TOM BRADY RANKS 10 TOP SPORTS SCANDALS

Tom Brady via wpxi.com

The heat Tom Brady feels today is the same heat applied to sports history and the scandals of yesteryear without Facebook and twitter.

The way he responded to the appeal of his four game suspension would have worked for others?

Maybe not, but it probably won’t work for him either.

– Let’s start with Jim Thorpe, arguably America and the world’s greatest athlete.

Greatest? What else would you call the man who won both the Pentathlon and Decathlon in the 1912 Olympics?

He returned his gold medals after officials discovered he played baseball for money, maybe $2 a game.

Tom Brady says: “Jim and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Shoeless Joe Jackson banned from baseball after the Black Sox scandal during the 1919 World Series.

A great player in the prime of his playing years got tossed on allegations he threw the Series even though he had the numbers to show otherwise.

Tom Brady says: “Joe and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Alex Groza banned for life from the NBA. Alex who?

From wiki: Groza was the captain and center of the “Fabulous Five” that won the 1948 and 1949 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships, as well as the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team.^[3] Groza was three-time All-American and All-SEC, and two-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

And an accused point shaver.

Tom Brady says: “Alex and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Alex Karras and Paul Hornung suspended a year for gambling.

From wiki: On January 7, 1963, Karras’s ownership in Detroit’s Lindell AC Bar became a source of controversy when league officials urged him to sell his financial interests in the place because of reports of gambling and organized crime influence. After first threatening to retire rather than give it up, Karras admitted placing bets on NFL games and was suspended by the league, along with Green Bay Packers’ running back Paul Hornung, for one season (1963).

Tom Brady says: “Alex, Paul, and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Joe Namath opened a club, threatened to retire when told to close the club due to suspicious customers, then sold it.

From wiki: Namath opened a popular Upper East Side bar called “Bachelors III,” which became associated with criminals. To protect the league’s reputation, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle ordered Namath to divest himself of his interest in the bar. Namath refused, retiring from football during a teary news conference, but eventually agreed to divest his interest, and reported to the Jets.

Tom Brady says: “Joe and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Muhammad Ali lost his title when he refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War.

From wiki: In 1967, three years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges and stripped of his boxing title.

Tom Brady says: “Muhammad and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Pete Rose banned for life from baseball.

From wiki: In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the “permanently ineligible” list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters.

Tom Brady says: “Pete and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Ben Johnson banned from Olympics for doping.

From wiki: On September 24, 1988, Johnson became the first sprinter from Canada since Percy Williams in 1928 to win the 100m final at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, lowering his own world record to 9.79 seconds. Johnson would later remark that he would have been even faster had he not raised his hand in the air just before he finished the race. However, Park Jong-sei of the Olympic Doping Control Center found that Johnson’s blood and urine samples contained stanozolol, and he was disqualified three days later.

Tom Brady says: “Ben and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Jackie Joyner-Kersee on doping for the Olympics.

From the LA Times: I want to apologize to you all for all of this. I am sorry for putting you all through this after you have been there for me through everything. I want to apologize to you, in advance, for the questions that you will be asked about me and about your relationships with me. And lastly, I am sorry for disappointing you all, in so many ways. My intent was never to hurt any of you.

Tom Brady says: “Jackie and I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”

– Lance Armstrong gives up on his defense of doping.

From wiki: Armstrong had been the subject of doping allegations ever since winning the 1999 Tour de France. In 2012, a United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs over the course of his career^[4] and named him as the ringleader of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen. Armstrong chose not to contest the charges, citing the potential toll on his family. As a result, he received a lifetime ban from competing in all sports which follow the World Anti-Doping Agency code—effectively ending his athletic career. He was also stripped of all of his achievements after 1998, including his seven Tour de France titles.

Tom Brady says: “Look at all the names listed and you’ll understand why I’m fighting any and all allegations of wrong doing. And if things get to close to home, I’ve got Jackie’s speech memorized. Thank you.”