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Vote: Which Is the Biggest Non-Doping Cheating Scandal in Sports History?

Sal Alosi has made it even easier for Patriots fans — and sports fans in general — to hate the New York Jets.

The Jets’ strength and conditioning coach did the unthinkable on Sunday as he took out Miami’s Nolan Carroll during a punt in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ 10-6 win. Alosi, a former Hofstra linebacker, apologized in a written statement after the loss.

While this regrettable act will likely cost the coach his job, will it go down as one of the biggest non-doping cheating scandals in sports?

In 2007, the world was introduced to Spygate, when Bill Belichick‘s Patriots were caught illegally filming opponents’ sidelines.

Danny Almonte is a name baseball fans will remember forever. The former Little League pitcher was considered a phenomenon as he led his Bronx team to a third-place finish in the 2001 Little League World Series. His talents were too good to be true, as Almonte was revealed to have actually been 2 years too old to play Little League during his dominance in the annual tournament.

On July 9, 2007, NBA ref Tim Donaghy resigned after 13 seasons, as allegations that he bet on games began to surface. He pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to the investigation and was later sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in July of 2008. He served 11 months in a federal prison camp in Florida and spent the remainder of his sentence in a halfway house. After being send back to jail for violating his release terms, he was finally released in November of 2009.

Although not necessarily a cheating scandal, Diego Maradona‘s famous “Hand of God” goal in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup against England will go down as one of the most scandalous goals in World Cup history. After the 2-1 win, Maradona claimed that the goal was scored, “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios” (“a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”).

Unless you’re a New Englander or a marathoner, you may not be very familiar with Rosie Ruiz. At the 1980 Boston Marathon, Ruiz captured first place (among female competitors) but was later stripped of her title when it was found that she had not run the entire course. It was later determined that she also cheated in the New York City Marathon in 1979, which qualified her to run in the Boston Marathon.

Which is the biggest non-doping cheating scandal in sports history?online survey