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The O.J. Simpson scandal was one of the most notorious criminal trials in American history. Simpson, a former NFL star and broadcaster, was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, on the night of June 12, 1994.
Simpson was the prime suspect in the killings from the start. He had a history of domestic violence against Nicole, and his DNA was found at the crime scene. However, Simpson maintained his innocence, and his high-profile defense team was able to convince the jury to acquit him in 1995.
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The Tiger Woods scandal was a major sex scandal that broke in 2009. It was revealed that Woods, who was married at the time, had cheated on his wife with numerous women. The scandal tarnished his image and led to the loss of several sponsorships.
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The Maradona "Hand of God" scandal occurred in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and England. In the 51st minute, Argentine forward Diego Maradona jumped to head the ball, but he also punched it into the England net with his hand. The referee, Ali Bennaceur of Tunisia, failed to see the handball and allowed the goal to stand.
Maradona later admitted to using his hand to score the goal, saying that it was "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." The goal became known as the "Hand of God" goal and is considered to be one of the most controversial goals in football history.
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The Larry Nassar scandal is one of the most shocking and devastating sports scandals of all time. Nassar was a sports medicine doctor who worked for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. He sexually abused hundreds of young female athletes over the course of two decades.
Nassar was arrested and charged with sexual abuse in 2016. He pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor in 2017. He was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison.
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The Michael Vick dogfighting scandal was a major scandal that occurred in 2007. Vick, who was then the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, was arrested and charged with running an illegal dogfighting ring on his property in Virginia.
Vick and three other men were indicted on federal charges related to the dogfighting ring. Vick pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and was sentenced to 23 months in prison. He was also suspended from the NFL for two seasons.
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The Pete Rose scandal is one of the most notorious sports scandals in American history. In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball for life after an investigation found that he had bet on baseball games while he was playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Rose was a career .303 hitter and was considered to be one of the greatest all-time players. He was the all-time leader in hits when he was banned, and he remains so today.
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The Nelson Piquet Jr. scandal, also known as "Crashgate", occurred during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Piquet, who was driving for Renault at the time, was ordered by his team boss, Flavio Briatore, and engineering director, Pat Symonds, to crash his car on purpose in order to bring out the safety car and give his teammate, Fernando Alonso, an advantage in the race.
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The Tonya Harding scandal was a major sports scandal that occurred in 1994. Harding, a figure skater, was accused of being involved in an attack on her fellow skater, Nancy Kerrigan. Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee by an assailant on January 6, 1994, just six weeks before the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Harding denied any involvement in the attack at first, but she later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. She was sentenced to three years of probation and a $100,000 fine. She was also banned from the United States Figure Skating Association for life.
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The Oscar Pistorius scandal was a major murder trial that took place in South Africa in 2014. Pistorius, a double amputee who ran on prosthetic legs, was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013. Pistorius claimed that he shot Steenkamp through the bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder. However, the prosecution argued that he had intentionally killed her after a heated argument.
In September 2014, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide, which is the equivalent of manslaughter in South African law. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but he was released on parole in December 2015.
No one is safe from falling into a massive scandal. Although we're used to celebrities from the entertainment world to take the spotlight when it comes to controversies, other disciplines can make all the headlines for different reasons.
When it comes to sports, scandals are often related to illegal activities and even serious crimes. Let's take a look at some of the most shocking sports scandals in history.