20 Biggest Cheaters In Sports How They Did It

Ken Schrader's Smokescreen

For each one honorable way to succeed, there are a dozen ways to cheat in order to get there too. Over the thousands of years of sport (although we'll stick to the most recent two hundred or so), these people take the cake for doing it dirty.

Stock car racing is all about "interpreting" the rules, however sometimes drivers find creative ways to cheat that there are no rules for!

Six laps later, after the second place car had almost caught him, he decided to "simulate" an engine failure by grabbing his in-car fire extinguisher, pointing it out the window and pulling the pin. Thinking the smoke was a sign his motor was about to blow, his competitors backed off just enough to let him first across the line.

• Name: Ken Schrader
• Gender: male
• Age: 65
• Birthday: May 29th, 1955
• Net worth: $25,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Race Car Driver

Mike Tyson Ear Biting

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II, billed as "the Sound and the Fury" and afterwards infamously referred to as "the Bite Fight" or "the Bite of '97" was a professional boxing match contested on June 28, 1997, for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. It achieved notoriety as one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history, after Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license, though it was later reinstated.

As a result of biting Holyfield on both ears and other behavior, Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined million plus legal costs. The revocation was not permanent; slightly more than a year later on October 18, 1998, the commission voted to restore Tyson's license.

• Name: Mike Tyson
• Gender: male
• Age: 54
• Height: 5'10" (1.78m)
• Birthday: June 30th, 1966
• Net worth: $10,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Professional Boxer, Actor, Film Producer, Athlete

Barry Bonds Performance Enhancing Drugs

Perhaps one of the biggest scandals in recent sports history, steroids took the main stage with the hearings held by the U.S. Congress to investigate the use of anabolic steroids or PEDs (Performance-Enhancing Drugs) in Major League Baseball.

Steroids exist in every sport, but the decision of the U.S. Congress to become involved in the matter cemented the players' fate as cheaters and dishonest individuals.

• Name: Barry Bonds
• Gender: male
• Age: 56
• Height: 6'2" (1.88m)
• Birthday: July 24th, 1964
• Net worth: $100,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Baseball Player, Athlete, Actor

Ben Johnson Performance Enhancing Drugs

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he reached the 100 metres final; after a false start, he won the bronze medal behind Carl Lewis and Sam Graddy with a time of 10.22. He also won a bronze medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team of Johnson, Tony Sharpe, Desai Williams and Sterling Hinds, who ran a time of 38.70. By the end of the 1984 season, Johnson had established himself as Canada's top sprinter, and on August 22 in Zürich, Switzerland, he bettered Williams' Canadian record of 10.17 by running 10.12.

He was stripped of his gold medals in the 100 metres at the 1987 World Championships and 1988 Summer Olympics after being disqualified for doping.

• Name: Ben Johnson
• Gender: male
• Age: 59
• Height: 5'10" (1.78m)
• Birthday: December 30th, 1961
• Net worth: $2,000,000
• Nationality: ca
• Occupation: Track And Field Athlete, Coach

Smokey Yunick's Balls

Henry "Smokey" Yunick (May 25, 1923 - May 9, 2001) was an American mechanic and car designer associated with motorsports. Yunick was deeply involved in the early years of NASCAR, and he is probably most associated with that racing genre.

During inspection, they filled up the tank which would appear to conform to regulations. After passing the tech inspection, Smokey would deflate the ball, pull it out of the tank, and fill the regulation-plus-basketball-sized fuel tank for the race - giving him a nice fuel capacity advantage.

Lance Armstrong Doping

Lance Edward Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson; September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He was known for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times, from 1999 to 2005, the most in the event's history, after recovering from testicular cancer. Armstrong's reputation was tarnished by a doping scandal and he was stripped of all of his achievements from August 1998 onward, including his Tour de France titles.

When it was revealed in August of 2012 that Lance Armstrong had been doping the entire time he'd been on a bike (all while denying it), the cyclist had to surrender his bright yellow jersey. Sadly, this makes it harder to find the guy and punch him in the nut.

• Name: Lance Armstrong
• Gender: male
• Age: 49
• Height: 5'9" (1.77m)
• Birthday: September 18th, 1971
• Net worth: $50,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Professional Road Racing Cyclist, Athlete

Tonya Harding Knee Capping

In sports, cheating usually happens on the field of play or on the ice, depending on which sports we're talking about. For figure skater Tonya Harding, it happened the night before the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detriot. We can't tell you what she was thinking, but we can tell you what she did, which was hire someone to break rival NAncy Kerrigan's leg with a baton. Such a graceful sport.

• Name: Tonya Harding
• Gender: female
• Age: 50
• Height: 5'0" (1.54m)
• Birthday: November 12th, 1970
• Net worth: $30,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Professional Boxer

Yoel Romero Dirty Fighting

Yoel Romero has been frequently accused of cheating in the UFC, and until this week his biggest controversy was the UFC 178 'stoolgate.' Romero says he couldn't understand the referee John McCarthy ordering him back to action in the final round against Tim Kennedy, and had an additional 10 seconds rest between rounds.

• Net worth: $10,000,000
• Name: Yoel Romero

Ray Lewis Deer Antlers

After suffering a triceps injury in October, Lewis reportedly was recorded ordering deer antler spray from Sports With Alternative To Steroids (S.W.A.T.S.) owner Mitch Ross. Lewis was recorded saying, "just pile me up and just send me everything you got, because I got to get back on this this week."

When asked directly whether he had used the spray during his recovery this season, Lewis said, "Nah, never." The last time Lewis was at a Super Bowl, questions swirled about his involvement in the murders of two men after a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in 2000. Murder charges were dropped against Lewis, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

• Name: Ray Lewis
• Gender: male
• Age: 45
• Height: 6'0" (1.85m)
• Birthday: May 15th, 1975
• Net worth: $35,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: American Football Player, Athlete

Tom Brady Just Everything

In 2015, the New England Patriots were caught deflating footballs below league standards during the AFC playoffs, which makes the balls easier to throw and catch. The Patriots were fined million dollars and had to forfeit draft picks. Quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games for his involvement, but the suspension was eventually overturned by a judge.

Soon after Brady spent the offseason signing a two-year contract as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he became, well, um, Tom Brady.

This nearly 43-year-old master of finding loopholes in NFL rules is trying to get a jump on his peers.

• Name: Tom Brady
• Gender: male
• Age: 43
• Height: 6'3" (1.93m)
• Birthday: August 3rd, 1977
• Net worth: $200,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: American Football Player

Isaac Burton Jr / Stevin Smith Gambling

PHOENIX - Deep in debt from gambling, Stevin Smith asked Arizona State teammate Isaac Burton Jr. in 1994 if he would miss some free throws against Oregon State, if needed, to shave points. That conspiracy turned into what federal officials Friday called one of the nation's worst sports gambling scandals.

1919 The Black Sox

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox team were accused of throwing the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds as part of a gambling ring headed up by racketeer and gambling kingpin, Arnold Rothstein. "The Black Sox Scandal" is where the famous quote "Say it aint so, Joe?" comes from, when a child pleaded with "Shoeless" Joe Jackson that he and his teammates hadn't thrown the game, although Jackson later confirmed that the exchange never happened. The players were banned for life and illegible for future honours, such as Hall of Fame consideration.

Most Notorious NBA Cheaters

Ok so the NBA might not be rife with actual cheating, but outside of that one Pro Golfer (You know who i'm talking about). NBA stars are infamous for 3 pointers on the court and Threesomes off the court.

It is true that the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB are all different sports leagues that showcase and promote vastly different sports, but despite all of their differences, there are certain things that the leagues have in common.

One of those things is the fact that each league is home to some of the best athletes in the world, individuals who have incredible skills, and the physical and mental fortitude to play their desired sport at the highest possible level.

If you are lucky enough to play in one of these leagues, then chances are pretty high that you will be making a great deal of money that will allow you to live a fairly lavish lifestyle, a lifestyle that many regular people envy.

Rosie Ruiz

Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon with an impressive time in 1980, but suspicions were raised when her time was discovered to be too impressive, posting a time 20 minutes faster than her previous best. She was stripped of her win when it became apparent that Ruiz had left the race, taken the subway, and rejoined miles later.

Stella Walsh Um What

One of the world's fastest female track and field athletes, Stella Walsh won a gold medal representing her native Poland in the 100 meters at the 1932 Olympics. She took silver in the same event four years later.

But when Walsh died, after being shot in a hold-up outside a Cleveland shopping mall, an autopsy revealed that her name and nationality weren't the only things she'd changed. In fact, a coroner discovered, Walsh had both female and male chromosomes. And male genitalia. One of the greatest athletes in women's sports was actually a man.

David Robertson Inch By Inch

After 14 holes in a qualifying tournament for the 1985 British Open, several players summoned a tournament official to discuss the play of David Robertson. Their complaint: Robertson wasn't placing his ball in the correct position on the green.

In reality, however, he was simply picking it up, then placing the marker on his putter -- carrying it across the green to a more favorable lie closer to the hole. Robertson was fined the equivalent of more than ,000 and banned from the pro tour for 30 years.

Michael Phelps In Human

Although not considered cheating, Phelps physiology gives him a leading edge over his fellow competitors. This man is built to swim!

But a report that the International Olympic Committee and the drug firm testing the athletes during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has received a test result from Michael Phelps that tests positive for DDP.

• Name: Michael Phelps
• Gender: male
• Age: 35
• Height: 6'3" (1.93m)
• Birthday: June 30th, 1985
• Net worth: $80,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Swimmer, Athlete

New Orleans Saints'

The New Orleans Saints didn't gamble on winning or losing, but they did offer incentives to players to deliberately injure players of opposing teams between 2009-2011.

Greg Williams was hired by the New Orleans Saints on January 15, 2009. Head coach Sean Payton, who was heavily involved in the effort to recruit Williams to the team, raved about Williams "because he was so impressive and prepared" in his interview. In fact, Williams was so impressive that Payton offered and took a voluntary 0,000 cut in salary to help facilitate his signing with the team. He took over a Saints defense ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards allowed and tied for 26th in points allowed in 2008. Williams' approach yielded immediate results, as the 2009 Saints recorded 35 defensive takeaways, second in the league, and the aggressive defense played an integral role in the Saints' run to their first Super Bowl championship.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the ringleader of the scheme, is banned from football indefinitely. Head Coach Sean Peyton was suspended for a season.

Bill Belichick Sneaky Sneaky

"Spygate" was an incident during the National Football League's (NFL) 2007 season, when the New England Patriots were disciplined by the league for videotaping New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals from an unauthorized location during a September 9, 2007 game. Videotaping opposing coaches is not illegal in the NFL entirely; there are designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping.

After an investigation, the NFL fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick 0,000 (the maximum allowed by the league and the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league's 87-year history) for his role in the incident, fined the Patriots 0,000, and docked the team their original first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft which would have been the 31st pick of the draft.

• Name: Bill Belichick
• Gender: male
• Age: 68
• Birthday: April 16th, 1952
• Net worth: $60,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: American Football Player, American Football Coach

Tiger Woods Really Bad Life Choices

Not caught for cheating at the game but the sex scandal around Tiger Woods did impact his golfing career just as negatively as actuall cheating at the game

In 2009, when Woods' car crashed into that tree outside of his house, no one could've possibly predicted the chaos that would soon follow. And by chaos, we mean overwhelming allegations of cheating. Following this incident, like his pro golf game, Woods' image would never be the same.

• Name: Tiger Woods
• Gender: male
• Age: 45
• Height: 6'0" (1.85m)
• Birthday: December 30th, 1975
• Net worth: $800,000,000
• Nationality: us
• Occupation: Golfer, Athlete, Writer