- 2 days ago
Welcome to WatchMojo! Today we’re counting down the Top 50 moments when athletes were caught red-handed bending (or breaking) the rules — all during televised competition.
From David Luiz’s dramatic flops and the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal, to Tom Brady, Max Scherzer, George Brett, and more — these moments were impossible to ignore and unforgettable for fans around the world.
⚽🏈⚾ Which cheating moment shocked you the most?
Tell us your pick — or your favorite wild sports moment — in the comments!
From David Luiz’s dramatic flops and the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal, to Tom Brady, Max Scherzer, George Brett, and more — these moments were impossible to ignore and unforgettable for fans around the world.
⚽🏈⚾ Which cheating moment shocked you the most?
Tell us your pick — or your favorite wild sports moment — in the comments!
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TVTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and 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 elsewhere.
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 Reneau 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.
00:44Umpire Eric Bacchus touched what he called the sticky stuff he'd felt on a baseball glove.
00:48As such, the pitcher was ejected from the game.
00:50Uh-oh. He gone.
00:52Yeah, he's gone.
00:54Blanco claimed it was Rosen, which is legal in moderation,
00:56that 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.
01:06You're not too happy with their explanation right now.
01:10Number 49.
01:11He Jie
01:12In 2024, the Beijing half-marathon was set to end dramatically as four men battled to finish first.
01:18Fans watched eagerly as China's He Jie, Kenya's Willie Menengot, Kenya's Robert Keter,
01:23and Ethiopia's Dijin Hila Bikula approached the finish line.
01:26But then the three African runners slowed down and seemingly gestured for He to overtake them,
01:31which he did, crossing the line first.
01:33Immediately, there were calls to investigate whether the group had worked together to ensure He won.
01:38Menengot claimed he was a pacemaker to help the Chinese runner break a national record.
01:42However, the Kenyan was registered as a runner for the event.
01:45Investigators disqualified the four athletes, and they had to return their medals and money.
01:49One of the runners from Kenya has spoken out about this.
01:52He admits letting He Jie win.
01:55Number 48.
01:56Shayla Cooper
01:56Sometimes in an act of desperation, athletes can make a bizarre decision to try and gain the upper hand.
02:02For example, when Cooper made her debut for the Georgetown Hoyas against 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, she saw an opportunity to be creative.
02:15As the Spiders player attempted a shot, Cooper chucked her shoe at the ball.
02:18While she missed and managed to grab her lobbed footwear again, the ball didn't go through the hoop either.
02:23Lucky for Cooper, the ref seemingly didn't see this, as no technical foul was called.
02:27Number 47.
02:28David Luiz
02:29Football has a bad reputation when it comes to players diving to get an advantage.
02:32In 2013, Chelsea's Luiz didn't help with that image.
02:36With his side winning against Manchester United, Luiz was looking to run down the clock.
02:40United's Rafael fought the defender for the ball, receiving heavy shoes.
02:44The fullback snapped and kicked Luiz, who went down clutching his leg, and then amid the chaos, the Brazilian international is seen smiling.
02:51Rafael kicked out of his opponents, right in front of the assistant referee.
02:56Rafael was sent off for the foul.
02:57United lost the game when their manager compared Luiz's antics to a dying swan.
03:01The defender claimed he wasn't smiling at his plan working, but was laughing at the United fans, who had been mocking him by comparing him to Sideshow Bob.
03:09United 0, Chelsea 1.
03:11Number 46.
03:12Miko Rantanen
03:13For years, the finish forward has been one of the Colorado Avalanche's best players.
03:17But while Rantanen has deserved his plaudits, there'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, Rantanenen rushed to stop a Boston attack.
03:30However, he made contact with Patrice Bergeran's stick and collapsed on the ice dramatically.
03:37While Bergeran was punished for hooking with a penalty, Rantanen was also penalized for embellishment.
03:43To make it worse after the game, as it was his second similar offense of the season, he was fined $2,000 by the NHL.
03:50Number 45.
03:51Men's Pakistan Cricket Team
03:52In 2010, during a test match against England, Pakistan's Mohamed Amir went to bowl but delivered a no-ball.
03:58No-ball is a call, but that was a short bowl.
04:00Mohamed Asif also did something similar, but that's not suspicious as that happens to bowlers, right?
04:05Well, not exactly.
04:07Journalists conducted a sting operation with bookmaker Mazar Majid.
04:10In exchange for a bribe, he could arrange spot-fixing by getting Pakistan's captains Salman Butt, Asif, and Amir to make no-balls at prearranged moments during the England match.
04:19The International Cricket Council banned Butt for 10 years with 5 suspended, Asif for 7 years with 2 suspended, and Amir for 5 years.
04:27In 2011, Butt was sentenced to 30 months in jail, Asif for 12, Amir for 6, and Majid for 32 months.
04:34Number 44.
04:34Bobby Unser
04:35As part of the powerhouse racing family, Unser won the Indianapolis 500 race three times, yet his last in 1981 was mired in scandal.
04:43During a caution period after Unser had a pit stop, he overtook eight cars as he merged back into the race, seemingly against the rules.
04:50Oh, James, that's to the yellow.
04:52You can't do that.
04:52That is a no-no.
04:54He went on to finish first.
04:55Afterward, officials handed Unser a one-position penalty, giving the win to Mario Andretti.
05:00Then Unser appealed.
05:01This led to the discovery that the United States Auto Club officials had known about the overtaking during the race and hadn't acted.
05:07Thus, this made their punishment for Unser too harsh, in their view.
05:10In a narrow vote, the iconic racer was controversially reinstated the win, but fined $40,000.
05:16Unser's third and last 500 win.
05:18Number 43.
05:19Roy Carroll
05:19If an athlete made a horrible error, seemingly got away with it, but didn't say anything to the officials, that can be seen as cheating.
05:25In 2005, Manchester United goalkeeper Carroll did just that when his club faced Tottenham Hotspur.
05:31Oh, you see?
05:33You see that go in?
05:34Spurs midfielder Pedro Mendes took a speculative shot from the halfway line.
05:38It looked like a simple catch for the Northern Irish keeper.
05:41Instead, Carroll spilled it and lunged back to sweep the ball away, even though it clearly crossed the line.
05:45Clearly over the line!
05:46Well over the line!
05:48Unbelievable!
05:48While none of the officials spotted this, Carroll also said nothing as the game ended goalless.
05:52This incident likely contributed to him being released at the end of the season.
05:56It took until 2012 for goal-line technology to be introduced.
06:00Number 42.
06:01Boris Onyshenko
06:02Having taken a gold and a silver in the previous Olympics, the Soviet Union's Onyshenko was looking to add to his medal tally at the 1976 Olympics in the modern pentathlon.
06:12However, that desire was his downfall.
06:14During the second event with fencing, Great Britain's team noticed Onyshenko's EP had tagged a hit when none was actually made.
06:21Officials examined the Soviet's weapon.
06:22They found it had been modified so the user could manipulate the electrical circuit within to register a successful strike whenever they liked.
06:29While Onyshenko denied the tampering and claimed it wasn't his personal EP, he was disqualified from the event and later banned from the Olympics for life.
06:37Number 41.
06:38New Orleans Saints
06:38In 2012, the NFL announced that New Orleans Saints management had been issuing bounties to financially reward their players for removing targets from games by injuring them.
06:47We want him running sideways. We want his head sideways.
06:53Beginning in 2009, the Bounty Gate scandal claimed Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and many others as victims.
06:59The punishment was brutal. Several Saints players were suspended.
07:02However, this was later rescinded as the management was seen as the instigators.
07:05There was no basis to punish the players.
07:07Their punishment included head coach Sean Payton being banned for a 2012 season,
07:12general manager Mickey Loomis being suspended for eight games,
07:15and defensive coach Greg Williams getting indefinitely banned before being overturned in 2013.
07:20The Saints were also fined $500,000 and had their second round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 removed.
07:26There is at least some effort by the powers that be to ensure that these are not modern day gladiators
07:32who are metaphorically being thrown to the Lions.
07:35Number 40.
07:36Taj Gibson
07:37Athletes will use anything to win, but sometimes it can get a bit ridiculous.
07:41In 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Sacramento Kings.
07:45After Taj Gibson scored at one end with a left hook, his shoe came off in the process.
07:49Yet before he could put it back on, the Kings began attacking.
07:51Rather than sit out and get the footwear on, Gibson, like Shayla Cooper before him, got creative.
07:57The trainer in hand, he attempted to defend.
07:58Are you allowed to block a shot with a shoe?
08:01No.
08:02As the Kings' Nemanja Bielitsa went for a shot, Gibson tried using his singular sneaker for extra blocking coverage.
08:08While he didn't touch the ball, instead Carl Anthony Towns made the save.
08:12Using a foreign object to defend is a no-no.
08:14Number 39.
08:15For a bit of fun, the NBA hosts the slam dunk contest over the All-Star weekend.
08:20And in 2001, then-Charlotte Hornets player Baron Davis participated.
08:24But he decided to channel his inner Cedric Sabalos with his final dunk by using his headband as a blindfold
08:29and calling the attempt the blind man's buff.
08:31However, his deception was clear to see with holes 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 to slam the ball in the hoop, but nope.
08:43Attempting a windmill dunk, the point guard fell, well, short, both in distance and height.
08:47Yikes.
08:48If he had dunked it normally, he probably would have won.
08:50Instead, Desmond Mason took the contest.
08:52Look at this, man.
08:53You can't see no holes.
08:55Ain't no holes in there.
08:56I couldn't see.
08:57Number 38.
08:58Sergio Busquets.
09:00Undoubtedly, Sergio Busquets will go down as one of the best midfielders for Spain and Barcelona.
09:04However, there's also another side to him that has dampened his stellar reputation.
09:08In 2010, Barcelona faced Inter Milan in the second-leg semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.
09:13After losing the first game 3-1, Busquets decided to give his side an advantage by any means necessary.
09:20In the 28th minute while competing with Milan's Thiago Mota for the ball,
09:23the Brazilian lightly touched the Spaniard's face and Busquets went down dramatically.
09:27Then, the Barca icon peeked through his hands to check his performance was being bought.
09:32It was.
09:33Mota was sent off.
09:34However, Barcelona was still knocked out of the competition that Milan went on to win.
09:38Number 37.
09:39Maximum Security.
09:41The 2019 Kentucky Derby, the 145th edition, should have been a celebration of horse racing.
09:46Instead, it was doused in controversy.
09:48The horse Maximum Security and jockey Luis Saez 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 the lane and blocked the paths of multiple horses,
10:04nearly resulting in a pile-up that could have caused major injuries.
10:07The winner of the race was disqualified to 17th,
10:10and the iconic trophy was handed to Country House, who was unaffected by the blocking.
10:14Saez claimed his source was startled by the crowd noise and veered outwards.
10:17Regardless, the jockey was suspended for not controlling his mount.
10:20They disqualified him.
10:21They did.
10:22So for the first time in the history of the Kentucky Derby,
10:25the horse that crossed the line first has been disqualified.
10:30After the objection, Country House wins the Kentucky Derby!
10:35Sports coaches are often seen as being competitive yet fair.
10:40However, in 2010, the actions of the head strength and conditioning coach of the New York Jets,
10:44Sal Alozzi, proved to break that mold and then some.
10:47As the Jets took on the Miami Dolphins,
10:49Alozzi spotted Nolan Carroll running down the sideline.
10:52Seemingly forgetting about all the TV cameras in the stadium,
10:55the coach used his knee to trip Carroll.
10:57Boy, he looked like he got tripped by one of the, uh, members of the Jets' staff.
11:02It was then discovered that Alozzi told inactive players to form a wall on the sidelines
11:06to block the opposition's plays.
11:08As a result, the Jets suspended the coach indefinitely, and he was fined $25,000.
11:12The NFL also fined the Jets $100,000.
11:15Not long after, Alozzi resigned from his position.
11:18Situation where I just wasn't thinking.
11:21Number 35.
11:22Max Scherzer
11:22It's strange how often baseball stars try to break the rules with something sticky.
11:27And in 2023, it was the time for New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer.
11:30Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, the umpires conducted a routine inspection of Scherzer
11:34and found his hand coated in something.
11:36After being told to wash his hands and change gloves multiple times,
11:39eventually the umpires ejected Scherzer from the game.
11:42While we were in commercial, the umpires did another check of Max Scherzer,
11:47and after a heated discussion, Scherzer has been ejected from the game,
11:51presumably for having a sticky substance on his hand.
11:56While the pitcher argued it was Rosen, a substance allowed in the MLB,
11:59the officials didn't buy it.
12:01As a result, Scherzer was suspended for 10 games and fined $10,000 initially,
12:05for it was reduced to $5,000.
12:07While he appealed the decision, Scherzer withdrew it shortly after.
12:10Number 34. Andrzej Golota
12:12Before Mike Tyson was nibbling opponents in a boxing ring,
12:16there was Poland's Andrzej Golota.
12:17Better known as Andrew Golota,
12:19the heavyweight hitter faced off against Samson Pahua in 1995 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
12:24The then-undefeated Golota was in the driving seat for most of the bout.
12:27However, after Pahua connected with a heavy strike which dazed the Polish boxer,
12:31several more punches battered Golota.
12:34Oh, now Pahua! Powering pass!
12:37Oh! Rocky Golota!
12:39So, in his desperation, he did something sneaky.
12:42Golota got close to Pahua and bit down on his neck, earning him a bit of recovery time.
12:46On top of this, the referee didn't see it happen, and Golota went on to win via TKO.
12:51And Andrew Golota is hitting him in his stomach, and that is all.
12:56Downstairs goes Golota, and down to the canvas goes Samson Pahua.
12:59Number 33. Rosie Ruiz
13:01At the 1980 Boston Marathon, something remarkable happened.
13:05Having only started competing in the sport a year prior, Rosie Ruiz shocked the nation by winning the women's division of the iconic endurance race and setting a Boston record.
13:13But something fishy was going on when Ruiz appeared in interviews, showing little tiredness and was vague about her experience.
13:19Have you been doing a lot of heavy intervals?
13:20Um, someone else asked me that. I'm not sure what intervals are.
13:25An investigation was launched that examined video and photographs of the races.
13:29Strangely, Ruiz seemingly didn't appear until the end.
13:32On top of this, witnesses came forward that Ruiz had used the subway for the New York Marathon the year prior.
13:37Both Boston and New York officials stripped Ruiz of her results.
13:40I believe that maybe after this, whether you prove me guilty or not, which I am not, there will be more coverage of women crossing the finish line during 26 miles.
13:51It's not fair!
13:52Number 32. LeBron James, David West, and Lance Stevenson
13:55Flopping or diving in sport is one of the worst things you can do.
13:59Fans hate the dishonest practice, mostly, unless it gives your side an advantage.
14:02In 2013, then playing for the Miami Heat, LeBron James participated in Game 4 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
14:10However, in the fourth quarter, James and David West of the Pacers flopped on the court during the same play.
14:16And the Pacers' Lance Stevenson had already dramatically clashed with Ray Allen in the first quarter.
14:20As a result of the mass exaggeration, each player was fined $5,000 by the NBA, while the media referred to the game as a flop fest.
14:28Number 31. Brian Carrasco
14:30Football, an exaggeration, for better or worse, is a match made in heaven.
14:34It happens a lot, far more than most fans like to admit.
14:37But one of the most outrageous took place in 2011, with the under-20s team of Chile and Ecuador facing off in the South American Youth Championship.
14:44Brian Carrasco did something the referee missed, but the commentators spotted and laughed loudly at the audacity.
14:49What does Carrasco do?
14:51Please, Carrasco.
14:53Please, Carrasco.
14:54I've never seen it in football.
14:56In the 76th minute, the Chilean midfielder grabbed the arm of Ecuador's Edson Montaño and smacked himself in the head with it before falling on the floor.
15:05It was bonkers, yet it worked.
15:07Carrasco got a free kick for his side.
15:09However, Chile ended up losing 1-0, so it wasn't a perfect plan.
15:13Number 30. Alex Rodriguez
15:15It's not every bit of cheating that contributes to the riot police being deployed to restore order with the fans,
15:20but that was what happened in 2004 when the New York Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.
15:27Alex Rodriguez didn't get a great connection on a pitch, hitting the ball along the first baseline.
15:32Off the end of the bat. Arroyo. The ball gets loose. It's down the right field line. Jeter coming all the way around. It's a one-run game.
15:45As Boston's Bronson Arroyo collected the ball and tried to tap A-Rod out, Rodriguez slapped his hand away, causing the ball to fall to the ground.
15:52A startled Boston watched on as the umpires called Rodriguez safe, but after a lot of complaints, the officials had a meeting.
15:58In the end, Rodriguez was deemed to have interfered and was called out.
16:01And they're going to call him out. He's out.
16:03Number 29. Jacob Runyon and Chase Kaminsky
16:06With a whopping collected prize of $28,760, fishing professionals Jacob Runyon and Chase Kaminsky were desperate to get their mitts on the oversized check in 2022.
16:16So much so that they got creative with the weight of their catch.
16:19After the aptly named director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament, Jason Fisher became suspicious of the weights of the smaller-sized fish.
16:27He cut up the catch.
16:27He found they had been stuffed with lead balls, fish fillets, and other items.
16:31From then on, it's a mob-calling fell in a way only true fishermen can.
16:36On top of being disqualified, the duo were arrested.
16:39Kaminsky and Runyon are also at risk of losing the chance to enjoy fishing, even just as a pastime.
16:46Misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
16:47By operational law, their fishing license would automatically be surrendered.
16:52In 2023, Runyon and Kaminsky agreed to a deal to plead guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of an animal.
16:59They received 10 days in jail, 6 months of probation, and fined $2,500 each.
17:04Number 28. J.R. Smith
17:06As far as cheating goes, J.R. Smith's shenanigans are perhaps the most petty yet hilarious in sporting history.
17:12In 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 Sean Marion and Greg Monroe in separate games.
17:22While the NBA let the first one go and warned him, the second incident saw the league take action against Smith.
17:27In the end, he was fined $50,000 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 with guys I know, guys I mess around with or whatever.
17:42Number 27. Mark Schlereth
17:44There's probably never been an instance of an athlete being so defiant about their rule-breaking.
17:49Legendary NFL guard Mark Schlereth proudly spoke later about his cheating, describing it as being creative.
17:54In 1998, Schlereth's Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoffs.
17:59However, the Chiefs struggled to hold on to some of the players, including Schlereth.
18:03After they spoke to the ref, Schlereth was ordered off the pitch to have the slimy substance he was coated in removed.
18:08All right, Mark Schlereth was just sent off by Jerry Markreith 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 Habib, Gary Zimmerman, and Schlereth, were fined $5,000 each by the NFL.
18:32Number 26, Clint Boyer
18:33The NASCAR and stock car racer Clint Boyer has had a decorated career on the track, but 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 vehicle.
18:46This caused the final caution of the race.
18:48The required pit stop changed the order, giving his Michael Waltrip Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr., an 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 were driving off from us.
19:06I got down in there, it kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter, and then the 88 got in there, and by the time I got back the gas, he got into me, and I had so much wheel in it, it just snapped around.
19:16While Boyer denied the allegations, the evidence of code words set over his radio suggests it was intentional.
19:21Right with you, 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 team $300,000.
19:31Number 25, George Brett
19:32When people argue about the greatest baseball player, George Brett's name is always mentioned.
19:36But on top of his astonishing career, he's also connected to one of the most controversial cheating incidents in the sport.
19:41In 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.
19:50Uh-oh. Uh-oh. It's gone.
19:58And now the Royals have the one-run lead.
20:01However, the Yankees questioned 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.
20:12They might be going to call George Brett out.
20:14Well, he is. He's out.
20:15Yes, sir.
20:16Brett is out. Look at this.
20:18Brett is out.
20:19He's teaming man.
20:21He is out.
20:22And having to be forcibly restrained from hitting right umpire Tim McClellan.
20:30However, after the Royals protested, the homer was reinstated.
20:33And the game was replayed 25 days later from Brett's controversial strike, which the Royals won.
20:37Number 24. Madeline and Margaret de Jesus.
20:41For everyone who's watched WWE and seen Twin Magic by Nikki and Brie Bella,
20:45it's easy to think that this doesn't actually happen in real life.
20:48Wait a minute.
20:49Hey!
20:50They're two Bellas.
20:52They'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,
21:04Madeline de Jesus was set to represent Puerto Rico in the women's 4x400 meter relay qualifier.
21:10However, she'd gotten injured while competing in the long jump,
21:13so she asked her identical twin sister, Margaret,
21:15who was there as a spectator, to pretend to be her on the track.
21:18And it worked.
21:19The Puerto Rico team ended up qualifying.
21:21However, the truth was soon discovered.
21:23When the nation's Olympic head discovered the ruse,
21:25he pulled the racers from the final and banned the de Jesus sisters.
21:28Number 23, Morhad Amdouni.
21:31It's one thing to cheat to give yourself an advantage,
21:33but another to negatively affect other competitors to get ahead.
21:36And that's what France's Morhad Amdouni did at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
21:40While competing in the men's marathon,
21:42Amdouni did something sneaky and petty at the 28-kilometer mark.
21:46When the runners approached a water table,
21:48he leaned over and knocked over a row of bottles before grabbing the final one,
21:51essentially denying athletes behind him for cleanly getting hydrated.
21:54Amdouni claimed that being fatigued and the bottles being slippery
21:57after resting in ice caused him to accidentally topple them.
22:00But that doesn't explain the coincidence of Amdouni
22:02easily taking the last drink.
22:04Suspicious.
22:05Number 22, Romano Fanati.
22:08Some cheaters go way too far,
22:09and motorcycle racer Romano Fanati is one such person.
22:13In 2018, he competed at the San Marino
22:15and Rimini Riviera Motorcycle Grand Prix for Moto2.
22:19While competing with fellow Italian racer Stefano Manci
22:21at around 120 miles per hour,
22:23Fanati reached over and pulled the brake on Manci's bike.
22:26This idiotic move would have resulted in serious injury had Manci fallen.
22:30Immediately, the black flag went up for Fanati,
22:33disqualifying him from the race.
22:34He was later banned for two races
22:36and then had his motorcycle racing license revoked for the rest of the season.
22:39Then, Fanati's team, Marinelli Snipers,
22:42fired 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,
22:51Tom Brady's reputation has taken a couple of knocks,
22:54with 2015 perhaps being the most significant.
22:57During halftime in the AFC match between the New England Patriots
23:00and the Indianapolis Colts,
23:01NFL officials checked the balls that Brady had used
23:04and discovered several were underinflated,
23:06making 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 champs.
23:19The Patriots and Brady heavily denied the allegations that they purposely let the air out,
23:23and 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,
23:31and the Patriots were more dominant in that half than they were in the first half.
23:33The Patriots were fined $1 million and docked two draft picks,
23:37while Brady was suspended for four games.
23:39After appealing, winning the appeal,
23:41then having that overturned, he served the ban in 2016.
23:44But now some saying this punishment
23:46is sending a very clear message to the rest of the league.
23:50Number 20, Dwight Howard.
23:52During a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets,
23:55forward Paul Millsap immediately felt something strange
23:58as he was handed the ball during a free throw attempt.
24:01Millsap's telling him to look at the ball.
24:03Must be sticky.
24:05It was revealed to be a stickum,
24:07a glue-like substance once used by wide receivers and defensive backs
24:10to get a better grip when catching footballs.
24:13The culprit who was using stickum was Dwight Howard,
24:15who had touched the ball shortly before it was in the possession of Millsap.
24:19Although it is illegal to use in the NBA,
24:22he was neither fined nor reprimanded for his actions.
24:25He even went on record saying he had been using it for many years.
24:29Players, coaches, and media outlets
24:31couldn't even fathom the advantage it could give
24:33why one would even use it in a sport like basketball,
24:36which probably explains why Howard came off scot-free.
24:39Is that disrespectful to the game?
24:41No, it's not that big of a deal,
24:42but you can't use stickum,
24:43but the other guys need the ball too.
24:45Number 19, Tony Romo.
24:47This one's kind of funny.
24:49After a run by Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray,
24:52which saw him get just short of getting the first down on a third and one,
24:56the officials and players were standing by,
24:58and in a very brief moment,
25:00Romo moved the ball forward on the line with his foot.
25:03But he wasn't fooling anyone,
25:05and the ball was quickly placed back at its original spot.
25:08See, Tony Romo gave it a little foot when it's there.
25:11Speaking on the incident after the game,
25:13Romo jokingly claimed that he was hoping that no one would see it,
25:16and then he said he actually slipped.
25:19Kidding 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,
25:28the Montreal Canadiens then head coach Jacques Demers
25:30asked that LA Kings defenseman Marty McSorley's hockey stick be inspected,
25:34claiming it to be illegal.
25:36Right now, we're going to have a measurement of a King's stick.
25:39It's the stick of Marty McSorley.
25:41Upon inspection by the officials,
25:43this turned out to be the case,
25:44as the stick was curved 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,
25:54as the Canadiens scored on the ensuing power play,
25:57wound up winning that game and the subsequent three
25:59to hoist the Stanley Cup.
26:01While McSorley would admit wrongdoing,
26:04he also believed the Canadiens knew
26:06he was using an illegal stick beforehand,
26:08and that their call was planned.
26:10Number 17, Will Smith.
26:12Not that Will Smith, this Will Smith.
26:20Perhaps one of the most obvious forms of cheating on this list,
26:24in the seventh inning of a game
26:25between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers,
26:27the relief pitcher was called on by umpires
26:30when the Braves manager, Freddy Gonzalez,
26:32asked them to check Smith's arm,
26:34which was glistening with a substance.
26:36Upon further inspection by the umpires,
26:38Smith was tossed.
26:39He's been thrown out.
26:42Will Smith has been ejected.
26:46A foreign substance on the glove.
26:50Smith revealed the substance to be rosin and sunscreen.
26:53While he claimed the purpose behind its use
26:55was to get a better grip of the ball
26:57and not to gain a competitive advantage,
26:59the umpires weren't buying it.
27:01And he was later suspended eight games.
27:04Number 16, the Houston Astros.
27:06The scale of this cheating scandal was so large
27:10that live TV was just one of the ways
27:12this MLB team was caught cheating.
27:14Using unauthorized electronic equipment,
27:17the team would utilize live video feeds
27:19to decipher and uncover the signs made
27:21by opposing team catchers during games.
27:24The information would then be relayed to the players
27:26by way of banging noises made by hitting a garbage can,
27:29which can be heard on live television.
27:31Change up.
27:34Bang, bang.
27:35That sequence is so upsetting.
27:37There's no way that is done without technology.
27:40They continued to use this system
27:42until they were eventually caught in 2019.
27:44To make matters worse,
27:46in the aftermath,
27:47the players would seem unapologetic
27:48for taking part in the scheme.
27:50I am really sorry
27:51about the choices
27:53that were made
27:55by my team,
27:57by the organization,
28:00and by me.
28:02I have learned from this,
28:04and I hope to regain the trust
28:06of baseball fans.
28:09Number 15,
28:10Rivaldo Ferreira.
28:11In this group match
28:12between Brazil and Turkey
28:14at the World Cup in 2002,
28:15Hakan Unsal would kick the ball
28:17towards Rivaldo Ferreira.
28:19It hit his shin,
28:20but as Ferreira fell,
28:22he was clutching his face.
28:23Having already received
28:24a yellow card prior,
28:26Ursal was sent off
28:27for the incident by the referee.
28:28Upon review
28:29by the World Cup's
28:30disciplinary committee,
28:31it was determined
28:31that Ferreira did indeed
28:33simulate being fouled,
28:34and was subsequently
28:35fined for his actions.
28:37Ferreira would even later
28:38admit to flopping,
28:39but noted that Ursal
28:40should have been sent off regardless.
28:42Well, that's one way to deflect.
28:44Number 14,
28:45Simon Dyson.
28:46At the 2013 BMW Masters Tournament
28:49in Shanghai,
28:50Simon Dyson was caught
28:51using his ball
28:52to press down a spike mark
28:53in the line of a putt.
28:54He also didn't add
28:55a two-shot penalty to his card,
28:57resulting in him signing off
28:59on a false score.
29:00He was later disqualified
29:02from the tournament
29:02for the move.
29:03So we reviewed the footage
29:05with Simon today,
29:06and there's no other option
29:08but to advise him
29:10that he was in breach
29:11of Rule 16-1A
29:12for that action,
29:14and that does lead
29:15to disqualification.
29:17While fined $49,000
29:19and initially sentenced
29:20to serve a two-month suspension,
29:22it would later be changed
29:23to an 18-month
29:24probationary period.
29:25Although Dyson apologized,
29:27he didn't admit
29:28to any wrongdoing,
29:29calling the incident
29:30a, quote,
29:31accidental mistake.
29:32Number 13, Patrick Reed.
29:35There's nothing worse
29:36than a cheater
29:37who's cheated more than once.
29:38There have been several instances
29:40of foul play
29:41on the part of Reed,
29:42but this one
29:42might take the cake.
29:43During the third round
29:44of the Hero World Challenge
29:46in 2019,
29:47Patrick Reed can be seen
29:48practicing his swing
29:49in the bunker,
29:50but if one looks more closely,
29:52they can see that Reed
29:53is clearly attempting
29:54to clear sand
29:55in order to get
29:56a better shot in.
29:57This was his practice swing
30:00and you can see
30:01when he took the club back,
30:02he definitely took
30:03some sand back behind it.
30:04Now, you can ground
30:07the club there.
30:07He not only did it once,
30:08he did it twice.
30:09He was later penalized
30:10two strokes for his actions,
30:12but the whole incident
30:13just gave further justification
30:14as to why Reed
30:15is arguably one of the most
30:17disliked athletes
30:18in the sport of golf.
30:19Number 12, Vincenzo Nibali.
30:22Racing in the Vuelta a España
30:24in 2015,
30:25Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali
30:27got into some trouble
30:28when he crashed
30:29during the course,
30:29but that wasn't
30:30the only trouble
30:31he got caught up in
30:32during the race.
30:32In order to gain some ground
30:34and catch up to the peloton
30:35after crashing,
30:36Nibali would get hold
30:37of one of his team's cars
30:38and he was towed
30:39through part of the race.
30:41Racers do this often,
30:42but as long as it's
30:43for not too long
30:44and it isn't to get ahead
30:46in the race.
30:46However,
30:47the footage showed Nibali
30:48was clearly trying
30:49to use this to his advantage.
30:51To no one's surprise,
30:52he was thrown out of the race.
30:54One really can't help
30:55but wonder how Nibali
30:56and the rest of his team
30:57thought they were going
30:57to get away with this
30:58with the cameras on.
31:00Number 11,
31:00Michael Pineda.
31:02When weather conditions
31:03are cold,
31:03athletes often resort
31:04to certain tactics
31:06to deal with the season's conditions.
31:07Wearing an extra layer
31:08of clothing,
31:09gloves,
31:09or even just putting
31:10a big old jacket
31:11over yourself
31:12when you're on the bench.
31:13But for Yankees pitcher
31:14Michael Pineda,
31:15his trick was to use pine tar.
31:17During a game
31:18against the Boston Red Sox,
31:19then team manager
31:20John Farrell
31:21spotted the substance
31:22on Pineda's neck.
31:23He was checked
31:23by the umpires
31:24and when they discovered
31:26it to be pine tar,
31:27Pineda was ejected.
31:36Pineda was suspended
31:38for 10 games.
31:39This is the pack
31:40so I don't want to talk
31:41about that.
31:42So I know
31:44I'm making mistakes today
31:45and that's it.
31:47Number 10,
31:48Sammy Sosa.
31:49Checking out that piece of lumber.
31:51They found something in there.
31:53Let's see what the rest
31:54of the crew can discover here.
31:56During a game
31:57between the Chicago Cubs
31:58and Tampa Bay Rays
31:59in 2003,
32:00in the bottom
32:01of the first inning,
32:02outfielder Sammy Sosa
32:03hit a ground ball so hard
32:04his bat snapped in half.
32:06Umpires investigated
32:07the pieces of the broken bat
32:09and noticed pieces of cork,
32:11a material that's banned
32:12in the MLB.
32:13Sosa was ejected
32:14and he later claimed
32:15he chose the wrong bat
32:17during the game
32:17and that he only used it
32:18during practices.
32:20Sosa was suspended
32:21for seven games
32:22and many consider this
32:23to be another blemish
32:24on his otherwise impressive
32:26and Hall of Fame
32:27worthy career.
32:28It's been a tough week
32:29for me.
32:30Once again,
32:30I just want to apologize
32:32to everybody up there
32:33for the mistakes
32:35that I make.
32:36Number 9,
32:36Luis Resto.
32:38On the night
32:38of June 16, 1983,
32:41boxers Billy Ray Collins
32:42and Luis Resto
32:43squared off
32:43at Madison Square Garden.
32:45For 10 rounds,
32:46they went back and forth,
32:47but Collins looked
32:48practically unrecognizable
32:49after having taken
32:50significant damage.
32:52When the match concluded,
32:53Resto went to shake
32:54the hands of Collins' corner.
32:56One of the cornermen,
32:57who was Collins' father,
32:58noticed something odd
32:59with Resto's gloves.
33:00He realized there was
33:06a lack of padding
33:07and it was later
33:08confirmed by a referee.
33:10The New York State
33:11Athletic Commission
33:12went on to suspend
33:13Resto and his trainer,
33:14Carlos Lewis,
33:15and both men
33:16even served prison sentences
33:18as well.
33:1818 days after what
33:20had briefly appeared
33:21to be his greatest victory,
33:23Luis Resto's boxing
33:24career was over.
33:26But the consequences
33:28of that night in the ring
33:29for Luis
33:30and so many others
33:31were just beginning.
33:34Resto would never
33:35box again.
33:36Sadly,
33:37Billy Ray Collins'
33:38eye was damaged
33:38beyond repair
33:39and was told
33:40he would never
33:41fight again.
33:42And he would suffer
33:43from depression
33:44before he passed away
33:45in a car accident.
33:47Number 8.
33:47Tom Williams
33:48Tom Williams
33:49came onto the field
33:50with one point
33:51between the teams
33:52and just 10 minutes left.
33:54I understood
33:55from what Dean said
33:56that I'd be coming off
33:57at some point
33:58before the end of the match
33:59with a fake injury,
34:00but I had no idea
34:01how this would work.
34:02In the second half
34:03of the Heineken Cup
34:04quarterfinal match
34:05between Harlequins
34:06and Leinster,
34:07star Nick Evans
34:07injured his thigh
34:08and went to the bench.
34:10Soon after,
34:11Harlequins coach
34:11Dean Richard
34:12wanted to put his go-to player
34:13back in the game,
34:14but rules state
34:15that a player
34:16who's already been subbed
34:17cannot return to the field
34:19unless they replace
34:21a player who suffered
34:21a blood injury.
34:23So to get their man
34:24back on out there,
34:25they had teammate
34:26Tom Williams
34:26hide a blood capsule
34:27in his sock
34:28that was given to him
34:29and then bite
34:30on said capsule
34:31to appear injured
34:32in order to make the switch.
34:33Spectators
34:34and viewers alike
34:35were stunned
34:35because no one
34:36had seen Williams
34:37actually sustain an injury.
34:39Who punched
34:40Tom Williams
34:40in the mouth?
34:41Tom Williams?
34:42Dubbed Bloodgate,
34:43suspensions
34:44and fines
34:44were given
34:45left and right
34:46when the scheme
34:47was uncovered.
34:48However,
34:48the most ridiculous
34:49and telling moment
34:51may have been
34:51when Williams winked
34:53at the bench
34:53during the incident.
34:54So much for being discreet.
34:56Number 7.
34:57Men's Australian Cricket Team
34:59Looking to gain
35:00an advantage
35:01in a match
35:01against South Africa,
35:02three players
35:03from the men's
35:04Australian cricket team
35:05hatched a plan
35:06to add some scruff
35:07to the ball
35:07using sandpaper,
35:09as this serves
35:10as the bowler
35:10better control
35:11of its movement
35:12when it's thrown.
35:13See,
35:13by keeping one side
35:14of the ball
35:14shiny and smooth
35:15and letting the other side
35:17rough up,
35:18the ball,
35:18when bowled
35:19in the right way,
35:20can move through the air
35:22towards the rough side.
35:24That's because air flows
35:24differently over
35:25each side of the ball,
35:27making it really difficult
35:28for batsmen to play.
35:29The sandpaper
35:30was hidden
35:30under Cameron Bancroft's pants
35:32and after using it
35:33on the ball,
35:34he tried to hide it
35:35by shoving it
35:36right back in there.
35:37The camera was on him
35:38when it happened
35:39and he was caught
35:39red-handed.
35:41Bancroft and the two
35:41other players,
35:42Steve Smith and David Warner,
35:44admitted their attempt
35:45to cheat.
35:45And while it was
35:46unsuccessful,
35:47it still remains
35:48an embarrassing
35:49and dark chapter
35:50in Australian sports history.
35:52I made a serious
35:53error of judgment
35:54and I now understand
35:56the consequences.
35:58I am extremely disappointed
35:59and regret my actions.
36:05I'll do everything
36:06I can to make up
36:07for my mistake
36:08and the damage
36:10it's caused.
36:11Number 6, Thierry Henry.
36:14The incident has been
36:15labeled le hand of God
36:16and with good reason.
36:18In 2009,
36:19during a World Cup
36:20qualifying match
36:20between France and Ireland,
36:22the latter was up by one.
36:24But in the final minutes
36:25of the game
36:25and in possession
36:26of the ball,
36:27France's William Gallat
36:28scored to tie the game.
36:30Oh, it's in the net.
36:31It's a goal.
36:32Having won
36:33in the previous leg
36:34against Ireland,
36:35France was declared
36:36the winner.
36:37However,
36:37upon review of the goal,
36:39it was clear
36:39that striker
36:40Thierry Henry
36:41touched the ball
36:42with his hands
36:42before passing it
36:43to Galas.
36:44The goal stood
36:45and France went on
36:46to qualify
36:47for the World Cup.
36:48The football community
36:49was shaken
36:50and outraged
36:51and the incident
36:52is still considered
36:53by many
36:54as one of the biggest
36:55controversies
36:56in the sport's history.
36:57You saw the game?
36:59You saw the game.
37:00All the European people
37:01saw the game,
37:02saw the situation.
37:04Number 5.
37:04Joe Negro.
37:06Checking him all over.
37:07I've never seen him
37:07do a search like this.
37:10Looking at these scenes
37:11from 1987,
37:12this former Minnesota Twins
37:14pitcher should have
37:15stayed home that day.
37:16Or at least
37:16not tried hiding
37:17an emery board
37:18and sandpaper.
37:19After referee Tim Cheetah
37:20demanded he empty his pockets,
37:22Negro tried playing dumb
37:23by pretending to have
37:24a sudden urge
37:24to file his nails.
37:26But Bobby Brown,
37:27the then president
37:28of the American League,
37:29wasn't buying it.
37:30Negro was handed
37:31a 10-game suspension
37:32and all baseballs
37:34used in that game
37:34were removed,
37:35leading to his retirement
37:37soon after the incident.
37:38He's out of there.
37:39He's been kicked
37:40out of the game.
37:41Number 4.
37:42Nelson Piquet Jr.
37:44Formula 1 drivers
37:45put their lives in danger
37:46whenever they get
37:47behind the wheel.
37:48But certain risky maneuvers
37:49can still be suspicious.
37:51Case in point,
37:51the controversy
37:52involving the
37:53Renault F1 team
37:54at the 2008
37:55Singapore Grand Prix,
37:56particularly Nelson Piquet Jr.
37:58and Fernando Alonso.
37:59On the 14th lap,
38:01Piquet's car hit the wall,
38:02allowing Alonso
38:03to win the race.
38:04According to Piquet,
38:05the event was
38:06a simple mishap.
38:07But was it really?
38:09Following an investigation
38:10by the FIA,
38:11it was determined
38:11that Renault
38:12had orchestrated everything.
38:14This led to an
38:14indefinite ban
38:15from FIA-sanctioned events
38:17for the team's
38:17managing director,
38:18Flavio Briatore,
38:20who would also resign
38:21from his position,
38:22while Renault
38:22was given a two-year
38:23suspended ban.
38:25How's your first week
38:26as team boss going?
38:27It can't get worse,
38:28can it?
38:29Number 3.
38:30Julie Miller.
38:31Despite her already
38:32impressive track record,
38:33Canadian triathlete
38:34Julie Miller
38:35surprised everyone
38:35by winning
38:36Ironman Canada 2015
38:38in Whistler, B.C.
38:39Though she'd won
38:40her division
38:40in the 2013 tournament,
38:42as well as winning
38:43her age group
38:43at the 2014
38:44Long Course Triathlon
38:46in China,
38:47none of her Ironman
38:48co-competitors
38:49actually saw her
38:49on the course
38:50in Whistler.
38:51According to many,
38:52she finished first
38:53without completing
38:54the entirety
38:54of the course,
38:55constituting
38:56serious misconduct.
38:58Following a thorough
38:59investigation,
39:00it was determined
39:00that Miller
39:01couldn't have possibly
39:02finished the course
39:03as quickly as she
39:03claimed to
39:04and was therefore
39:05disqualified.
39:06Miller can keep
39:07denying everything,
39:08but she can't
39:09change the facts.
39:10Number 2.
39:11Women's Badminton Teams.
39:13Eight elite athletes
39:15who were deliberately
39:16and flagrantly
39:17losing their matches.
39:19Unfortunately,
39:19the Olympic Games
39:20have often been
39:21associated with cheating,
39:22whether through
39:23the use of illegal
39:23substances
39:24or other
39:25unsporting behavior.
39:26Take, for example,
39:27the Chinese badminton team
39:28at the 2012 Games
39:30in London.
39:31For a team
39:31that's usually a threat,
39:32they were seen
39:33committing numerous errors,
39:34such as deliberately
39:35hitting serves
39:36into the net.
39:37Despite many warnings
39:38from the referee,
39:40the Chinese team
39:40kept with their game plan,
39:42one that would be mimicked
39:43by the South Korean
39:44and Indonesian teams.
39:46The purpose of all this?
39:47To avoid getting drawn
39:48against stronger teams
39:49too early in the competition.
39:51Thankfully,
39:52the IOC disqualified them,
39:53though those in attendance
39:55did not get refunds.
39:56Depressing.
39:57I mean,
39:57who wants to sit through
39:58something like that?
40:00Before we continue,
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40:16Number 1.
40:17Diego Maradona.
40:18In June of 1986,
40:20during the World Cup
40:21quarterfinal match
40:22between England
40:23and Argentina,
40:24the score was still 0-0
40:25in the 51st minute
40:27when Diego Maradona
40:28received the ball
40:29from midfield.
40:30He raised his left hand,
40:31making the ball
40:32deflect into the net.
40:33Let's look back
40:34over the top
40:34and Maradona has scored.
40:37In the absence of VAR,
40:38which would not appear
40:39in association football
40:40until decades later,
40:42referee Ali bin Nasser
40:43let the goal stand.
40:45Despite many protests
40:46and questions
40:46circling the incident,
40:47Maradona claimed
40:48the goal was scored
40:49by the, quote,
40:50hand of God,
40:51an expression
40:52that has since
40:52become legendary.
40:54What's the funniest,
40:55strangest,
40:55or most wholesome
40:56fan moment in sports
40:57that you regularly
40:58think about?
40:58Let us know below.
40:59Did you enjoy this video?
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