Cheating in sports is as American as apple pie and corporate downsizing. In an ultra-competitive, kill or be killed business, some are compelled to take extreme measures to gain an edge. The allure of being the best and staying on top can sway even the most successful sports figures to put aside good judgment and take the easy way out.
Breaking the rules is all well and good until the guilty party or parties get caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. The first decade of the 21st Century proved that sports scammers are alive and well. Despite rampant drug testing, growing technologies and a gaggle of bloodhound websites and media outlets, a few fools still chose to walk a fine line.
Here are the the biggest cheaters from 2000-2009:
Floyd Landis
Came out of nowhere to win the 2006 Tour de France. Was later stripped of his title after being found guilty of doping. Landis claimed he was innocent, but two separate urine samples determined his T/E ratio was well above the normal levels. He received a two-year ban from cycling in addition to his disqualification from the 2006 race.
Bill Belichick
The mastermind behind “Spygate,” Belichick was fined $500,000 for illegally videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals during a September 2007 game. NFL Commish Roger Goodell deemed it a violation of league policy. The Patriots were fined $250,000 and lost their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The alleged tapes were ordered destroyed by Goodell, which raised further suspicion surrounding the incident.
McLaren Formula One
In 2007, McLaren was fined a $100 million and removed from the F1 Constructors’ Championship for accepting secret technical specs from a former Ferrari employee, Nigel Stepney. Later that same year, Renault F1 was found guilty of stealing documents from McLaren, but they went unpunished.
Marion Jones
Seven years after winning five gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, track and field superstar Marion Jones admitted to using steroids prior to the games. She also owned up to lying to grand juries and federal agents during the BALCO steroid investigation. Jones forfeited all her medals and was sentenced to six months jail time in January of 2008.
Tim Donaghy
The disgraced former NBA referee was sentenced to a 15 month prison term in 2008 for gambling on games he officiated. From 2005-2007, Donaghy admitted he made calls that affected the point spread in games he wagered on. He also accused the NBA of ordering refs to fix playoff games in order to extend certain series. Needless to say, the NBA’s reputation took a serious hit.
Major League Baseball
Pick a player: Bonds, McGwire, Canseco, Sosa, Palmiero, Giambi, Clemens, Pettitte, Tejada, Mota, Cameron, Rodriguez and Ramirez are just some of the players suspected, accused or found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs during the decade. Nobody knows who’s telling the truth and who isn’t. Safe to say, a bunch of baseball’s best players abused steroids before and after MLB instituted a testing policy.
Tiger Woods
Okay, okay, Tiger never cheated on the course, but banging at least a dozen chicks on the side lands him on the list. Waitresses, dancers, cougars, porn stars — Tiger did ‘em all. In a matter of two short weeks, he went from a happily married father of two and the world’s most dominant golfer, to a lying, philandering jackass who couldn’t keep it in his pants.
