20 MORE Athletes Caught Cheating on Live TV

Top 20 MORE Athletes Caught Cheating on Live TV

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the infamous times athletes and coaches who allegedly violated the rules of their sport on television. While there are two sides to every story, there is at least some evidence for each case to suggest that cheating intentionally occurred.

#20: Taj Gibson

Athletes will use anything to win. But sometimes, it can get a bit ridiculous. In 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Sacramento Kings. After Taj Gibson scored at one end with a left hook, his shoe came off in the process. Yet before he could put it back on, the Kings began attacking. Rather than sit out and get the footwear on, Gibson got creative. With the trainer in hand, he attempted to defend. As the Kings’ Nemanja Bjelica went for a shot, Gibson tried using his singular sneaker for extra blocking coverage. While he didn’t touch the ball -- instead, Karl-Anthony Towns made the save -- using a foreign object to defend is a no-no.

#19: Baron Davis

For a bit of fun, the NBA hosts the Slam Dunk Contest over the All-Star Weekend. And in 2001, then-Charlotte Hornets player Baron Davis participated. But he decided to channel his inner Cedric Ceballos with his final dunk by using his headband as a blindfold and calling the attempt “The Blind Man’s Buff.” However, his deception was clear to see with holes in the headband. With this level of cheating, you’d expect Davis to slam the ball in the hoop. But nope. Attempting a windmill dunk, the Point Guard fell well short, both in distance and height. Yikes. If he had dunked it normally, he probably would’ve won. Instead, Desmond Mason took the contest.

#18: Sergio Busquets

Undoubtedly, Sergio Busquets will go down as one of the best midfielders for Spain and Barcelona. However, there’s also another side to him that has dampened his stellar reputation. In 2010, Barcelona faced Inter Milan in the second-leg semi-final of the UEFA Champions League. After losing the first game three-one, Busquets decided to give his side an advantage by any means necessary. In the 28th minute, while competing with Milan’s Thiago Motta for the ball, the Brazilian lightly touched the Spaniard’s face. And Busquets went down dramatically. Then, the Barça icon peaked through his hands to check his performance was being bought. It was. Motta was sent off. However, Barcelona was still knocked out of the competition that Milan went on to win.

#17: Maximum Security

The 2019 Kentucky Derby, the 145th edition, should’ve been a celebration of horse racing. Instead, it was doused in controversy. The horse Maximum Security and jockey Luis Saez dominated the race and crossed first. However, there were immediate objections. At the final turn, Maximum Security went across the lane and blocked the paths of multiple horses, nearly resulting in a pile-up that could’ve caused major injuries. The winner of the race was disqualified to 17th, and the iconic trophy was handed to Country House, who was unaffected by the blocking. Saez claimed his horse was startled by the crowd noise and veered outwards. Regardless, the jockey was suspended for not controlling his mount.

#16: Sal Alosi

Sports coaches are often seen as being competitive yet fair. However, in 2010, the actions of the head strength and conditioning coach at the New York Jets, Sal Alosi, proved to break that mold and then some. As the Jets took on the Miami Dolphins, Alosi spotted Nolan Carroll running down the sideline. Seemingly forgetting about all the TV cameras in the stadium, the coach used his knee to trip Carroll! It was then discovered that Alosi told inactive players to form a wall on the sidelines to block the opposition's plays. As a result, the Jets suspended the coach indefinitely, and he was fined $25,000. The NFL also fined the Jets $100,000. Not long after, Alosi resigned from his position.

#15: Max Scherzer

It’s strange how often baseball stars try to break the rules with something sticky. And in 2023, it was the time for New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer. Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, the umpires conducted a routine inspection of Scherzer and found his hand coated in something. After being told to wash his hands and change gloves multiple times, eventually, the umpires ejected Scherzer from the game. While the pitcher argued it was rosin, a substance allowed in the MLB, the officials didn’t buy it. As a result, Scherzer was suspended for ten games and fined $10,000 initially before it was reduced to $5,000. While he appealed the decision, Scherzer withdrew it shortly after.

#14: Andrzej Gołota

Before Mike Tyson was nibbling opponents in a boxing ring, there was Poland’s Andrzej Gołota. Better known as Andrew Golota, the heavyweight hitter faced off against Samson Po'uha in 1995 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The then-undefeated Golota was in the driving seat for most of the bout. However, after Po'uha connected with a heavy strike, which dazed the Polish boxer, several more punches battered Golota. So, in his desperation, he did something sneaky. Golota got close to Po'uha and bit down on his neck, earning him a bit of recovery time. On top of this, the referee didn’t see it happen, and Golota went on to win via T.K.O.

#13: Rosie Ruiz

At the 1980 Boston Marathon, something remarkable happened. Having 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! But something fishy was going on when Ruiz appeared in interviews, showing little tiredness and was vague about her experience. An investigation was launched that examined video and photographs of the races. Strangely, Ruiz seemingly didn’t appear until the end. On top of this, witnesses came forward that Ruiz had used the subway for the New York Marathon the year prior. Both Boston and New York officials stripped Ruiz of her results.

#12: LeBron James, David West, & Lance Stephenson

Flopping or diving in sport is one of the worst things you can do. Fans hate the dishonest practice, mostly, unless it gives your side an advantage. In 2013, then playing for the Miami Heat, LeBron James participated in Game 4 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. However, in the fourth quarter, James and David West of the Pacers flopped on the court during the same play, and the Pacers’ Lance Stephenson had already dramatically clashed with Ray Allen in the first quarter. As 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.”

#11: Bryan Carrasco

Football and exaggeration, for better or worse, is a match made in heaven. It happens a lot, far more than most fans like to admit. But one of the most outrageous took place in 2011. With the under-20s teams of Chile and Ecuador facing off in the South American Youth Championship, Bryan Carrasco did something the referee missed, but the commentators spotted and laughed loudly at the audacity. In 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. It was bonkers. Yet… it worked. Carrasco got a free kick for his side. However, Chile ended up losing one-nil, so it wasn’t a perfect plan.

#10: Alex Rodriguez

It’s not every bit of cheating that contributes to the riot police being deployed to restore order with the fans. But 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. Alex Rodriguez didn’t get a great connection on a pitch, hitting the ball along the first-base line. As 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. A startled Boston watched on as the umpires called Rodriguez “safe.” But after a lot of complaints, the officials had a meeting. In the end, Rodriguez was deemed to have interfered and was called out.

#9: Jacob Runyan & Chase Cominsky

With a whopping collected prize of $28,760, fishing professionals Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky were desperate to get their mitts on the oversized cheque in 2022. So much so that they got creative with the weight of their catch. After the aptly-named director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, Jason Fischer became suspicious of the weight of the smaller-sized fish, he cut up the catch. He found they had been stuffed with lead balls, fish filets, and other items. On top of being disqualified, the duo were arrested. In 2023, Runyan and Cominsky agreed to a deal to plead guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of an animal. They received ten days in jail, six months of probation, and fined $2,500 each.

#8: J. R. Smith

As far as cheating goes, J. R. Smith’s shenanigans are perhaps the most petty yet hilarious in sporting history. In 2014, the NBA legend found himself in the crosshairs of the league’s authority. While playing for the New York Knicks, he was seen on TV untying the shoelaces of Shawn Marion and Greg Monroe in separate games. While the NBA let the first one go and warned him, the second incident saw the league take action against Smith. In the end, he was fined $50,000 for his dastardly antics. But after the fine, Smith retired from his lacey actions. He confirmed he would’ve continued had the NBA not come down hard on him.

#7: Mark Schlereth

There’s probably never been an instance of an athlete being so defiant about their rule-breaking. Legendary NFL guard Mark Schlereth proudly spoke later about his cheating, describing it as “being creative.” In 1998, Schlereth’s Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoffs. However, the Chiefs struggled to hold onto some of the players, including Schlereth. After they spoke to the ref, Schlereth was ordered off the pitch to have the slimy substance he was coated in removed. As it turned out, it was Vaseline. While 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.

#6: Clint Bowyer

The NASCAR and stock car racer Clint Bowyer has had a decorated career on the track. But he put his legend in jeopardy with some hijinks in 2013. Near the end of the Richmond International Raceway, Bowyer suddenly spun out in his vehicle. This caused the final caution of the race. The 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. While Bowyer denied the allegations, the evidence of codewords said over his radio suggest it was intentional. NASCAR investigated and docked him and the MWR drivers 50 points each and fined the team $300,000.

#5: George Brett

When people argue about the greatest baseball player, George Brett’s name is always mentioned. But on top of his astonishing career, he’s also connected to one of the most controversial cheating incidents in the sport. In 1983, Brett’s Kansas City Royals faced the New York Yankees. With the Royals trailing, Brett struck a two-run home run to take the lead. However, the Yankees questioned the amount of pine tar smeared on his bat. The umpires investigated and found the substance covered more than the rules allowed. As such, Brett’s impressive hit was crossed off, and he was called out. However, after the Royals protested, the homer was reinstated, and the game was replayed 25 days later from Brett’s controversial strike, which the Royals won.

#4: Madeline & Margaret de Jesús

For everyone who’s watched WWE and seen Twin Magic by Nikki and Brie Bella, it’s easy to think that this doesn’t actually happen in real life. But it has. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Madeline de Jesús was set to represent Puerto Rico in the women’s 4x400 meter relay qualifier. However, she’d gotten injured while competing in the long jump. So, she asked her identical twin sister Margaret, who was there as a spectator, to pretend to be her on the track. And it worked. The Puerto Rico team ended up qualifying. However, the truth was soon discovered. When the nation’s Olympic head discovered the ruse, he pulled the racers from the final and banned the de Jesús sisters.

#3: Morhad Amdouni

It’s one thing to cheat to give yourself an advantage, but another to negatively affect other competitors to get ahead. And that’s what France’s Morhad Amdouni did at the 2020 Summer Olympics. While competing in the men’s marathon, Amdouni did something sneaky and petty at the 28-kilometer mark. When the rummers approached a water table, he leaned over and knocked over a row of bottles before grabbing the final one, essentially denying athletes behind him for cleanly getting hydrated. Amdouni claimed that being fatigued and the bottles being slippery after resting in ice caused him to accidentally topple them. But that doesn’t explain the coincidence of Amdouni easily taking the last drink… suspicious.

#2: Romano Fenati

Some cheaters go way too far, and motorcycle racer Romano Fenati is one such person. In 2018, he competed at the San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix for Moto2. While competing with fellow Italian racer Stefano Manzi at around 120 miles per hour, Fenati reached over and pulled the brake on Manzi’s bike! This idiotic move would have resulted in serious injury had Manzi fallen. Immediately, the black flag went up for Fenati, disqualifying him from the race. He was later banned for two races and then had his motorcycle racing license revoked for the rest of the season. Then, Fenati’s team, Marinelli Snipers, fired him for his reckless actions. However, he returned the next season in Moto3.

#1: Tom Brady

While his work on the gridiron has gone down in NFL lore, Tom Brady’s reputation has taken a couple of knocks, with 2015 perhaps being the most significant. During halftime in the AFC match between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, NFL officials checked the balls that Brady had used and discovered several were underinflated, making it easier for the quarterback to handle. The Patriots and Brady heavily denied the allegations that they purposely let the air out, and the Deflategate scandal lasted nearly two years. The Patriots were fined $1 million and docked two draft picks, while Brady was suspended for four games. After appealing, winning the appeal, then having that overturned, he served the ban in 2016.


What’s the best piece of good sportsmanship you’ve ever seen on live TV? Let us know below!