The Most Infamous Sports Scandals From the 1990s

Who doesn’t love to hear about an interesting scandal? Scandals aren’t just limited to politics or entertainment. Even your favorite sports stars can find themselves in the midst of one.

The 1990s was chock-full of sports scandals in both the figure skating and basketball world. Scandals also transcend borders. A few on our list are international cases that baffled sports viewers in this epic decade.

So, what are some of the most insane sports scandals to come out of the 1990s? Keep reading to find out.

The University of Minnesota Basketball Scandal

One of the biggest scandals to break out of the 1990s was the University of Minnesota basketball scandal. In this basketball scandal, the Paul Pioneer Press found and reported that Jan Gangelhoff, the academic counseling office manager, had completed coursework for at least 20 basketball members. While the scandal broke out in 1999, a day before the 1999 NCAA Tournament, the academic dishonesty began way before in 1993.

George Dohrmann blew the whistle on this scandal. In his report, he wrote that Gangelhoff was caught in 1996, but continued cheating and completing work for basketball students. In the end, the NCAA issued a few sanctions including four years of probation for the university. Because of the findings, Clem Haskins (the head coach), Mark Dienhart (the men’s athletic director), and McKinley Boston (the university vice president) resigned.

French Football Bribery Scandal

Academic dishonesty is just one scandal that plagued the 1990s. Another sports scandal that stunned audiences across the world was the French football bribery scandal. It took place during a 1992–93 French Division 1. The teams during this match were Valenciennes and Olympique de Marseille. But who bribed who? And why?

Olympique de Marseille was on a winning streak. The team had previously won the previous four French Division 1 championships. However, prior to the match with Valenciennes, the team had lost the 1991 European Cup Final. This was unacceptable to the Olympique de Marseille. Christophe Robert, the captain of Olympique de Marseille, asked Valenciennes player Jacques Glassmann to forfeit the match. He refused, but two other players agreed and took the bribe money. On the day of the match, the Marseille team won. Glassmann also told Boro Primorac, the team manager, about the bribe. Almost immediately, the police were involved.

Nancy Kerrigan Attack

Plenty of people have heard of the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, a well-known figure skating legend. On January 6, 1994, Shane Stant hit Kerrigan with a baton on her right thigh after she had finished skating in a nearby arena. But was Shane Stant behind the assault? Not exactly.

Actually, it was orchestrated by Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding, and Shawn Eckardt. Tonya Harding wanted to win so badly in figure skating that she was involved in planning and executing the attack. Kerrigan did recover but did not compete in the 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships. She was able to compete in the 1994 Olympics.

University of Michigan Basketball Scandal

The University of Michigan was involved in a multi-decade scandal from the 1980s into the 1990s. Eddie L. “Ed” Martin, the booster of the university’s basketball team, paid men’s basketball players to launder money from his illegal gambling operations. Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor, Louis Bullock, and Chris Webber were confirmed to be involved.

So, how did people find out about this scandal? It started with a car accident. On February 17, 1996, Maurice Taylor lost control of his car on the road while returning from a party. The investigation into the accident uncovered that the passengers and driver visited Martin’s home, which rang alarm bells in police officials’ heads. They uncovered a numbers game operation where team members were gifted suspicious amounts of money by Martin to keep the gambling winnings hidden.

Murder Trial of O. J. Simpson

One of the biggest scandals of the 1990s orbited around NFL legend – O.J. Simpson and his alleged murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. On June 12, 1994, a couple found two bodies in a home, one belonging to Nicole and her friend, Ronald Goldman. They had been stabbed multiple times, and there was no sign of forced entry.

Almost immediately, police suspected O.J. Simpson because of their shaky relationship. He pleaded not guilty but tried to escape from police before being taken in. The trial lasted eight long months. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence, and yet he was acquitted of charges. One piece of evidence police found was a bloody glove containing the blood of Ronald in Simpson’s car. However, in the trial, he tried on the gloves, and they were too small. This was a huge part of the defense team’s argument. After the verdict, Goldman’s father filed a civil suit against Simpson, and in 1997, the jury unanimously deemed Simpson guilty for the deaths of Goldman and Brown.

Show Jumping Horse Insurance Fraud

The show jumping horse killings is one of the saddest sports scandals to come from the 1990s. From the mid-1970s to the end of the ’90s, wealthy horse owners took out expensive insurance on their show-jumping horses and committed insurance fraud.

Often, these wealthy horse owners were strapped for cash. Whenever they needed more money, they’d hire someone to electrocute their horse in such a way that the death looked natural. It’s hard to tell how many people were involved. Thirty-five people were convicted of crimes related to the horse killings. The FBI estimates that about 50 to 100 horse owners filed fraudulent insurance claims after killing their horses.

One woman may have even lost her life for knowing too much. Helen Brach, a multimillionaire, allegedly knew about the electrocutions and fraud. She may have been threatening horse owners with information on the fraud. She disappeared on February 17, 1977, but was declared dead in 1984.

Mike Tyson Biting Off Opponent’s Ear

Mike Tyson was also caught in a controversy during the ’90s. On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were boxing for the WBA Heavyweight Championship in Nevada. During the match, Holyfield took the lead, winning the first rounds.

Quickly, the match turned dicey. Tyson took charge of the fight and bit Holyfield’s left ear, ripping off a one-inch piece of cartilage and spitting it out in the ring. The fight was paused as Holyfield’s ear was checked out. Tyson was penalized, and the fight continued, but soon after, he bit Holyfield’s other ear, leaving a scar. When the scar was discovered, the match was halted again. The referee, Mills Lane, disqualified Mike Tyson, which ended in Holyfield gaining the victory. Because of this action and other issues against Mike Tyson, he temporarily lost his boxing license. Decades later, and now both boxers are retired and are close friends.

Cincinnati Reds Owner Suspended

Marge Schott was the CEO of the Cincinnati Reds but was under fire during the 90s. In 1993, the MLB’s executive council unanimously voted to suspend Schott after she consistently used racial slurs and hate speech. The ban lasted a year, and she was forced to pay a $25,000 fine.

Her hateful language racially targeted African Americans, Jews, and Japanese people. Apart from using racial slurs, Schott also praised Adolf Hitler during an interview. Her initial suspension was in 1993, but she continued using racial slurs and stating insensitive remarks, leading to another ban through the 1998 season. By 1999, she sold her portion of the Reds to Carl Lindner.

Diego Maradona’s World Cup Ban

Diego Maradona was an Argentinian soccer superstar that landed in some controversy during the 90s. He was a beloved player known for his quick moves and free-kick specialty. During his soccer career, Maradona participated in four FIFA World Cups.

Despite his incredible feats, Maradona struggled. His biggest controversy was during the 1994 World Cup. He played in two games before he was sent home after he tested positive for ephedrine. There is a lot of debate on how he tested positive. Allegedly, his prescribed nasal spray contained ephedrine. Years later, in his autobiography, he swore that the positive test result was because of an American energy drink. Either way, he was banned from the game, and Argentina swiftly lost without the team’s star player.

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