Top 10 Athletes Caught Cheating Live on TV
Top 10 Athletes Caught Cheating Live
Top 20 Athletes Caught Cheating on Live TV
Becoming a sports legend isn’t easy, and unfortunately some athletes try looking for shortcuts – and some even get caught in the act. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Athletes Caught Cheating Live. Before we begin, we publish new videos daily, so be sure to subscribe for more great content, and ring the bell to stay in touch with all our uploads! For this list, we’re looking at examples of all sorts of cheating acts in sports that happened to be caught on camera. We’ll take a look at different professional athletes and the strategies they used – some worse than others. Whatever corners these athletes tried cutting to make it to the finish line, they’re fair game for our list.
#10: Joe Niekro
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Looking at these scenes from 1987, this former Minnesota Twins pitcher should’ve stayed home that day – or at least, not tried hiding an emery board and sandpaper. After referee Tim Tshida demanded he empty his pockets, Niekro tried playing dumb by pretending to have a sudden urge to file his nails. But Bobby Brown, the then-President of the American League, wasn’t buying it. Niekro was handed a 10-game suspension, and all baseballs used in that game were removed, leading to his retirement soon after the incident.
#9: Boris Onishchenko
Many cheaters think they’ll never get caught. Some manage to keep their secrets hidden forever, but others eventually see theirs brought to light. Boris Onishchenko, a pentathlete from the former Soviet Union – and Olympic medalist at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Games – was caught cheating by gaming agents at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He was caught using a modified fencing sword, which allowed him to register a touch against his opponent without actually making contact. Ingenious? Most definitely – but it came with the cost of a lifetime ban.
#8: Nelson Piquet Jr.
Formula 1 drivers put their lives in danger whenever they get behind the wheel, but certain risky maneuvers can still be suspicious. Case in point: the controversy involving the Renault F1 team at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – particularly Nelson Piquet Jr. and Fernando Alonso. On the 14th lap, Piquet’s car hit the wall, allowing Alonso to win the race. According to Piquet, the event was a simple mishap… but was it really? Following an investigation by the FIA, it was determined that Renault had orchestrated everything. This led to an indefinite ban from FIA-sanctioned events for the team’s managing director, Flavio Briatore (who would also resign from his position), while Renault was given a two-year suspended ban.
#7: Julie Miller
Despite her already impressive track record, Canadian triathlete Julie Miller surprised everyone by winning Ironman Canada 2015 in Whistler, B.C. Though she’d won her division in the 2013 tournament, as well as winning her age group at the 2014 Long Course Triathlon in China, none of her Ironman co-competitors actually saw her on the course in Whistler. According to many, she finished first without completing the entirety of the course, constituting serious misconduct. Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that Miller couldn’t have possibly finished the course as quickly as she’d claimed to, and was therefore disqualified. Miller can keep denying everything, but she can’t change the facts.
#6: Dora Ratjen
Born in Germany in 1918, Henrich Ratjen gained fame after winning fourth place in high jumping at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as well as a gold medal at the 1938 European Athletics Championships, but also due to the controversy surrounding her gender. In fact, Ratjen was born a hermaphrodite and raised as a girl by her parents, who named her Dora. Given her obvious athletic talents, Dora made her debut on the women’s Olympic stage without raising much suspicion. However, in 1938 the truth came out, and she was stripped of her titles. Dora then changed her name to Heinz, and kept a low profile through the rest of her life.
#5: Women’s Badminton Teams
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Unfortunately, the Olympic Games have often been associated with cheating, whether through the use of illegal substances or other unsporting behaviour. Take, for example, the Chinese badminton team at the 2012 Games in London. For a team that’s usually a threat, they were seen committing numerous errors, such as deliberately hitting serves onto the net. Despite many warnings from the referee, the Chinese team kept with their gameplan; one that would also be mimicked by the South Korean and Indonesian teams. The purpose of all this? To avoid getting drawn against stronger teams too early in the competition. Thankfully, the IOC disqualified them – though those in attendance did not get refunds.
#4: Mike Tomlin
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It’s hard to tell whether or not Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was truly as innocent as he claimed to be when he turned his back on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who was charging for the end zone with the ball in hand. Tomlin then moved out of Jones’ way at the very last second, leading to Jones being momentarily distracted before soon being tackled by an opposing player. Mission accomplished for the Steelers. Though the failed attack made Tomlin smile, he likely wasn’t as thrilled when he had to pay a $100,000 fine afterward.
#3: Mike Tyson
On June 28, 1997, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was filled to capacity with people attending the match between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. The stakes were high, as Holyfield in particular was set to win $35 million from the fight. Those are some expensive sweat drops… to say nothing of the ear that ended up on the boxing ring floor. Not being able to stop Tyson from committing this borderline-cannibalistic act, referee Mills Lane disqualified him immediately after round three.
#2: The Spanish Paralympic Basketball Team
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Paralympic athletes have a hard enough time as is to draw attention to their achievements. However, the Spanish basketball team managed to steal the spotlight… for all the wrong reasons. In 2000, soon after the closing of the Sydney Games, the Spanish team comfortably won the Paralympic gold medal. Was this team simply composed of overachievers? Not quite, as it would later be revealed that only two of their players were actually intellectually disabled. This fiasco may have been driven by money, but dignity is one thing you can’t buy. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few dishonourable mentions: -Will Smith -Luis Suarez -Thierry Henry
#1: Diego Maradona
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In June of 1986, during the World Cup quarterfinal match between England and Argentina, the score was still 0-0 in the 51st minute when Diego Maradona received the ball from midfield. He raised his left hand, making the ball deflect into the net. In the absence of VAR, which would not appear in association football until decades later, referee Ali Bin Nasser let the goal stand. Despite many protests and questions circling the incident, Maradona claimed the goal was scored by the “hand of God,” an expression that has since become legendary.
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