These players aren't winning any sportsmanship awards anytime soon. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at scandalous times in sports history where athletes showed no respect by either breaking the rules or severely bending them.
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00:00 I mean, what kind of friggin' person bashes in their friend's knee?
00:04 Who would do that to a friend?
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at scandalous times in sports history
00:12 where athletes showed no respect by either breaking the rules or severely bending them.
00:17 You know what I think about when it does come? I think about, um,
00:20 how much money I made picking pitches and biting somebody's ear.
00:25 That it superseded me in our career.
00:29 #30. Vince Carter's Dunk of Death
00:32 Vince Carter is one of the best dunkers in basketball history,
00:36 with many of his feats living long in fans' minds.
00:38 Yet one in particular showcased his talent and some disrespect.
00:42 In 2000, Carter was part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team
00:46 as they took on France in the preliminary round.
00:48 In the second quarter, France was defending and tried to counterattack.
00:52 However, Carter intercepted and dribbled to the hoop.
00:55 With plenty of aggression, Carter jumped over the 7-foot-2-inch Frederic Weiss,
00:59 slamming the ball into the net as the bewildered Frenchman processed what happened.
01:04 [crowd cheering]
01:06 The Dunk of Death has remained legendary,
01:09 and the U.S. went on to secure the gold medal, with France taking silver.
01:13 #29. Dennis Wideman taking down official
01:17 After over a decade in the NHL and in the twilight of his career,
01:21 Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman had an altercation that smudged his reputation.
01:25 And it wasn't with another player, but an official.
01:28 In 2016, Wideman was body-checked by Nashville Predator Mika Salamaki into the boards.
01:34 As he returned to the bench, Wideman cross-checked official Don Henderson,
01:38 who suffered a concussion and had to leave the game.
01:40 "He's gonna try and make his way to the bench,
01:43 and there's the collision with Don Henderson. He doesn't even see the linesman."
01:47 Later, the NHL stated Wideman, who claimed he didn't see Henderson,
01:51 was also concussed from the knock by Salamaki.
01:53 "I went up to Don and I apologized to him on the ice. I didn't see him.
01:56 I didn't know where to go or how to get out of the way of him, and I didn't realize it."
02:01 Wideman was suspended for 20 games, later reduced to 10.
02:06 Henderson sued Wideman, only for the judge to tell him to pay the Flames
02:10 and Wideman's legal fees and go through the league's arbitration.
02:14 #28. Pedro Martinez throws Don Zimmer
02:17 In 2003, the Boston Red Sox took on the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the
02:21 American League Championship Series.
02:23 Things got heated when the Sox's Pedro Martinez struck Kareem Garcia with a pitch.
02:27 Then, an ill-advised gesture by the pitcher was interpreted by the Yankees bench as a
02:43 threat for a beanball. When tensions got high once more, causing both sides to brawl on the diamond,
02:48 72-year-old Yankees coach and baseball legend Don Zimmer went straight for Martinez.
02:53 Like a judo expert, Martinez sidestepped Zimmer, grabbed his head, and threw him to the ground.
03:09 In recent years, when asked about the incident,
03:11 Martinez has spoken of this being the one regret in his glittering career.
03:15 #27. Jack Tatum's preseason game hit on Darryl Stingley
03:20 In 1978, the New England Patriots faced the Oakland Raiders in a preseason game.
03:25 The Patriots' wide receiver, Darryl Stingley, was one of the best around
03:29 and set to have a long, successful football career. However, that all vanished in an instant.
03:34 As Stingley tried to reach a wayward pass, Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided with him,
03:39 resulting in two broken vertebrae and a compressed spinal cord for Stingley.
03:43 He spent the rest of his life with quadriplegia.
03:46 "Even though no flags were thrown on the play and no fines were levied against Tatum,
03:50 his motives were questioned because of his reputation and apparent lack of remorse."
03:56 Today, Tatum's reckless tackle would be a rule violation.
03:59 Even then, the Raider wasn't able to shake off the consequences of his act of violence.
04:04 "If given the opportunity, what would you say to Darryl Stingley today?"
04:07 "I'd always just be, you know, sorry, you know, this happened to you.
04:11 It's just something that happens on the football field."
04:14 #26. Dennis Rodman kicks a cameraman
04:17 Dennis Rodman is one of the best but most controversial players in NBA history.
04:21 On and off the court, he's created many scandals. And one of the most egregious was in 1997.
04:28 Playing for the Chicago Bulls against the Minnesota Timberwolves,
04:31 Rodman went to retrieve the ball after it went out of bounds.
04:34 However, he tripped over cameraman Eugene Amos.
04:37 Instead of moving on from it, Rodman kicked Amos, seemingly in the groin area.
04:42 "He kicked the cameraman. He was really upset."
04:45 The punch was apparently bad enough for Amos to be stretchered away,
04:48 all while Rodman shook his head.
04:51 Afterward, the iconic player settled with Amos for $200,000.
04:54 Rodman was also suspended by the NBA for 11 games, costing him a whopping $1 million.
05:01 "I apologize for that, but I say that most of the people in the world would say he was acting."
05:06 #25. Chris Simon's bladed step on Yarko Ruto
05:10 At the time of writing, Chris Simon is still the infamous holder of the Guinness World Record for
05:15 the longest suspension in NHL history for an infraction during a game. And it all began in 2007.
05:22 At the time, the hot-headed winger was playing for the New York Islanders against the Pittsburgh
05:26 Penguins. Late in the game, Simon tripped Yarko Ruto, then stepped on the Finland Nationals leg
05:32 with his blade. "He stepped on, stepped on the Achilles tendon area, Steggy, the back of the leg
05:37 of Ruto." Immediately, the stomper was ejected from the game. After first getting a three-game
05:43 ban, Simon was later suspended for 30 matches by the NHL. After fulfilling the majority of the ban,
05:49 he left the league when his contract expired.
05:51 #24. Balotelli's bad backheel
05:55 Friendly football matches are usually more relaxed events where players are getting back
05:59 into match fitness. But in 2011, Manchester City's Mario Balotelli took the relaxed nature so far
06:05 that it became massively disrespectful. "Are you kidding? Mario Balotelli,
06:09 and he's getting booed for this." With his side in the U.S. to face the LA Galaxy,
06:15 the City striker put his side 1-0 up. Later, Balotelli found himself one-on-one with the
06:20 keeper. But instead of slotting it away, he spun and tried to backheel the ball in and missed,
06:25 causing fans to boo him. Not only was teammate Edin Dzeko livid, but so was Balotelli's manager
06:32 Roberto Mancini. Within minutes, he subbed off the Italian for James Milner. To top off the
06:37 awkwardness, Mancini and Balotelli then argued on the touchline.
06:41 #23. The costly charity sucker punch
06:45 In 2001, after the horror of September 11th, a boxing bout was put together to raise money for
06:51 the Twin Towers Fund. James "Harlem Hammer" Butler battled Richard "The Alien" Grant in
06:55 a rematch for Grant's win in 1997. At the end of the bout, Grant won via unanimous decision.
07:02 With their gloves off, Grant went to hug Butler. However, Butler sucker punched him across the
07:07 face instead. "Oh, look at this. Butler just ran across the ring. Butler just went over there
07:13 and sucker punched, sucker punched and knocked out Grant." Grant suffered a dislocated jaw and
07:19 a tongue wound that needed 26 stitches. Butler was convicted of assault and spent four months
07:24 in jail. In 2006, Butler was sentenced to 29 years and four months imprisonment for arson
07:30 and the manslaughter of sports writer Sam Killerman. #22. Meta Sandiford Artest elbows
07:37 James Harden Meta Sandiford Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest, has had several infamous
07:48 incidents of scandal and disrespect in his NBA career. One of the worst happened in 2012.
07:53 On this fateful day, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the second quarter,
07:59 Lakers Sandiford Artest fired in a dunk to keep his team in the game. Yet as he celebrated,
08:04 Oklahoma player James Harden was nearby and took a Sandiford Artest elbow on the head,
08:09 giving the 10-time All-Star a concussion. While Sandiford Artest later claimed it was
08:14 unintentional and apologized, he was immediately ejected from the game. Afterward, he was handed
08:19 a seven-game ban, ruling him out for the rest of the season and some of the playoffs.
08:24 #21. Frank Reichardt's wet attack on Rudy Fuller
08:33 At the most prestigious footballing event in the world, Frank Reichardt showed everyone a
08:38 shocking level of disrespect. In the round of 16 at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the Netherlands took
08:44 on West Germany. Reichardt was gunning for Germany's forward, Rudy Fuller. After fouling
08:49 him and getting booked, Reichardt spat in Fuller's hair, which was unseen by the referee.
08:54 When Fuller complained, he too saw yellow. Harsh. From the resulting free kick, Fuller handled the
09:00 ball and seemingly dived to get a penalty. Reichardt responded by twisting his ear and
09:05 stamping on him. Unsurprisingly, both players were sent off. But, Reichardt wasn't done.
09:10 He spat on Fuller's mane again as the two left the pitch. Gross.
09:14 #20. Dale Hunter blindsides Pierre Turgent
09:18 Today, Dale Hunter has a fantastic reputation as a professional hockey coach in the Ontario
09:27 Hockey League. But back in 1993, he proved himself to be just another testosterone-fueled
09:36 athlete in the Patrick Division semifinals of the NHL playoffs. In Game 6 against the New York
09:48 Islanders, Hunter lost the puck to Pierre Turgent. Not only did Turgent capitalize on the opportunity
09:53 by scoring, he also celebrated, as hockey players often do. Hunter then proceeded to hunt down
09:58 Turgent and delivered a hard-hitting check. As a result, he would miss the first 21 games of the
10:04 following season. #19. Floyd Mayweather Jr. punches Victor Ortiz
10:17 A few years ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. destroyed the hopes of casual boxing fans.
10:22 The pound-for-pound champ crushed the jaw of an opponent that maybe, just maybe,
10:30 could have handed money his first professional loss. Nobody expected Victor Ortiz to out-box
10:45 the champ on that June evening. But then again, nobody expected Floyd to get his boxing shorts in
10:49 a knot and cheap-shot a defenseless Ortiz. If you're a die-hard Mayweather fan, then you probably
10:59 have a tough-guy take on the incident. But any boxing purist will tell you this. That was a punk
11:06 move. #18. Shaq dunks on Chris Dudley
11:15 Over the course of his eight-year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal posted some
11:25 huge numbers. During one particularly sweaty game against the New York Knicks in 1999,
11:30 he posted his hefty figure all up on Chris Dudley before "complimenting" the move with
11:35 a classic shove. Dudley, being a grown man and all, didn't quite appreciate this questionable
11:47 display of sportsmanship. So, he naturally launched the ball at Shaq, as if this could
11:52 erase this nasty bit of human posturing from his memory. #17. Eden Nazar kicks the ball boy
12:04 But what's happened here? One of the Chelsea players, I think, has attacked,
12:08 or certainly has wrestled the ball away from the ball boy. If you're familiar with European football,
12:13 you know that both players and fans alike will basically do anything in the spirit of gamesmanship.
12:18 So, when a Swansea ball boy attempted to bamboozle the Chelsea club during their 2013 Capital One
12:23 Cup semifinal game, Eden Nazar wreaked some serious havoc and launched a swift gut bomb
12:29 to the poor kid's midsection. Sure, we don't exactly condone the ball boy's behavior, but
12:33 in a time when all sporting events are captured on film, we have to wonder, what exactly was
12:38 Nazar thinking? We'll say this, Eden earned that red card. #16. Barry Hall punches Brent Staker
12:59 If you Google the Australian footballer named Barry Hall, you'll discover that he's been involved
13:03 in a few incidents during his AFL career. In a 2008 match against the West Coast Eagles,
13:13 the veteran tough guy put a left hook on Brent Staker's chin. Because, you know, he's competitive,
13:18 or perhaps a few cards short of a full deck. All joking aside, the cheap shot
13:29 took Staker out of the game, and Hall was later suspended for seven games while securing a
13:34 permanent place on the YouTube wall of shame for unsportsmanlike moments. #15. Trevor Chappell's
13:41 pansy bowl When it comes to the rules and regulations of cricket, there's nothing that
13:52 says one can't bowl underarm. But in the spirit of competition, it's simply a no-no. So imagine
14:00 the outrage when an already contentious 1981 match between Australia and New Zealand took a troubling
14:06 turn when Australia's Trevor Chappell effectively mailed it in to secure a final victory. The New
14:20 Zealanders actually needed six runs to tie it up, but in perhaps the most boneheaded decision of
14:25 Australian cricket, Greg Chappell asked his brother to embrace his inner cowardice. Because
14:30 sports are just that damn important. Briefly a champ, forever a bum. #14. Albert Hainsworth
14:44 stomps Andre Girard Early on in the 2006 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans were hosting America's
14:54 team, the Dallas Cowboys. However, defensive tackle Albert Hainsworth nearly ended the
14:59 American dream of Andre Girard for no apparent reason other than malicious intent. After a play,
15:08 Hainsworth strolled on over to a pile of opponents and proceeded to kick and stomp Girard while he
15:13 was still on the ground. But while most mature players can keep their emotions and thoughts in
15:30 check, Hainsworth just went ahead anyway like it was no big deal, which led to 30 stitches for Girard.
15:41 #13. The shoe incident Fights are pretty commonplace in hockey,
15:46 but even for the rock 'em, sock 'em playing style of the 70s, this brawl involving a Boston Bruins
15:51 defenseman and a New York Rangers fan was really out of the norm. To catch a spectator who'd
15:56 assaulted a player, the Bruins team leapt into the stands to confront the culprit. However,
16:04 what was most shocking was when Mike Melbury hit the offender with his own shoe. The incident led
16:09 to multiple player suspensions and fines. #12. Roberto Alomar and the spitting incident
16:22 He may be one of baseball's most talented second basemen, but that doesn't mean he always kept
16:26 himself in line. During a 1996 game against the Blue Jays, Roberto Alomar objected to John
16:31 Hirschbeck's call by spitting in the umpire's face. Though the Baltimore Orioles player claimed
16:39 the umpire had made racist comments, Alomar was suspended for five games. However, the two
16:45 eventually reconciled. #11. The Boston Marathon cheater
16:49 Though Rosie Ruiz maintained that she ran the Boston Marathon in its entirety, it's generally
16:54 accepted that the Cuban-American cheated her way to the finish line. The fact that Ruiz barely broke
16:59 a sweat and wasn't familiar with common runner's terms was just the starting point for people's
17:04 suspicions. For while there wasn't any video surveillance, witness reports that she took the
17:09 subway and official investigations ultimately revealed the truth. #10. Kermit Washington
17:20 punches Rudy Tomjanovich When you're one of seven players to average 20 points and 20 rebounds over
17:33 your entire college career, it takes something pretty despicable for that to be overshadowed.
17:37 And there's really nothing to justify the 1977 roundhouse punch that Kermit Washington dropped
17:43 on Rudy Tomjanovich, who was just simply trying to break up an in-game brawl between the LA Lakers
17:48 and Houston Rockets. The punch nearly killed Tomjanovich, and considering the graphic descriptions
17:53 of those who witnessed it firsthand, it's kind of a miracle that he went on to have a successful
17:57 coaching career, considering he tasted his own spinal fluid on that fateful day.
18:02 #9. Eric Cantona kung fu kick
18:10 These two sports don't often appear in the same sentence, but a French athlete known as King Eric
18:19 brought the two together during an outrageous moment in 1995. Playing away to Crystal Palace,
18:31 Eric Cantona overheard a Palace fan's hateful boasting. Did he just shrug it off? Nah, he instead
18:37 greeted him with a Bruce Lee-style kung fu kick, followed by a series of Floyd Mayweather-like
18:42 jabs. When all was said and done, Cantona earned himself an eight-month ban. In perhaps the
18:54 strangest press conference ever, the player referenced seagulls. Wow. #8. Marty McSorley
19:15 hits Donald Brashear with stick In the world of hockey, a sport in which players are allowed to
19:24 fight during games, there's nothing that typically surprises fans, or players for that matter.
19:29 Unless, of course, it's a blindside cheap shot. In 2000, with less than five seconds left in a
19:43 game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins' Marty McSorley inexplicably whacked
19:47 Donald Brashear in the face from behind. This led Brashear to not only take a nasty backwards fall,
19:53 but also to suffer from a severe concussion. When there are so many ways to confront your
20:01 opponent in hockey, this particular display of unsportsmanlike conduct unsurprisingly caught
20:06 the attention of the British Columbia authorities. McSorley would end up being sentenced to 18
20:18 months probation. He never played in the NHL again. #7. Luis Suarez biting incidents
20:34 We could probably make a whole list about this player's numerous misdeeds, but for this video,
20:38 we're going to go with what striker Luis Suarez is most commonly known for - biting opposing players.
20:43 Yes, players. The first incident occurred in 2010 when he bit attacking midfielder
20:49 Othman Bacal on the shoulder. In 2013, he went for Chelsea's Bratislav Ivanovic.
20:54 Then, a year later, he bit the back shoulder of Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup
21:03 match. While widely considered a skilled and talented player, his actions with his teeth,
21:08 along with other controversies, have surely cast a shadow over his career.
21:11 #6. The Black Sox scandal This scandal caused so much damage to
21:23 baseball that officials banned the players involved for life. Referring to the conspiracy
21:28 between eight White Sox players and pro gamblers to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series games,
21:33 this fixing of the MLB championship also achieved notoriety for the alleged participation of
21:38 legendary athletes like Eddie Seacott and shoeless Joe Jackson.
21:42 #5. Zinedine Zidane headbutts Marco Materazzi It was during France's return to the 2006 World
21:49 Cup finals when, seemingly out of nowhere, Zinedine Zidane used his noggin to hit Marco
21:54 Materazzi's chest. Zidane was sent off the pitch and Italy won the game in the shootout.
22:02 It was later revealed that the Italian player had taunted and insulted him. Zidane has publicly said
22:07 that he wouldn't have been able to live with himself had he not been sent off. We're not
22:11 sure that France would say the same thing. #4. Todd Bertuzzi punches Steve Moore
22:20 It's one thing to stand up for a teammate, but this was just way out of line. In retaliation
22:37 for a hit on Captain Marcus Naslund by Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore in a previous game,
22:42 Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi attempted to provoke Moore into fighting him.
22:47 But when Moore would not respond, Bertuzzi proceeded to grab his jersey and punch him
22:51 on the side of his face. Moore would subsequently land face-first on the ice.
22:56 Out cold, he was carried out in a stretcher. Although Bertuzzi apologized for his actions,
23:01 the league would suspend him for the remainder of the season, and the incident remains one of the
23:06 NHL's darkest moments. #3. The attack on Nancy Kerrigan
23:11 While the Olympics are competitive, this went beyond anything we'd come to expect from
23:15 figure skating. To increase her chances at the Olympics, Tonya Harding conspired to have rival
23:20 Nancy Kerrigan taken out of the picture. Kerrigan was then unable to participate in the U.S.
23:25 Figure Skating Championship, clearing the way for Harding's victory. Though both made the Olympic
23:37 team, Harding eventually faced charges for her involvement. #2. The malice at the palace
23:43 Though the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons fight began on the court,
23:47 it quickly degenerated into the NBA's most infamous brawl when they took it to the stands.
23:52 After a spectator threw a drink at the man formerly known as Ron Artest,
24:01 pro b-ballers and fans began throwing punches and drinks at each other. The Pacers-Pistons
24:06 brawl led to multiple player suspensions and criminal charges for several fans.
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24:29 #1. The bite fight Mike Tyson was already seen as a wild and crazy boxer,
24:36 but his 1997 rematch against Evander Holyfield topped anything and everything else he'd done
24:42 in the ring. During the Sound and the Fury fight, Tyson bit his opponent's ear on two
24:47 separate occasions during the match. He later stated his actions were in response to Holyfield's
25:01 unpenalized headbutting. What moment of sporting disrespect left a lasting impression on you?
25:06 Let us know below.
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