Top 30 Unsportsmanlike Moments in Sports

In 2012, Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk faced Denmark’s Nordsjælland in the Champions League. During the match, a player went down injured. So, in these circumstances, the restart typically involves the opposition passing the ball back to those who had possession when the game stopped. However, Luiz Adriano had other ideas. When teammate Willian passed it back to Nordsjælland, Adriano ran onto the ball, dribbled past the ‘keeper, and scored. Nordsjælland, understandably, was furious. Shakhtar players tried to let the Danes score to even it up. However, Taras Stepanenko wasn’t on board and blocked the attempt. Adriano went on to grab a hat trick as his team won 5-2. In the aftermath, Adriano was banned for 1 game for his lack of fair play.

Coming into a race at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana, in 1990, Sylvester Carmouche and his horse, Landing Officer, didn’t have great odds to win at 23-to-1. Yet the underdogs pulled it off by winning by 24 lengths! However, then came the allegations. Due to heavy fog, Carmouche was accused of hiding in the mist, allowing the other jockeys to round the track, then going back in front to take the win. Soon after, the suspicious officials and other jockeys stated Carmouche hadn’t passed them during the race, which led to his disqualification. It got worse as the jockey was banned from racing in Louisiana for 10 years. The punishment kept coming as Carmouche was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $250.

2007 wasn’t a good year on the ice for Chris Simon. Playing for the New York Islanders, he already served a 25-game suspension for attempting to hit Ryan Hollweg[d] with his stick. Yet, during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it got worse when Simon went to get to the bench. After tripping Jarkko Ruutu, Simon stood on his leg with his blade, using the limb as a soft step. The outrage for this reckless action caused Simon to take time away from ice hockey. However, the NHL wasn’t satisfied with that. He was given a 30 day, resulting in him forfeiting over $290,000 in salary.

Every so often, an athlete comes seemingly out of nowhere to dominate a sport and write their name in lights. In 1980, it was Rosie Ruiz[e]’s turn as she easily won the Boston Marathon, becoming the fastest woman in the competition’s history. However, immediately, there were signs something fishy was going on. After all, Ruiz massively cut her time from the 1979 New York Marathon, couldn’t remember details of the race, and didn't seem tired. Spectators then accused Ruiz of slipping from the crowd to take the lead. An investigation of her New York result accused her of using the subway to get ahead. While Ruiz denied the allegations, she was stripped of the victory and it was handed to Jacqueline Gareau.

Despite captaining the Leicester[f] Tigers and England, as well as winning the World Cup in 2003, rugby union legend Neil Back is best known for one infamous moment…the Hand of Back. In 2002, his Leicester team was looking to win consecutive Heineken Cups by beating Munster in the final. With Back’s team narrowly leading 15-9 with minutes left, Munster got a scrum near the try line. However, as scrum-half Peter Stringer went to put the ball in, Back knocked the ball from his hands, giving Leicester possession, leading to them clearing the ball from danger. All of this was missed by the match officials. Back did apologize several months after the incident. However, he later stated he regretted nothing.

Coming into his first bout with Riddick Bowe in 1996, Andrew Golota had an impressive win record of 28-0. However, his reputation as a dirty boxer soon crept out. Throughout, Golota struck Bowe with low blows, leading to point deductions. This left men watching this on TV experiencing more second-hand pain for Bowe than a left hook across the jaw. Late in the 7th round, Golata did it again, sending Bowe to the mat. After so many below-the-belt punches, the ref disqualified Golota. However, immediately afterward, a brawl erupted in the ring, causing a riot to spark. 5 months later, the duo battled once more. Golota continued low-blowing Bowe, leading to another DQ.

Not every blatant unsporting behavior results in a rule change. But that’s what happened after Sean Avery’s conduct in 2008. With his team, the New York Rangers, taking on the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, Avery stood in front of goaltender Martin Brodeur[h], staring at him as he waved his hands and stick. Known as “screening,” players tend to look at the play rather than the goalie. Yet Avery took a different, controversial approach. While a goal wasn’t directly scored during that play, Avery fired the puck into the net shortly after. The next day, the NHL changed the screening rules, making note that Avery’s antics would result in a minor penalty in the future.

Everyone knows that spitting is gross. The same can be said on the football pitch against another player. At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, West Germany faced the Netherlands in the round of 16. Rijkaard, for some reason, had something against Germany’s Rudi Völler. After fouling him and getting a yellow card, the Dutch legend spat on the German’s hair! When Völler protested, he got booked, too. Shortly after, Völler was penalized for a suspected dive in the penalty area. Rijkaard stamped on the striker and twisted his ear. As such, both players were sent off. Yet when they went to leave the pitch, Rijkaard spat on Völler’s hair again! The 2 legendary players soon buried the hatchet and moved on.

In 2003, tempers were flaring during Game 3 of the 2003 American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The Sox’s Pedro Martínez drew heat after hitting Karim García’s shoulder with a pitch, followed by allegations he threatened to throw a beanball at Jorge Posada. Martínez denied this to be the case. Later, a scuffle kicked off, causing both sets of players and coaches to descend on the field. Seeing the opportunity, Yankees’ coach Don Zimmer charged Martínez. The pitcher grabbed the 72-year-old and casually tossed him to the ground. Both Zimmer and Martínez apologized for what happened, with the latter stating it was his career’s biggest regret.

Typically, preseason games are a good way for athletes to take it a bit easier and get ready for the upcoming competition. However, that’s not what happened in 1978 between the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots. Darryl Stingley had a promising career ahead of him as a wide receiver with the Patriots. But as he attempted to gather a pass, he was struck by an over-the-top hit by Jack Tatum. The Raiders’ safety, nicknamed the Assassin, was known for his aggressive tackles. Stingley broke multiple vertebrae in his neck, resulting in him spending the rest of his life using a wheelchair. Due to the tackle not technically being against the rules, Tatum didn’t get any punishment and was accused of showing no remorse.

No, this isn’t a fun buddy cop movie - it’s one of the most famous incidents in basketball history. It occurred on March 28, 1999, during a game between the Lakers and the Knicks. Shaq dunked on Chris Dudley and then shoved him to the ground, his massive frame sending Dudley sprawling like a ragdoll. A visibly frustrated and embarrassed Dudley then stood up, grabbed the basketball, and whipped it at Shaq as he jogged away. Both actions went against the values of the NBA, with Shaq physically taunting his opponent and Dudley responding with likeminded aggression. Both were handed technical fouls, and both were labeled unsportsmanlike in their behavior.

American football is full of dirty hits, but there are few quite like the Martin incident of 1986. It refers to Packers defensive end Charles Martin, who committed a dirty tackle against Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. Long after McMahon had thrown the ball, Martin grabbed him from behind and suplexed him to the ground, worsening his already-torn rotator cuff. McMahon needed surgery and was out for the rest of the season. As for Martin, he made the history books - first player ever ejected for a violent act and first player to ever be suspended for an on-field incident. The hit was so filthy that when Bears offensive lineman Jim Covert retaliated with a dirty hit of his own, the refs declined to penalize him.

A very popular player of the Australian Football League, Barry Hall is considered one of the best forwards in modern history. Regardless, he has been at the center of numerous controversies - like punching Brent Staker straight in the face. Hall was frustrated and tangled up with Staker, so he threw an arm backwards towards Staker’s head. This did not have the intended effect, so Hall simply turned around and punched Staker in the jaw. You can practically see his eyes roll into his head, and he was taken out of the game. Justice came for Hall - he was severely reprimanded by the AFL Tribunal and received a seven game suspension.

Having long been criticized for his aggressive baserunning, Chase Utley committed the cardinal sin on October 10, 2015. It was game two of the National League Division Series, and Utley’s Dodgers were losing 2-1. A double play was about to be performed by the Mets to end the inning, but Utley performed an egregiously late slide and kicked the legs out from under Rubén Tejada. He broke the double play - and Tejada’s leg. Yep, his right fibula was fractured in the collision, and he was never quite the same again. Utley was suspended for two games and became a permanent rival of the Mets, even being thrown at by Noah Syndergaard the following May.

When the Prime Minister of New Zealand calls something “the most disgusting incident [he] can recall in the history of cricket,” you know something bad went down. He’s referring to the underarm incident of 1981, which occurred during a cricket match between New Zealand and Australia. To prevent New Zealand from scoring the required six runs to win, captain Greg Chappell told his brother Trevor to deliver the last ball underarm. While not illegal at the time, this throw was highly frowned upon and betrayed the competitive spirit of the game. The incident left a lasting stain on the reputation of the Chappell brothers and Australian cricket, and underarm bowling in such contexts is now explicitly prohibited in the laws of cricket.

One of the nastiest plays in hockey history occurred on March 8, 2004 when the Canucks were playing the Avalanche. Canuck Todd Bertuzzi was goading Avalanche Steve Moore into a fight, but Moore simply ignored him. This angered Bertuzzi, so he grabbed Moore’s jersey and sucker punched him from behind. The hit instantly knocked out Moore, and his limp body fell face-first onto the ice. The results were horrific. He received facial lacerations, suffered from amnesia, and worst of all, broke his neck in three places. Luckily, Moore would not face lasting physical injury, but his career was over. Bertuzzi’s punishment extended beyond hockey. He was brought up on assault charges and was given probation and 80 hours of community service.

Much like golf, tennis has always been considered a “gentleman’s sport,” with very strict rules against noise, excessive celebration, and emotional outbursts. John McEnroe threw that rulebook straight in the garbage. McEnroe was an intense player, known far and wide for his fierce anger and intense blowups. Throughout his career, McEnroe often engaged in arguments that went beyond simple frustration, with long, heated diatribes aimed at umpires, linesmen, and even spectators. If he wasn’t screaming abuse at umpires, he was smashing his racket to pieces, or intimidating fans, or being disqualified from prestigious Grand Slam events. McEnroe was the resident bad boy of tennis - and the people loved it.

Exactly twenty years after Charles Martin suplexed Jim McMahon, the NFL issued its second multi-game suspension for an on-field incident. It came at the expense of Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who committed an egregious act against Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Gurode had fallen to the ground in a play and his helmet had come loose. According to some sources, Haynesworth may have even ripped it off. Regardless, Haynesworth then stomped on Gurode’s unprotected head with his cleated shoe, opening a massive gash that required thirty stitches to close. The cut missed Gurode’s right eye by mere inches. Haynesworth was suspended for five games and may have even faced legal penalties, but Gurode declined to press charges.

New NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman promised to make the game safer, and he looked to make an example of players who committed egregious acts of violence. His first target was Capitals player Dale Hunter. The Capitals were playing the Islanders in the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals when Islander Pierre Turgeon stole the puck from Hunter and scored a goal. Embarrassed and angry, Hunter hit Turgeon from behind and sent him into the board. Turgeon separated his shoulder and missed most of the playoffs while Hunter received the longest suspension in NHL history at the time, missing 21 games.

Considered one of the most controversial football players of all time, Vontaze Burfict has long been criticized for his aggressive playstyle and dirty hits. It all culminated in the longest suspension in NFL history, which he received in week four of the 2019 season. Colts tight end Jack Doyle had just caught the ball when he was plowed into by Burfict, who initiated helmet-to-helmet contact. Intentional hits of this kind are highly illegal, especially considering the prevalence of CTE in football players. Burfict was essentially fired from the NFL as a result. He was suspended for twelve games, and despite becoming a free agent in 2020, he has never been picked up by another team.

On the night of December 9, 1977, Lakers player Kermit Washington delivered one of the most vicious punches in sports history. A scuffle broke out between the Lakers and Rockets, and Washington punched Tomjanovich in the face. The blow could be heard throughout the stadium, and players described the sound as a melon splatting against concrete. The results were horrific - the entire bone structure of Tomjanovich’s face was shattered, with his doctor comparing it to a cracked eggshell. Spinal fluid was also leaking into his skull capsule and mouth, and Tomjanovich could reportedly taste the fluid as he was taken off the court. Luckily, he made a full recovery - despite serious doubts from his surgeon.

The name Shoeless Joe Jackson is synonymous with baseball, yet he’s not in the Hall of Fame. Ever wonder why? The story dates back to 1919, when eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gangsters and gamblers to fix the World Series. The heavily-favored White Sox lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds, and many reporters of the time immediately deduced that something was fishy. They were right. The eight members had received bribes and had intentionally thrown the games with bad play. Many people believe that Jewish Mob kingpin Arnold Rothstein was behind the scheme, but this has never been proven. Regardless, the eight players - including Jackson - were banned from baseball and made ineligible for Hall of Fame inclusion.

Lance Armstrong turned cycling from a relatively niche sport into a worldwide phenomenon in the early 2000s. With major sponsorships and worldwide news coverage, he dominated his way to seven straight Tour de France titles. But despite the universal acclaim and prestige, allegations of doping haunted him like a ghost. Many people accused the cycling sensation of using PEDs, but he continuously, and vehemently, denied it. Fans were on his side, and the accusers were made pariahs. Of course, they were eventually vindicated when the United States Anti-Doping Agency proved that, yep, Armstrong was doping the entire time. His titles were stripped, he was banned from all future cycling events, and his name became synonymous with unsportsmanlike cheaters.

Marty McSorley ended his career with Donald Brashear. You could make a folk song out of that. McSorley played in the NHL for nearly twenty years, but his career and reputation were permanently tarnished on February 21, 2000. The Bruins were playing the Canucks, and with just under five seconds left in the game, McSorley whacked Brashear in the head with his stick. Brashear fell backwards and hit the ice, suffering both a seizure and a grade III concussion. McSorley was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, got eighteen months probation, and never played in the NHL again. And with that, two decades’ worth of goodwill went down the drain.

Hundreds of millions tuned into the 2006 World Cup Final to watch Italy defeat France. But their win was grossly overshadowed by the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt, which is what all anyone could talk about in the months following the game. Zidane was running with Italian player Marco Materazzi when the latter grabbed Zidane’s jersey. In response, Zidane turned around and headbutted Materazzi straight in the chest. He was given a red card, making him the first soccer player to ever be ejected from a World Cup final in extra time. The incident was widely parodied in pop culture, and Zidane became the posterboy for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It’s not often that fans get directly involved in a fight, but they certainly did during Malice at the Palace. The date, November 19, 2004. The place, The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons. With just 45 seconds left in the game, Pistons center Ben Wallace shoved Pacer Ron Artest after being fouled. A fight then broke out on the court - and fans decided to get involved. A fan threw a drink at Artest, causing him to storm into the crowd and attack the wrong person. Fans defended that person, players defended Artest, and all Hell broke loose. Police were called in order to quell the near-riot, and when the dust finally settled, ten people were charged with assault - including five players.

Despite being called one of the greatest strikers of all time, Luis Suárez has a terrible reputation for his on-field behavior. Many fans, players, and analysts have accused him of diving, and he has been caught biting other players on no less than three separate occasions. He bit Otman Bakkal while playing for AFC Ajax, resulting in a seven game suspension. He bit Branislav Ivanović during a Premier League match. Ten game suspension. And he bit Giorgio Chiellini in front of millions during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Four month ban from all soccer activities. As a result, Suárez is now regarded as one of the dirtiest soccer players of the modern era.

Attacking fans is a huge no-no, but no one gave Eric Cantona the memo. On January 25, 1995, Cantona’s Manchester United were playing Crystal Palace when Cantona was sent off by the referee. A Palace fan named Matthew Simmons then left his seat and confronted Cantona as he was walking off the pitch. Incensed at Simmons’s words, Cantona delivered a flying kung-fu style kick against the fan and followed it up with a flurry of punches. Simmons was fined £500 for abusive behavior, and it’s believed that he used racist language against Cantona. As for him, he was fined £30,000, banned from soccer for eight months, and sentenced to two weeks in prison, although this was later changed to community service following an appeal.

The 17,000 people crowding MGM Grand Garden Arena maybe didn’t get their money’s worth with this fight, but at least they got to witness one of the coldest incidents in sporting history. Evander Holyfield was handedly beating Mike Tyson, who was left frustrated both at his poor performance and some headbutts - whether intentional or not - from Holyfield. His temper boiling over, Tyson bit Holyfield on the right ear and tore off a piece of cartilage. The fight was allowed to continue, only for Tyson to once again bite Holyfield, this time on his left ear. That was it - Tyson was disqualified, and the ear bite went on to become a staple of pop culture for decades to come.

Who knew that the world of figure skating was so cutthroat? Nancy Kerrigan was a successful skater in the early ‘90s, and she threatened the career of Tonya Harding. While successful in her own right, Harding was always overshadowed by Kerrigan. On the afternoon of January 6, 1994, Kerrigan was struck in the knee by a man named Shane Stant, who was wielding a police baton. The attack was eventually traced to Shawn Eckardt and Jeff Gillooly, the then-husband of Tonya Harding. They hoped to injure Kerrigan, thereby increasing the prospects of Harding at the upcoming Olympics in Norway. It’s unclear how complicit Harding was in the attack itself, but she accepted a plea deal after covering it up and was banned from figure skating.

[a]NOTE TO VO ARTIST: Pls read everything in blue!
[b]loo-WEECE aaw-dree-AWNNO https://forvo.com/search/Luiz%20Adriano/
SHACK-tar doh-NETS-K https://youtu.be/PIyAh56-g2E?si=c5s3EzdhbWCOEM0V&t=268
NORSHA-lund https://youtu.be/Nq_cWiLkct4?si=O7hC1rLCLzWQ1tTX&t=7
WILL-yin (like william with an "n") https://forvo.com/search/Willian/
tah-rass steppa-NENG-koh https://youtu.be/nl8lIX08FT8?si=jJDuX4zwOJgaABQT&t=11 OR https://forvo.com/search/taras%20stepanenko/
[c]car-MOOSH https://youtu.be/oAMTZdzJTgM?si=xSwef8iBR0z4URn1
VIN-tin https://youtu.be/JNR9LhxI3w8?si=6o8Ge7F0kT8DkePx&t=2
[d]HALL-weg https://youtu.be/esETGHljQi4?si=YPmA8l-h2QqkOlqu&t=13
YAR-koh ROO-too https://youtu.be/tf9Yk1iQIsA?si=h34Sv3T9IRQYdESN&t=12
[e]rosie roo-WEEZE https://youtu.be/4kbbeJY7MPU?si=aPopEF3CrZz8Bp6D&t=19
zshack-LEEN gah-ROH https://youtu.be/5YokywxL48o?si=cgCArSvI4x-yXuOO&t=31
[f]Leicester = lester
https://forvo.com/search/Leicester/
HYNA-kin / HYE-NUH-kin https://forvo.com/search/Heineken/en/
MUN-stir https://youtu.be/LHPxVYRupWQ?si=uSbdCDq2o42UdntE&t=286
[g]guh-LOT-uh https://youtu.be/oxl2rh_csac?si=tPdxvUmTaLXmG1Hx&t=57
RID-ick boh https://youtu.be/oxl2rh_csac?si=ucbgSSgpExTcRklb&t=53
[h]mar-TAIN broh-DUR (but it's french so stop halfway through the "n" in "martin") https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sPncJPWtuQtORX_hgwq8gEwEWdMm1DMe/view?usp=drive_link
[i]frank RYKE-art https://youtu.be/EGFJhCFNRGk?si=PrUofDScDNfYNN1w
FIFA = feefa
rudy VULL-ur (almost "fuller") https://youtu.be/fbb_lKd5mlo?si=jTk7M5knHFwR6Yp4&t=6 https://forvo.com/search/rudi%20voller/
[j]PAY-droh mar-TEE-nez https://youtu.be/-yWa0e7hAvk?si=HJBlSL0cdp6HXACs&t=68
kuh-REEM gar-SEE-uh https://youtu.be/dBSXvGyQNtE?si=yIIQx1PNpAzPUn6V&t=14
HORE-hay puh-SAW-duh https://youtu.be/IIWUJwNrv3k?si=uoyqg-b7WPZpcU3k&t=11