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Scandals in US (college) sports

Jens1893

Jens1893

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Ok, I need the Allbuffs swarm intelligence. What are the biggest scandals you can think of in recent US (college) sports history? I think there've been more in college than in the pros and it also seems like they are more publicised because most universities are public institutions and are hence under a different level of scrutiny, so it seems like there've been more in college but I am not limiting myself to it. Think in terms of controversial actions that might push your moral and ethical boundaries as a fan and force you to think or act or engage in coping mechanisms. What are real life events that you strongly objected to?

Think in terms of either player behaviour (Henry Ruggs, Aaron Hernandez killed people), sexual abuse (Art Briles at Baylor, Larry Nassar at MSU/US Gymnastics), child abuse (Paterno, Sandusky at PSU), domestic violence (countless examples, Tyreek Hill, Joe Mixon, Quinshon Judkins this morning), lack of organisational or institutional control (the entire SEC 2000 - present with a special shoutout to Urban Meyer at Florida and Kirby Smart at Georgia), sign stealing (Michigan, NE Patriots, Houston Astros), deflategate (NE Pats), substance abuse/doping (Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, countless others) ...

I am ignoring recruiting violations on purpose because these have now essentially been legalised in the NIL era
 
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Ohio State Wrestling - over 15 years of sexual abuse of over 170 athletes by team physician with coverup and denial by officials and coaches, including Jim Jordan (now a U.S. Representative and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee). Physician resigned and committed suicide. There's a new documentary out on it from HBO.
 
Jens1893 said:
Ok, I need the Allbuffs swarm intelligence. What are the biggest scandals you can think of in recent US (college) sports history? I think there've been more in college than in the pros and it also seems like they are more publicised because most universities are public institutions and are hence under a different level of scrutiny, so it seems like there've been more in college but I am not limiting myself to it. Think in terms of controversial actions that might push your moral and ethical boundaries as a fan and force you to think or act or engage in coping mechanisms. What are real life events that you strongly objected to?

Think in terms of either player behaviour (Henry Ruggs, Aaron Hernandez killed people), sexual abuse (Art Briles at Baylor, Larry Nassar at MSU/US Gymnastics), child abuse (Paterno, Sandusky at PSU), domestic violence (countless examples, Tyreek Hill, Joe Mixon, Quinshon Judkins this morning), lack of organisational or institutional control (the entire SEC 2000 - present with a special shoutout to Urban Meyer at Florida and Kirby Smart at Georgia), sign stealing (Michigan, NE Patriots, Houston Astros), deflategate (NE Pats), substance abuse/doping (Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, countless others) ...

I am ignoring recruiting violations on purpose because these have now essentially been legalised in the NIL era
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There are so many scandals over the years it is hard to single something out. The Penn State stuff with Sandusky was very disgusting to me because how long it went on and the coverups that happened. Similar to the Nassar in Gymnastics and Anderson at Michigan scandals these went on for so long with people looking the other way.

The doping in MLB pretty much killed most of my interest in the sport. Baseball interests is driven by stats so much and when that became tainted it was the end for me. I never want to see Barry Bonds in the HOF.

I don't know if it is classified as a scandal but the whole cold war and the Olympics. The Soviets and Eastern block countries took away the idea of fair play. There judges would always vote against the West - 1972 Soviet-USA basketball game is a prime example. After that I quit being emotionally invested in the Olympics.
 
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ahoelsken said:
Im going to submit the name Lawrence Phillips for consideration here. I can't think of another football coach outside of Tom Osborne who would let a kid who dragged women down a staircase via their hair continue to play football.

**** Nebraska.
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Joe Mixon at OU. Had to sit out his freshman football season (2014) but he kept his scholarship and played at OU after the suspension
 
Way too much of this **** going on and it isn't new. I saw something about the US mens national wrestling team in, I think, the 70s? That kind of bullshvt was going on back then. I know I saw a program about it years back. Hard to forget about Sandusky and Bailer, though. Maybe that oblivious shvt has always went on. Forgot about Hernandez and Phillips.
 
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BlackNGold said:
There are so many scandals over the years it is hard to single something out. The Penn State stuff with Sandusky was very disgusting to me because how long it went on and the coverups that happened. Similar to the Nassar in Gymnastics and Anderson at Michigan scandals these went on for so long with people looking the other way.

The doping in MLB pretty much killed most of my interest in the sport. Baseball interests is driven by stats so much and when that became tainted it was the end for me. I never want to see Bobby Bonds in the HOF.

I don't know if it is classified as a scandal but the whole cold war and the Olympics. The Soviets and Eastern block countries took away the idea of fair play. There judges would always vote against the West - 1972 Soviet-USA basketball game is a prime example. After that I quit being emotionally invested in the Olympics.
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The '72 Olympics Basketball game was probably the biggest on the court injustice I can think of. To anyone that hasn't heard that story, take a blood pressure pill and read up on it.
 
J.R. Ewing said:
The '72 Olympics Basketball game was probably the biggest on the court injustice I can think of.
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Think harder.

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J.R. Ewing said:
The '72 Olympics Basketball game was probably the biggest on the court injustice I can think of. To anyone that hasn't heard that story, take a blood pressure pill and read up on it.
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In game issues like the '72 MBB Olympics, like a variety of bad officiating, even cheating officiating, of PED scandals, of player abuse like the NFL ignoring CTE until they couldn't, team doctors in various sports sending players out to play to the detriment of their careers and future health, etc. all are infuriating.

To me though they don't compare with the scandals that end up hurting innocent people outside of the game. The Nasser thing involved teen and even pre-teen girls who were not even in a position to say no. The Sandusky case had a coach and a university ignoring sexual abuse of children who were already facing situations that put them at-risk. Baylor started with violence and murder against other athletes then doubled down by knowingly bringing in rapist and choosing to ignore a rape culture that made multiple young women victims, and then victimized them again by going out of their way to try to either quiet the victims or make it look like it was their fault, all to protect a winning football team.

The stuff that is related to the games or the sport can be frustrating but in the end is to an extent part of the game. The things that extend outside of the game to hurt others in my mind are far worse.

I can hate Tom Osborne for his ridiculous vote in the CU National Championship season because he talked about supporting the conference then tried to deny a conference mate an earned NC because he didn't want to recruit against it. Shows him as a person lacking integrity but nobody's lives are ruined because of it.

Much more justifiable to absolutely despise Tom Osborne for deciding that Lawrence Phillips dragging a young woman down the stairs by the hair, to making sure that Christian Peter never faced serious enough charges to keep him off the field (as a reminder he was convicted of groping a Miss Nebraska who claimed he did more than grope, was accused with legit evidence of raping Kathy Redmond when he was a freshman but somehow those charges never made it to court, of a list of other charges involving being drunk and out of control. I mention Ms. Redmond because she successfully sued the university and uses her history to publicly advocate for the protection of women in college settings.) In addition under Osborn's watch Nebraska they had multiple weapons charges including armed robberies and at least one case where Osborn himself hid the gun from the police.

All of this second group are things that impacted health and safety of people who were not players or coaches and frankly people who had no choice in being involved in the actions.
 
Not Sure said:
There was this one time when a CU linebacker tried to kill Adrian Martinez by tearing off his leg. There was an FBI investigation. Many Bothans were killed.
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Were they the same FBI agents who investigates OPIGate against CSU?
 
People often forget about the mob-led point shaving scandal at Boston College in 78-79. SMU getting the death penalty in college football is another biggie

How people don't immediately associate the BIg 10 with sexual assault and pedophilia is beyond me. MIchigan, OSU, Mich St, and PSU. It was an epidemic of evil.
 
Has to be the George Brett pine-tar incident. Had all the characters--Yankees/Royals (early heyday), Billy Martin, Dick Houser and the umps mulling around--"whose on first?...." Brett went nutz trying to attack the HP umpire! Gaylord Perry (playing for the Royals) stole the bat!! These days Brett would have been suspended for the year... End result, league office overturned the Umps call and they had to schedule a 1.3 inning end of the game. Video is long but a classic.

www.mlb.com/video/7-24-83-the-pine-tar-incident-c3180386

Then of course there was the Albert Belle cork-gate, where a Cleveland pitcher climbed into the drop ceiling breaking into the locked Ump room and switched out the corked bat with another bat. Then the White Sox father-son duo who attacked the Royal's 1st base coach. Just crazy...



The Baylor Basketball scandal was awful--initial disappearance of a player, he was murdered by a teammate in WACO and dumped in a gravel pit, team drug ring, and HC Dave Bliss aggressively covering it up. Bliss instructed the players to tell investigators to fabricate a story that the dead player was paying his tuition as a drug dealer--too bad an asst coach was taping him. Then Bliss was paying the dead player's tuition, etc... Murdered players car somehow was found in Virginia Beach, VA with its license plates removed. How this was not a Federal Criminal Prosecution (Bliss for witness tampering) with everyone involved boggles the mind. FYI, Dave Bliss was at one point working in the Evergreen Parkway Walmart sporting goods section.

Baylor University basketball scandal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

The Black Sox and CCNY scandals rocked those sports to the core.

Props to @MtnBuff for pointing out Tom Osborne voted CU dead last in 90' coaches poll (like 112th), so we were not undisputed champions. What sort of pr..k does that to a team in their own conference?? This has always left a bad taste in my mouth, as even reasonable Nubs fans do not defend his actions. No wonder Old Tom joined Congress!
 
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Costa Rica Buff said:
People often forget about the mob-led point shaving scandal at Boston College in 78-79. SMU getting the death penalty in college football is another biggie

How people don't immediately associate the BIg 10 with sexual assault and pedophilia is beyond me. MIchigan, OSU, Mich St, and PSU. It was an epidemic of evil.
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In 1999, Arizona State was rocked by a point shaving scandal.
 
BlackNGold said:
There are so many scandals over the years it is hard to single something out. The Penn State stuff with Sandusky was very disgusting to me because how long it went on and the coverups that happened. Similar to the Nassar in Gymnastics and Anderson at Michigan scandals these went on for so long with people looking the other way.

The doping in MLB pretty much killed most of my interest in the sport. Baseball interests is driven by stats so much and when that became tainted it was the end for me. I never want to see Barry Bonds in the HOF.
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Agree with the college stuff but come on the steroids in baseball was baseball’s most exciting time. That sport makes watching paint dry exciting. More steroids in baseball please!
 
MtnBuff said:
In game issues like the '72 MBB Olympics, like a variety of bad officiating, even cheating officiating, of PED scandals, of player abuse like the NFL ignoring CTE until they couldn't, team doctors in various sports sending players out to play to the detriment of their careers and future health, etc. all are infuriating.

To me though they don't compare with the scandals that end up hurting innocent people outside of the game. The Nasser thing involved teen and even pre-teen girls who were not even in a position to say no. The Sandusky case had a coach and a university ignoring sexual abuse of children who were already facing situations that put them at-risk. Baylor started with violence and murder against other athletes then doubled down by knowingly bringing in rapist and choosing to ignore a rape culture that made multiple young women victims, and then victimized them again by going out of their way to try to either quiet the victims or make it look like it was their fault, all to protect a winning football team.

The stuff that is related to the games or the sport can be frustrating but in the end is to an extent part of the game. The things that extend outside of the game to hurt others in my mind are far worse.

I can hate Tom Osborne for his ridiculous vote in the CU National Championship season because he talked about supporting the conference then tried to deny a conference mate an earned NC because he didn't want to recruit against it. Shows him as a person lacking integrity but nobody's lives are ruined because of it.

Much more justifiable to absolutely despise Tom Osborne for deciding that Lawrence Phillips dragging a young woman down the stairs by the hair, to making sure that Christian Peter never faced serious enough charges to keep him off the field (as a reminder he was convicted of groping a Miss Nebraska who claimed he did more than grope, was accused with legit evidence of raping Kathy Redmond when he was a freshman but somehow those charges never made it to court, of a list of other charges involving being drunk and out of control. I mention Ms. Redmond because she successfully sued the university and uses her history to publicly advocate for the protection of women in college settings.) In addition under Osborn's watch Nebraska they had multiple weapons charges including armed robberies and at least one case where Osborn himself hid the gun from the police.

All of this second group are things that impacted health and safety of people who were not players or coaches and frankly people who had no choice in being involved in the actions.
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Tom Osborne can't die quickly enough.
 
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