Sports Apologia
Image Source: Josh Hallett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Use the table below to browse the archive. Click a column heading to sort the entries, or click a linked name to open the full case page.
| Accused | Accusation | Year of Apologia |
|---|---|---|
| Latrell Sprewell | Choking his coach P.J. Carlisemo during a confrontation at practice | 1997 |
| Marion Jones | Performance-enhancing drugs | 2007 |
| Mark McGwire | Use of steroids during career | 2010 |
| Michael Vick | Involvement in a dogfighting ring | 2007 |
| Mike Leach | Locking player Adam James in a closet as punishment | 2010 |
| Mike Tyson | Biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during boxing match | 2009 |
| Tiger Woods | Extra-marital affair with nightclub hostess | 2010 |
| Terry Frei and the Denver Post | Saying he was uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indy 500 | 2017 |
| Amar'e Stoudemire | Saying if he had a gay teammate, he would shower across the street | 2017 |
| Richard Sherman | Telling a sports journalist that he would ruin his career | 2016 |
| Colin Kaepernick | Social media taunt to the city of Houston | 2015 |
| Doug Adler | Describing Serena Williams' aggressive style as "guerrilla tactics" | 2017 |
| Maria Sharapova | Testing positive for traces of banned substance | 2016 |
| Lance Armstrong | Using performance-enhancing drugs during Tour de France wins | 2013 |
| Kim Mulkey | Encouraging violence against parents who say they won't send their kids to Baylor | 2017 |
| Sunil Gulati | Canceling U.S. women's soccer exhibition due to unsafe turf conditions | 2015 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | Pulling a woman's shirt down exposing her breast while watching a parade | 2017 |
| Tom Brady | Deflating footballs in order to get better grip | 2017 |
| Ray Rice | Punching fiancee and dragging her unconscious body from an elevator | 2014 |
| Ryan Lochte | Fabricated story about being robbed by local police at Rio Olympics | 2016 |
| Cam Newton | Making sexist remark to female reporter, claiming "it's funny" that she knows about football routes. | 2017 |
| Jabari Bird | Strangling girlfriend numerous times. | 2018 |
| Kyrie Irving | Promoting the flat-earth theory | 2018 |
| Rudy Gobert | Carelessly touching microphones and then testing positive for coronavirus | 2018 |
| Urban Meyer | Failing to report that his assistant coach had history of domestic violence | 2018 |
| Meyers Leonard | Using an anti-Semitic slur during livestream video game play. | 2021 |
| Justin Thomas | Using a gay slur after missing a short putt. | 2021 |
| Houston Astros | Sign stealing during the 2017 World Series. | 2020 |
| Robert Kraft | Caught on video surveillance as a part of a prostitution sting operation at Florida spas | 2019 |
| Shelby Houlihan | Testing positive for a performance enhancing drug | 2021 |
| Patrick Beverley | Cheap shot against Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals | 2021 |
| Jim Harbaugh | Sign stealing scandal as coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team | 2023 |
| Cade Cavalli | Yelled racial slur at batter after striking him out. | 2026 |
| Sandy Brondello | Referred to Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese as a “protected species” during a WNBA game. | 2026 |
| Steven A. Smith | Criticizing Kyrie Irving in 2020 for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. | 2026 |
| Le Bilboquet Atlanta | Refused to seat Dominique Wilkins and his group. | 2021 |
| Jim Crane, Houston Astros | Houston Astros won the World Series using techniques to steal signs from pitchers to give their team an advantage. | 2020 |
| Charles Barkley | Driving under the influence of alcohol. | 2009 |
| Gianni Infantino / FIFA | Placing major commercial assets from FIFA competitions into a new corporate structure that benefits private investors. | 2026 |
| Cal Raleigh | Refusing to shake hands with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena when Arozarena came to the plate for Mexico at the World Baseball Classic. | 2026 |
| Jurickson Profar | Testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. | 2025 |
| Kobe Bryant | Raping woman during visit to Colorado | 2004 |
| Pete Rose | Betting on Major League Baseball games during his time as a player with the Cincinnati Reds. | 2022 |
| Rolando Paulino and Felipe Almonte | Lying about Puerto Rican player Danny Almonte's age during the 2001 Little League World Series. | 2002 |
| Rachael “Raygun” Gunn | Bringing a very unusual (and widely mocked) breakdancing style to the 2024 Paris Olympic Summer Games. | 2024 |
| Zach Holland | Staged a fake hole-in-one at an amateur golf tournament in Missouri. | 2016 |
| Larry Nassar | Sexually abused girls and young women while working as the team physician for the Michigan State University gymnastics team. | 2018 |
| Donald Sterling | Objected to his assistant posting photographs of herself with Black people on Instagram and told her not to bring Black people to Clippers games. | 2014 |
| Jerry Sandusky | Sexually abusing boys whom he had encountered while working with a charity. | 2012 |
| Nick Kyrgios | Tested positive for cocaine use. | 2026 |
| Michael Phelps | Driving under the influence of alcohol in Baltimore, Maryland. | 2014 |
| Michael Phelps | A 2009 photograph appearing to show him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. | 2009 |
| Richie Incognito | Used racist slurs toward an opposing player during the Buffalo Bills–Jacksonville Jaguars AFC Wild Card. | 2018 |
| Colin Kaepernick | Knelt during pre-game national anthem to protest racial inequality, racial oppression, and police treatment of Black Americans and other people of color. | 2016 |
| Terrell Owens | Series of public disputes with the team, its coaches, and quarterback Donovan McNabb which led to his suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. | 2005 |
| John Rocker | Derogatory comments about gay people, people with AIDS, immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, and residents of New York City. | 2000 |
| Steve Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers | The Los Angeles Clippers violated the league’s salary-cap rules for off-court income opportunities for star forward Kawhi Leonard. | 2026 |
| Deshaun Watson | Faced allegations of sexual misconduct from numerous female massage therapists who accused him exposing himself, unwanted sexual contact, and other inappropriate or coercive behavior. | 2022 |
| Red Berenson, University of Michigan Hockey | Sexualized hazing and abuse from 1984 to 2001. | 2026 |