was no basis to punish the players.
07:08Their punishment included head coach Sean Payton
07:10being banned for a 2012 season, general manager
07:12Mickey Loomis being suspended for eight games
07:15and defensive coach Greg Williams getting
07:16indefinitely banned before being overturned in
07:192013.
07:20The Saints were also fined five hundred thousand
07:22dollars and had their second round draft picks in
07:242012 and 2013 removed.
07:26There is at least some effort by
07:29the powers that be to ensure that these are not
07:31modern day gladiators who are
07:33metaphorically being thrown to the Lions.
07:36Number 40, Taj Gibson.
07:38Athletes will use anything to win, but sometimes
07:40it can get a bit ridiculous.
07:41In 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the
07:43Sacramento Kings after Taj Gibson scored
07:46at one end of the left hook.
07:47His shoe came off in the process.
07:49Yet before he could put it back on, the Kings
07:50began attacking rather than sit out and get the
07:53footwear on. Gibson, like Shayla Cooper before
07:55him, got creative.
07:57The trainer in hand, he attempted to defend.
07:59Are you allowed to block a shot with a shoe?
08:01No. As the Kings, Nemanja Bielica went
08:04for a shot. Gibson tried using his singular
08:06sneaker for extra blocking coverage while he
08:09didn't touch the ball. Instead, Carl Anthony
08:10Towns made the save.
08:12Using a foreign object to defend is a no-no.
08:14Number 39, Baron Davis.
08:16For a bit of fun, the NBA hosts the slam dunk
08:18contest over the All-Star weekend.
08:20And in 2001, then Charlotte Hornets player Baron
08:23Davis participated.
08:24But he decided to channel his inner Cedric
08:26Sabalos with his final dunk by using his headband
08:28as a blindfold and calling the attempt the
08:30blind man's buff.
08:31However, his deception was clear to see with
08:33holes in the headband.
08:34Look at that hole right there.
08:36I can see your hole, big guy.
08:39With this level of cheating, you'd expect Davis
08:41to slam the ball in the hoop.
08:42But nope. Attempting a windmill dunk, the point
08:44guard fell. Well, short both in distance and
08:46height. Yikes.
08:48If he had dunked it normally, he probably would
08:49have won. Instead, Desmond Mason took the
08:51contest.
08:52Look at this, man. You can't see no holes.
08:55Ain't no holes in this.
08:56I couldn't see.
08:57Number 38, Sergio Busquets.
09:00Undoubtedly, Sergio Busquets will go down as
09:02one of the best midfielders for Spain and
09:04Barcelona. However, there's also another side
09:06to him that has dampened his stellar reputation.
09:08In 2010, Barcelona faced Inter Milan in the
09:11second leg semifinal of the UEFA Champions
09:13League. After losing the first game three to
09:15one, Busquets decided to give his side an
09:17advantage by any means necessary.
09:19In the 28th minute, while competing with Milan's
09:22Thiago Mota for the ball, the Brazilian lightly
09:24touched the Spaniard's face and Busquets went
09:26down dramatically.
09:27Then the Barca icon peeked through his hands to
09:30check his performance was being bought.
09:32It was. Mota was sent off.
09:34However, Barcelona was still knocked out of the
09:36competition that Milan went on to win.
09:38Number 37, Maximum Security.
09:41The 2019 Kentucky Derby, the 145th edition,
09:44should have been a celebration of horse racing.
09:46Instead, it was doused in controversy.
09:48The horse Maximum Security and jockey Luis
09:50Saez dominated the race and crossed first.
09:53Maximum Security wins the Kentucky Derby!
09:57However, there were immediate objections.
09:59At the final turn, Maximum Security went across
10:02the lane and blocked the paths of multiple
10:03horses, nearly resulting in a pileup that could
10:06have caused major injuries.
10:07The winner of the race was disqualified to
10:0917th, and the iconic trophy was handed to
10:11Country House, who was unaffected by the
10:13blocking. Saez claimed his horse was startled
10:15by the crowd noise and veered outwards.
10:17Regardless, the jockey was suspended for not
10:19controlling his mount.
10:20They disqualified.
10:21They did. So for the first time in the history
10:24of the Kentucky Derby, the horse that crossed
10:26the line first has been disqualified.
10:30After the objection, Country House wins the
10:34Kentucky Derby.
10:35Number 36, Sal Alosi.
10:37Sports coaches are often seen as being
10:39competitive yet fair.
10:40However, in 2010, the actions of the head
10:42strength and conditioning coach at the New York
10:44Jets, Sal Alosi, proved to break that mold and
10:46then some. As the Jets took on the Miami
10:48Dolphins, Alosi spotted Nolan Carroll running
10:51down the sideline.
10:52Seemingly forgetting about all the TV cameras
10:54in the stadium, the coach used his knee to
10:56trip Carroll.
10:57Well, it looked like he got tripped by one of
10:58the members of the Jets staff.
11:02It was then discovered that Alosi told inactive
11:04players to form a wall on the sidelines to
11:06block the opposition's plays.
11:07As a result, the Jets suspended the coach
11:09indefinitely and he was fined $25,000.
11:12The NFL also fined the Jets $100,000.
11:15Not long after, Alosi resigned from his
11:17position.
11:18Situation where I just wasn't thinking.
11:21Number 35, Max Scherzer.
11:23It's strange how often baseball stars try to
11:25break the rules with something sticky.
11:26And in 2023, it was the time for New York
11:29Mets pitcher Max Scherzer.
11:30Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, the umpires
11:32conducted a routine inspection of Scherzer and
11:34found his hand coated in something.
11:36After being told to wash his hands and change
11:38gloves multiple times, eventually the umpires
11:41ejected Scherzer from the game.
11:42While we were in commercial, the umpires did
11:45another check of Max Scherzer.
11:47And after a heated discussion, Scherzer has
11:49been ejected from the game, presumably for
11:53having a sticky substance on his hand.
11:56While the pitcher argued it was rosin, a
11:58substance allowed in the MLB, the officials
12:00didn't buy it.
12:01As a result, Scherzer was suspended for 10
12:03games and fined $10,000.
12:04Initially, Fort was reduced to $5,000.
12:07While he appealed the decision, Scherzer
12:09withdrew it shortly after.
12:11Number 34, Andre Golota.
12:13Before Mike Tyson was nibbling opponents in a
12:15boxing ring, there was Poland's Andre Golota.
12:17Better known as Andrew Golota, the heavyweight
12:19hitter faced off against Samson Pahua in 1995
12:22in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
12:24The then undefeated Golota was in the driving
12:26seat for most of the bout.
12:27However, after Pahua connected with a heavy
12:29strike, which dazed the Polish boxer, several
12:32more punches battered Golota.
12:39So in his desperation, he did something sneaky.
12:41Golota got close to Pahua and bit down on his
12:44neck, earning him a bit of recovery time.
12:46On top of this, the referee didn't see it
12:48happen, and Golota went on to win via TKO.
12:55Downstairs goes Golota, and down to the canvas
12:58goes Samson Pahua.
12:59Number 33, Rosie Ruiz.
13:02At the 1980 Boston Marathon, something
13:04remarkable happened.
13:05Having only started competing in the sport a
13:07year prior, Rosie Ruiz shocked the nation by
13:09winning the women's division of the iconic
13:11endurance race and setting a Boston record.
13:13But something fishy was going on when Ruiz
13:15appeared in interviews, showing little tiredness
13:17and was vague about her experience.
13:18Have you been doing a lot of heavy intervals?
13:21Someone else asked me that.
13:22I'm not sure what intervals are.
13:25An investigation was launched that examined
13:27video and photographs of the races.
13:29Strangely, Ruiz seemingly didn't appear until
13:31the end. On top of this, witnesses came forward
13:33that Ruiz had used the subway for the New York
13:35Marathon the year prior.
13:37Both Boston and New York officials stripped
13:39Ruiz of her results.
13:40I believe that maybe after this, whether you
13:43prove me guilty or not, which I am not, there
13:46will be more coverage of women crossing the
13:48finish line during 26 miles.
13:51It's not fair.
13:52Number 32, LeBron James, David West and Lance
13:55Stevenson. Flopping or diving in sport is one
13:57of the worst things you can do.
13:59Fans hate the dishonest practice, mostly unless
14:01it gives your side an advantage.
14:03In 2013, then playing for the Miami Heat, LeBron
14:05James participated in game four of the NBA's
14:08Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana
14:10Pacers. However, in the fourth quarter, James
14:12and David West of the Pacers flopped on the
14:14court during the same play, and the Pacers,
14:16Lance Stevenson had already dramatically
14:18clashed with Ray Allen in the first quarter.
14:20As a result of the mass exaggeration, each
14:22player was fined $5,000 by the NBA, while the
14:25media referred to the game as a flop fest.
14:28Number 31, Brian Carrasco.
14:30Football and exaggeration, for better or worse,
14:32is a match made in heaven.
14:34It happens a lot, far more than most fans like
14:36to admit. But one of the most outrageous took
14:38place in 2011 with the under 20s team of Chile
14:41and Ecuador facing off in the South American
14:43Youth Championship. Brian Carrasco did something
14:46the referee missed, but the commentators spotted
14:48and laughed loudly at the audacity.
14:50In the 76th minute, the Chilean midfielder grabbed
14:52the arm of Ecuador's Edson Montano and smacked
14:55himself in the head with it before falling on
14:57the floor. It was bonkers, yet it worked.
15:00Carrasco got a free kick for his side.
15:02However, Chile ended up losing 1-0, so it wasn't
15:04a perfect plan.
15:06Number 30, Alex Rodriguez.
15:08It's not every bit of cheating that contributes
15:10to the riot police being deployed to restore
15:12order in Ecuador, but it's not every bit of
15:14cheating that contributes to the riot police
15:16being deployed to restore order in Ecuador,
15:18but it's not every bit of cheating that contributes
15:20to the riot police being deployed to restore
15:22order with the fans. But that was what happened
15:24in 2004 when the New York Yankees took on the
15:26Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League
15:29Championship Series. Alex Rodriguez didn't get
15:32a great connection on a pitch, hitting the ball
15:34along the first baseline.
15:35Off the end of the bat, Arroyo, the ball gets loose.
15:40It's down the right field line. Cheater coming
15:44all the way around. It's a one-run game.
15:47Number 29, Jacob Runyon and Chase Kaminsky.
15:51With a whopping collected prize of $28,760,
15:55fishing professionals Jacob Runyon and Chase Kaminsky
15:58were desperate to get their mitts on the oversized
16:00check in 2022. So much so that they got creative
16:02with their new catch-up game.
16:04The New York Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox
16:06in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series
16:09Series Series.
16:10The New York Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox
16:12in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series
16:14Series.
16:15The New York Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox
16:17in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series
16:19Series.
16:20Jason Fischer became suspicious of the weights
16:24of the smaller-sized fish he cut up to catch.
16:28He found they had been stuffed with lead balls,
16:30fish filets and other items.
16:31From then on, it's a mob-calling foul in a way
16:34only true fishermen can.
16:36On top of being disqualified, the duo were arrested.
16:39Kaminsky and Runyon are also at risk of losing
16:41the chance to enjoy fishing, even just as
16:43even just as a pastime.
16:46misdemeanor of the fourth degree by operational law, their fishing license
16:50would automatically be a surrender in 2023.
16:54Runyon and Kaminsky agreed to a deal to plead guilty to cheating and unlawful
16:58ownership of an animal.
16:59They received 10 days in jail, six months of probation and fined twenty five
17:03hundred dollars each.
17:04Number twenty eight, J.R.
17:06Smith. As far as cheating goes, J.R.
17:08Smith's shenanigans are perhaps the most petty yet hilarious in sporting history.
17:11In 2014, the NBA legend found himself in the crosshairs of the league's authority.
17:16While playing for the New York Knicks, he was seen on TV untying the shoelaces of
17:20Sean Marion and Greg Monroe in separate games.
17:22While the NBA let the first one go and warned him, the second incident saw the
17:26league take action against Smith.
17:27In the end, he was fined fifty thousand dollars for his dastardly antics.
17:31But after the fine, Smith retired from his lacy actions.
17:34He confirmed he would have continued had the NBA not come down hard on him.
17:37I wouldn't do it every game, but I would do it like guys I know, guys I messed
17:41around with or whatever.
17:42Number twenty seven, Mark Schlereth.
17:44There's probably never been an instance of an athlete being so defiant about their
17:48rule breaking. Legendary NFL guard Mark Schlereth proudly spoke later about his
17:52cheating, describing it as being creative.
17:54In 1998, Schlereth's Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC
17:58playoffs. However, the Chiefs struggled to hold on to some of the players, including
18:02Schlereth. After they spoke to the ref, Schlereth was ordered off the pitch to have
18:06the slimy substance he was coated in removed.
18:08All right, Mark Schlereth was just sent off by Jerry Markwright to be wiped off.
18:11He had some type of a sticky substance on him.
18:14Now he's checking back into the game.
18:15They're checking him out and the referee will now allow him to stay.
18:18But they're wiping some of the substance off a number of the Denver Broncos.
18:22As it turned out, it was Vaseline.
18:23While the Broncos went on to win the game, the slippery players involved, Brian
18:27Habib, Gary Zimmerman and Schlereth, were fined five thousand dollars each by the
18:31NFL. Number twenty six, Clint Boyer.
18:34The NASCAR and stock car racer Clint Boyer has had a decorated career on the track,
18:38but he put his legend in jeopardy with some hijinks in 2013.
18:41Near the end of the Richmond International Raceway, Boyer suddenly spun out in his
18:45vehicle. This caused a final caution of the race.
18:48The required pit stop changed the order, giving his Michael Waltrip racing teammate
18:52Martin Truex Jr.
18:53an advantage to qualify for the chase for the Sprint Cup.
18:56Did you spin on purpose to help your teammate?
18:58No, I think we had a flat tire or something.
19:01I mean, we went from leading the race and got back there and I mean, they're driving
19:04off from us. I got down in there, kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter.
19:09And then the 88 got in there and by the time I got back the gas, he got into me and I
19:14had so much wheel and it just snapped around.
19:16While Boyer denied the allegations, the evidence of code words said over his radio
19:20suggested was intentional.
19:21Right with the 88, right with you, right with you, right with you.
19:24NASCAR investigated and docked him and the MWR drivers 50 points each and fined the
19:28team three hundred thousand dollars.
19:31Number twenty five, George Brett.
19:32When people argue about the greatest baseball player, George Brett's name is always
19:36mentioned. But on top of his astonishing career, he's also connected to one of the most
19:39controversial cheating incidents in the sport.
19:42In 1983, Brett's Kansas City Royals faced the New York Yankees.
19:46With the Royals trailing, Brett struck a two run home run to take the lead.
19:50Oh, oh, that's gone.
19:58And now the Royals have the one run lead.
20:01However, the Yankees question the amount of pine tar smeared over his back.
20:05The umpires investigated and found the substance covered more than the rules allowed.
20:08As such, Brett's impressive hit was crossed off and he was called out.
20:11They might be going to call George Brett out.
20:13Well, he's out.
20:15Yes, sir.
20:16He's out. Look at this.
20:18Brett is out.
20:19And he is out.
20:23And having to be forcibly restrained from hitting
20:28plate umpire Tim McClellan.
20:30However, after the Royals protested, the homer was reinstated and the game was replayed
20:3425 days later from Brett's controversial strike, which the Royals won.
20:38Number 24, Madeline and Margaret de Jesus.
20:41For everyone who's watched WWE and seen Twin Magic by Nikki and Brie Bella, it's
20:45easy to think that this doesn't actually happen in real life.
20:47Wait a minute.
20:49Hey, the two Bella's, they're twins.
20:55They're identical twins, they are twins.
20:58That explains a lot.
21:00But it has.
21:01At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Madeline de Jesus was set to
21:06represent Puerto Rico in the women's four by four hundred meter relay qualifier.
21:10However, she'd gotten injured while competing in the long jump.
21:12So she asked her identical twin sister, Margaret, who was there as a spectator to
21:16pretend to be her on the track.
21:18And it worked. The Puerto Rico team ended up qualifying.
21:21However, the truth was soon discovered when the nation's Olympic head discovered the
21:24ruse. He pulled the racers from the final and banned the de Jesus sisters.
21:28Number 23, Mourad Amdouni.
21:31It's one thing to cheat to give yourself an advantage, but another to negatively
21:34affect other competitors to get ahead.
21:36And that's what France's Mourad Amdouni did at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
21:40While competing in the men's marathon, Amdouni did something sneaky and petty at the
21:4428 kilometer mark.
21:46When the runners approached the water table, he leaned over and knocked over a row of
21:49bottles before grabbing the final one, essentially denying athletes behind him for
21:53cleanly getting hydrated.
21:54Amdouni claimed that being fatigued in the bottles being slippery after resting in
21:58ice caused him to accidentally topple them.
22:00But that doesn't explain the coincidence of Amdouni easily taking the last drink.
22:04Suspicious. Number 22, Romano Finati.
22:08Some cheaters go way too far.
22:09And motorcycle racer Romano Finati is one such person.
22:13In 2018, he competed at the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Motorcycle Grand Prix for
22:18Moto2. While competing with fellow Italian racer Stefano Manzi at around 120 miles
22:23per hour, Finati reached over and pulled the brake on Manzi's bike.
22:27This idiotic move would have resulted in serious injury had Manzi fallen.
22:30Immediately, the black flag went up for Finati, disqualifying him from the race.
22:34He was later banned for two races and then had his motorcycle racing license revoked
22:38for the rest of the season.
22:39Then Finati's team, Marinelli Snipers, fired him for his reckless actions.
22:44However, he returned the next season in Moto3.
22:46Number 21, Tom Brady.
22:48While his work on the gridiron has gone down on NFL lore, Tom Brady's reputation is
22:53taken a couple of knocks, with 2015 perhaps being the most significant.
22:56During halftime in the AFC match between the New England Patriots and the
23:00Indianapolis Colts, NFL officials checked the balls that Brady had used and
23:04discovered several were underinflated, making it easier for the quarterback to handle.
23:08This is the play that led to the discovery of what is being dubbed Deflategate.
23:13This second quarter play has led to many questioning the integrity of the AFC
23:18champs. The Patriots and Brady heavily denied the allegations that they purposely let
23:22the air out, and the Deflategate scandal lasted nearly two years.
23:25Let's do remember this fact.
23:27They brought in properly inflated footballs in the second half.
23:31The Patriots were more dominant in that half than they were in the first half.
23:33The Patriots refined one million dollars and docked two draft picks, while Brady was
23:37suspended for four games.
23:39After appealing, winning the appeal, then having that overturned, he served the ban
23:43in 2016.
23:44But now some saying this punishment is sending a very clear message to the rest of
23:49the league.
23:50Number 20 Dwight Howard.
23:52During a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, forward Paul Millsap
23:56immediately felt something strange as he was handed the ball during a free throw
24:00attempt.
24:01Millsap's telling him to look at the ball.
24:04Must be sticky.
24:05It was revealed to be a stickum, a glue like substance once used by wide receivers
24:09and defensive backs to get a better grip when catching footballs.
24:13The culprit who was using stickum was Dwight Howard, who had touched the ball shortly
24:17before it was in the possession of Millsap.
24:19Although it is illegal to use in the NBA, he was neither fined nor reprimanded for
24:24his actions.
24:25He even went on record saying he had been using it for many years.
24:28Players, coaches and media outlets couldn't even fathom the advantage it could give
24:33why one would even use it in a sport like basketball, which probably explains why
24:38Howard came off scot-free.
24:39Is that disrespectful to the game?
24:41No, it's not that big of a deal, but you can't use stickum because other guys need
24:44the ball too.
24:45Number 19 Tony Romo.
24:47This one's kind of funny.
24:48After a run by Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, which saw him get just
24:53short of getting the first down on a third and one, the officials and players were
24:57standing by and in a very brief moment, Romo moved the ball forward on the line
25:03with his foot.
25:03He wasn't fooling anyone and the ball was quickly placed back at its original spot.
25:11Speaking on the incident after the game, Romo jokingly claimed that he was hoping
25:15that no one would see it and then he said he actually slipped.
25:18Kidding or not, we hope it was all in good fun.
25:22Number 18 Martin McSorley.
25:24In game two of the 1993 Stanley Cup final, the Montreal Canadiens then head
25:29coach Jacques Demers asked that LA Kings defenseman Marty McSorley's hockey stick
25:33be inspected, claiming it to be illegal.
25:41Upon inspection by the officials, this turned out to be the case as the stick was
25:45curved beyond the limits set by the NHL.
25:48McSorley would receive a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
25:51Many saw the incident as a turning point in the series as the Canadiens scored on
25:55the ensuing power play, wound up winning that game and the subsequent three to
25:59hoist the Stanley Cup.
26:01While McSorley would admit wrongdoing, he also believed the Canadians knew he was
26:06using an illegal stick beforehand and that their call was planned.
26:10Number 17 Will Smith.
26:18Not that Will Smith, this Will Smith, perhaps one of the most obvious forms of
26:22cheating on this list.
26:23In the seventh inning of a game between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers,
26:27the relief pitcher was called on by umpires when the Braves manager Freddy
26:31Gonzalez asked them to check Smith's arm, which was glistening with a substance.
26:36Upon further inspection by the umpires, Smith was tossed.
26:49Smith revealed the substance to be rosin and sunscreen.
26:53While he claimed the purpose behind its use was to get a better grip of the ball
26:57and not to gain a competitive advantage, the umpires weren't buying it and he was
27:02later suspended eight games.
27:04Number 16, the Houston Astros.
27:07The scale of this cheating scandal was so large that live TV was just one of the
27:12ways this MLB team was caught cheating.
27:14Using unauthorized electronic equipment, the team would utilize live video feeds
27:19to decipher and uncover the signs made by opposing team catchers during games.
27:24The information would then be relayed to the players by way of banging noises
27:27made by hitting a garbage can, which can be heard on live television.
27:31Change up, bang, bang.
27:35That sequence is so upsetting.
27:37There's no way that is done without technology.
27:40They continued to use this system until they were eventually caught in 2019.
27:44To make matters worse, in the aftermath, the players would seem unapologetic
27:49for taking part in the scheme.
27:50I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team, by the
27:59organization and by me.
28:03I've learned from this and I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans.
28:09Number 15, Rivaldo Ferreira.
28:11In this group match between Brazil and Turkey at the World Cup in 2002,
28:15Hakan Unsal would kick the ball towards Rivaldo Ferreira.
28:19It hit his shin, but as Ferreira fell, he was clutching his face.
28:23Having already received a yellow card prior, Ursal was sent off
28:27for the incident by the referee.
28:28Upon review by the World Cup's disciplinary committee, it was determined
28:31that Ferreira did indeed simulate being fouled and was subsequently
28:35fined for his actions.
28:37Ferreira would even later admit to flopping, but noted that Ursal should
28:41have been sent off regardless.
28:42Well, that's one way to deflect.
28:44Number 14, Simon Dyson.
28:46At the 2013 BMW Masters tournament in Shanghai, Simon Dyson was caught
28:51using his ball to press down a spike mark in the line of a putt.
28:54He also didn't add a two-shot penalty to his card, resulting in him
28:58signing off on a false score.
29:00He was later disqualified from the tournament for the move.
29:03So we reviewed the footage with Simon today, and there's no other option
29:08but to advise him that he was in breach of rule 16.1a for that action.
29:14And that does lead to disqualification.
29:17While fined $49,000 and initially sentenced to serve a two-month
29:21suspension, it would later be changed to an 18-month probationary period.
29:25Although Dyson apologized, he didn't admit to any wrongdoing, calling
29:29the incident a quote, accidental mistake.
29:32Number 13, Patrick Reid.
29:35There's nothing worse than a cheater who's cheated more than once.
29:38There have been several instances of foul play on the part of Reid,
29:41but this one might take the cake.
29:43During the third round of the Hero World Challenge in 2019, Patrick Reid
29:48can be seen practicing his swing in the bunker, but if one looks more
29:51closely, they can see that Reid is clearly attempting to clear sand
29:55in order to get a better shot in.
29:57This was his practice swing.
30:00And you can see when he took the club back, he definitely
30:03took some sand back behind it.
30:04Now you can ground the club there.
30:07He not only did it once, he did it twice.
30:09He was later penalized two strokes for his actions, but the whole incident
30:13just gave further justification as to why Reid is arguably one of the most
30:17disliked athletes in the sport of golf.
30:19Number 12, Vincenzo Nibali.
30:22Racing in the Vuelta a España in 2015, Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali
30:27got into some trouble when he crashed during the course.
30:29But that wasn't the only trouble he got caught up in during the race.
30:32In order to gain some ground and catch up to the peloton after crashing,
30:36Nibali would get hold of one of his team's cars and he was
30:39towed through part of the race.
30:41Racers do this often, but as long as it's for not too long and
30:44it isn't to get ahead in the race.
30:46However, the footage showed Nibali was clearly trying to use this to his advantage.
30:51To no one's surprise, he was thrown out of the race.
30:54One really can't help but wonder how Nibali and the rest of his team
30:57thought they were going to get away with this with the cameras on.
30:59Number 11, Michael Pineda.
31:02When weather conditions are cold, athletes often resort to certain
31:05tactics to deal with the season's conditions, wearing an extra layer
31:08of clothing, gloves, or even just putting a big old jacket over
31:11yourself when you're on the bench.
31:13But for Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda, his trick was to use pine tar.
31:17During a game against the Boston Red Sox, then team manager John Farrell
31:21spotted the substance on Pineda's neck.
31:23He was checked by the umpires and when they discovered it to be pine tar,
31:27Pineda was ejected.
31:29Pineda was suspended for 10 games.
31:31This is the box, I don't want to talk about that.
31:34So I know I'm making a mistake today and that's it.
31:39Number 10, Sammy Sosa.
31:41Checking out that piece of lumber.
31:43They found something in there.
31:46Let's see what the rest of the crew can discover here.
31:48During a game between the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays in 2016,
31:52Sammy Sosa was suspended for 10 games.
31:55He was suspended for 10 games.
31:57During a game between the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays in 2003,
32:00in the bottom of the first inning, outfielder Sammy Sosa hit a ground ball
32:04so hard his bat snapped in half.
32:06Umpires investigated the pieces of the broken bat and noticed pieces of cork,
32:11a material that's banned in the MLB.
32:13Sosa was ejected and he later claimed he chose the wrong bat during the game
32:17and that he only used it during practices.
32:19Sosa was suspended for seven games and many consider this to be another
32:24on his otherwise impressive and Hall of Fame-worthy career.
32:28It's been a tough week for me.
32:30Once again, I just want to apologize to everybody up there for the mistake that I made.
32:36Number 9, Luis Resto.
32:38On the night of June 16th, 1983,
32:41boxers Billy Ray Collins and Luis Resto squared off at Madison Square Garden.
32:45For 10 rounds they went back and forth,
32:47but Collins looked practically unrecognizable after having taken significant damage.
32:52When the match concluded, Resto went to shake the hands of Collins' corner.
32:56One of the cornermen, who was Collins' father,
32:58noticed something odd with Resto's gloves.
33:05He realized there was a lack of padding and it was later confirmed by a referee.
33:10The New York State Athletic Commission went on to suspend Resto and his trainer,
33:14Carlos Luis, and both men even served prison sentences as well.
33:18Eighteen days after what had briefly appeared to be his greatest victory,
33:23Luis Resto's boxing career was over.
33:27But the consequences of that night in the ring,
33:30for Luis and so many others,
33:32were just beginning.
33:34Resto would never box again.
33:36Sadly, Billy Ray Collins' eye was damaged beyond repair
33:39and was told he would never fight again.
33:42And he would suffer from depression before he passed away in a car accident.
33:46Number eight, Tom Williams.
34:02In the second half of the Heineken Cup quarterfinal match between Harlequins and Leinster,
34:06star Nick Evans injured his thigh and went to the bench.
34:10Soon after, Harlequins' coach, Dean Richard, wanted to put his go-to player back in the game.
34:14But rules state that a player who's already been subbed cannot return to the field,
34:19unless they replace a player who suffered a blood injury.
34:23So, to get their man back on out there,
34:25they had teammate Tom Williams hide a blood capsule in a sock that was given to him
34:29and then bite on said capsule to appear injured in order to make the switch.
34:33Spectators and viewers alike were stunned
34:35because no one had seen Williams actually sustain an injury.
34:39Who punched Tom Williams in the mouth? Tom Williams?
34:42Dubbed Bloodgate, suspensions and fines were given left and right when the scheme was uncovered.
34:48However, the most ridiculous and telling moment
34:51may have been when Williams winked at the bench during the incident.
34:54So much for being discreet.
34:56Number seven, Men's Australian Cricket Team.
34:59Looking to gain an advantage in a match against South Africa,
35:02three players from the Men's Australian Cricket Team
35:05hatched a plan to add some scruff to the ball using sandpaper.
35:09As this serves the bowler better control of its movement when it's thrown.
35:13See, by keeping one side of the ball shiny and smooth and letting the other side rough up,
35:18the ball, when bowled in the right way, can move through the air towards the rough side.
35:23That's because air flows differently over each side of the ball,
35:27making it really difficult for batsmen to play.
35:29The sandpaper was hidden under Cameron Bancroft's pants.
35:32And after using it on the ball, he tried to hide it by shoving it right back in there.
35:37The camera was on him when it happened, and he was caught red-handed.
35:40Bancroft and the two other players, Steve Smith and David Warner,
35:44admitted their attempt to cheat.
35:45And while it was unsuccessful,
35:47it still remains an embarrassing and dark chapter in Australian sports history.
35:52I made a serious error of judgment, and I now understand the consequences.
35:58I'm extremely disappointed and regret my actions.
36:01I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistake, and the damage it's caused.
36:11The incident has been labelled Le Hand of God, and with good reason.
36:15In 2009, during a World Cup qualifying match between France and Ireland,
36:19the latter was up by one.
36:21But in the final minutes of the game and in possession of the ball,
36:25Francis William Gallas scored to tie the game.
36:27Oh, Henri! Oh, it's a little bit too early.
36:29Oh, Henri! Oh, it's in the net! It's a goal!
36:32Having won in the previous leg against Ireland, France was declared the winner.
36:37However, upon review of the goal,
36:39it was clear that striker Thierry Henry touched the ball with his hands
36:42before passing it to Gallas.
36:44The goal stood, and France went on to qualify for the World Cup.
36:48The football community was shaken and outraged,
36:51and the incident is still considered by many
36:54as one of the biggest controversies in the sport's history.
36:57You saw the game.
36:59You saw the game. All the European people saw the game, saw the situation.
37:03Number five, Joe Necro.
37:05They're checking him all over. I've never seen him do a search like this.
37:10Looking at these scenes from 1987,
37:12this former Minnesota Twins pitcher should have stayed home that day,
37:15or at least not tried hiding an Emery board and sandpaper.
37:19After referee Tim Cheetah demanded he empty his pockets,
37:22Necro tried playing dumb by pretending to have a sudden urge to file his nails.
37:26But Bobby Brown, the then president of the American League, wasn't buying it.
37:30Necro was handed a 10-game suspension,
37:32and all baseballs used in that game were removed,
37:35leading to his retirement soon after the incident.
37:38He's out of there. He's been kicked out of the game.
37:41Number four, Nelson Pique Jr.
37:44Formula One drivers put their lives in danger whenever they get behind the wheel,
37:48but certain risky maneuvers can still be suspicious.
37:50Case in point, the controversy involving the Renault F1 team
37:54at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix,
37:56particularly Nelson Pique Jr. and Fernando Alonso.
37:59On the 14th lap, Pique's car hit the wall,
38:02allowing Alonso to win the race.
38:04According to Pique, the event was a simple mishap, but was it really?
38:08Following an investigation by the FIA,
38:11it was determined that Renault had orchestrated everything.
38:14This led to an indefinite ban from FIA-sanctioned events
38:17for the team's managing director, Flavio Briatore,
38:20who would also resign from his position,
38:21while Renault was given a two-year suspended ban.
38:25How's your first week as team boss going?
38:27It can't get worse, can it?
38:28Number three, Julie Miller.
38:31Despite her already impressive track record,
38:33Canadian triathlete Julie Miller surprised everyone
38:35by winning Ironman Canada 2015 in Whistler, BC.
38:39Though she'd won her division in the 2013 tournament,
38:42as well as winning her age group at the 2014 Long Course Triathlon in China,
38:47none of her Ironman co-competitors actually saw her on the course in Whistler.
38:51According to many, she finished first without completing the entirety of the course,
38:55constituting serious misconduct.
38:58Following a thorough investigation,
39:00it was determined that Miller couldn't have possibly finished the course
39:03as quickly as she claimed to, and was therefore disqualified.
39:06Miller can keep denying everything, but she can't change the facts.
39:10Number two, women's badminton teams.
39:13Eight elite athletes who were deliberately and flagrantly losing their matches.
39:18Unfortunately, the Olympic Games have often been associated with cheating,
39:22whether through the use of illegal substances or other unsporting behavior.
39:26Take, for example, the Chinese badminton team at the 2012 Games in London.
39:31For a team that's usually a threat, they were seen committing numerous errors,
39:34such as deliberately hitting serves into the net.
39:37Despite many warnings from the referee, the Chinese team kept with their game plan,
39:42one that would be mimicked by the South Korean and Indonesian teams.
39:46The purpose of all this?
39:47To avoid getting drawn against stronger teams too early in the competition.
39:51Thankfully, the IOC disqualified them,
39:53though those in attendance did not get refunds.
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40:16Number 1, Diego Maradona.
40:18In June of 1986, during the World Cup quarterfinal match between England and Argentina,
40:24the score was still 0-0 in the 51st minute,
40:27when Diego Maradona received the ball from midfield.
40:30He raised his left hand, making the ball deflect into the net.
40:33It's put back over the top, and Maradona has scored!
40:37In the absence of VAR, which would not appear in association football until decades later,
40:42referee Ali bin Nasser let the goal stand.
40:44Despite many protests and questions circling the incident,
40:47Maradona claimed the goal was scored by the, quote,
40:50hand of God, an expression that has since become legendary.
40:54What's the funniest, strangest, or most wholesome fan moment in sports
40:57that you regularly think about? Let us know below.
41:06Did you enjoy this video?
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