The Worst Suspensions in Sports History

Robertson, a defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills, was suspended in October 2002 for repeated violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Robertson, who was 23 at the time of the suspension, had appeared in 12 games as a rookie, recording 27 tackles that included two sacks. During his rookie year, he was often fined for being late to meetings.

In June 2016, the much-traveled baseball player Marlon Byrd was suspended for 162 games after the 38-year-old tested positive for violating Major League Baseball’s joint drug and prevention program for the second time in his career. The suspension effectively ended his career. Byrd, who was playing for Cleveland (his 10th team), became the the third player to receive a 162-game ban from MLB, joining Alex Rodriguez (2013) and Jenrry Mejia (2015).

Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest, was suspended a total of 111 games in four separate years for violent conduct. Artest, a forward for the Indiana Pacers, was involved in one of sports’ ugliest brawls in a game with the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Auburn Hills in 2012. A fan doused Artest with beer and the brawny forward jumped into the stands and attacked him. Other teammates followed and chaos ensued with bottles tossed and chairs thrown. Artest was hit with an 86-game suspension for the incident, the longest non-drug-related suspension in league history.

Koren Robinson, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, was suspended without pay in October 2006 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The action by the NFL came after Robinson pleaded not guilty to charges of drunken driving and fleeing police during a high-speed chase in the previous August when he was playing for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings cut Robinson and he was picked up by the Packers.

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict has had a troubled NFL career. He’s been suspended four times, three of them for on-field incidents. The most recent episode was a 12-game suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle. In 2016, Burfict was suspended three games for multiple violations of player safety rules. A year later, the linebacker was suspended five games for hitting a defenseless player. That was eventually reduced to three games upon appeal. In 2018, Burfict missed four games for a violation of the NFL’s performance enhancing drugs policy. Burfict, a one-time Pro Bowler, has had 17 run-ins with the NFL’s disciplinary office.

Wide receiver Martavis Bryant had a promising career snuffed out by repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He had been suspended three times in four years by the league, with the final action in December 2018 for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous ban. Bryant, drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014, is no longer playing in the NFL.

In February 2016, Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia became the first player to be permanently suspended by Major League Baseball after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. It was Mejia’ third positive PED test in the past year, triggering the lifetime ban. The right-hander was also permanently suspended from playing minor league baseball.

Francis Martes was a top pitching prospect for the Houston Astros whose career was hindered by Tommy John surgery in 2017 and then derailed by several suspensions for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Martes completed his second suspension in June 2021, but he never fulfilled his promise with the Astros, who released him in August 2021.

Robinson Canó, one of the greatest second baseman of all time, was suspended by Major League Baseball in November 2020 for the entire 2021 season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He had been traded to the New York Mets from the Seattle Mariners and played during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He had previously served an 80-game suspension in 2018 after violating MLB’s joint drug prevention and treatment program while playing for the Mariners.

Adam “Pacman” Jones was a Pro Bowl cornerback who played for various teams including the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and Denver Broncos. The Titans drafted him in 2005 with the sixth overall pick, though they were concerned about his prior off-field incidents. Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season under the personal conduct policy and he also missed the 2009 season over his involvement in a shooting in Las Vegas.

Defensive lineman David Irving of the Dallas Cowboys was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league’s policy and program for substances of abuse. It was the third suspension of his career for the then 25-year-old lineman, who was banned for the first four games of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Irving joined the Cowboys in 2015 and played with Dallas for four seasons. He did not play in 2019 and went to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 where he played two games before leaving the NFL.

Darrell Russell, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman with the Oakland Raiders, spent much of his life fighting personal demons off the field, and in 2001 and 2002, the NFL suspended him for drug abuse. His life came to a tragic end in 2005 when he and a former teammate at USC died in a car crash following a high-speed chase in Los Angeles.

Leon Lett, the Pro Bowl defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, won three Super Bowls with America’s Team. He became famous for his premature touchdown celebration in Super Bowl 27 in 1993. After Lett recovered a fumble, he galloped 64 yards only to have the ball knocked out his hand as he neared the end zone. Lett was suspended three times in his career for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, which included a 16-game ban divided between the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Josh Evans was a defensive lineman for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans who later joined the New York Jets and helped them reach the playoffs in 2002. After that season, he played only seven more games with the Jets, and was suspended for substance abuse in 2003, after he violated the league’s substance-abuse policy for a third time. After playing one game in 2004, he left football. In 2021, Evans died after a battle with kidney cancer.

One-time Pro Bowl running back Ricky Williams never hid the fact that he liked to use marijuana during his 11-year career in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens. He claimed he used it for pain management, depression, and social anxiety disorder. He had been suspended for several games for using marijuana until 2006, when he was suspended for one year for using drugs in addition to pot. Williams’ career ended in 2011 after he was suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy on several occasions.

R. Jay Soward, a wide receiver out of USC, was projected to be a star for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Instead, the former 29th overall pick in the 2000 draft, the player that Jacksonsville believed could help it win the Super Bowl, played only 13 games for the Jags, falling victim to alcohol and drug abuse. He was suspended multiple times between 2000 and 2002.

Dale Carter, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive back who played for five teams, missed the entire 2000 season because he violated the league’s substance abuse policy. He returned to play with the Minnesota Vikings in 2001 and after signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2002, he was suspended again for transgressing the league’s substance abuse policy.

Defensive end Dion Jordan has missed a total of 31 games in his career, including the entire 2015 season, for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Jordan, a former No. 3 overall draft pick by the Miami Dolphins who played for four teams, was suspended again in 2019 for 10 games for a violation of the NFL’s PED policy.

Pro Bowl running back Tony Collins was the first player to be suspended from the National Football League following a positive test for banned substances after he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 1988. Collins’ drug problem began in 1982 when he became dependent on pain relievers after sustaining a leg injury with the New England Patriots. When the NFL suspended him for four games in 1988, he appealed the suspension, saying he had never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. His appeal was denied after it was revealed that he had used PCP on two separate occasions. He played for the Oakland Raiders the next year, failed another drug test, and was banned from football for life.

Defensive end Larry Webster, who played on the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens as well as three other NFL teams, was suspended for parts of three seasons for substance abuse violations. The suspension in 1996 cost Webster that entire season. Webster had four total violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Major League Baseball threw the book at Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for violating the league’s domestic iolence and sexual assault policy, suspending him for two years in April 2022. Bauer has not played since June 2021, when a San Diego woman came forward with assault allegations against the right-hander. Bauer was placed on paid administrative leave by the league the following month. Any suspension under the domestic violence policy would mean Bauer would not get compensation. Bauer has always denied the allegations.

Phoenix Suns forward Richard Dumas missed two full seasons, 1991-92 and 1993-94, for violating the NBA’s substance abuse policy. Dumas said he first tried crack in high school and was using drugs at Oklahoma State University. He admitted he had anxiety before NBA games, to the point where he needed to drink a six-pack of beer before each one. After his playing days were over, Dumas said he was diagnosed with manic bipolar depression with social anxiety disorder.

Pitcher Steve Howe was a rookie of the year, an All-Star, and a World Series champion – and also an addict. During a 12-year career where he pitched for four different teams, Howe was suspended seven times by his employers and Major League Baseball because of abusing alcohol and cocaine. Howe died in a car accident in 2006, after which an autopsy revealed the presence of methamphetamine in his body.

Michael Vick, a four-time Pro Bowler, was an extraordinarily talented quarterback who shocked the sports world and beyond in 2007 because of his involvement in illegal dogfighting. He was found guilty of funding and operating the activity and was sentenced to two years in federal prison. The NFL also rebuked Vick for associating with known gamblers. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick in a letter that he had “engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the NFL and violated the league’s personal conduct policy.” Vick served jail time and eventually returned to the NFL in 2009 and played for three teams.

Randy Gregory was an integral part of the Dallas Cowboys’ defense for five years. But for some of that time Gregory was suspended because he violated the collective bargaining agreement policies regarding marijuana, which Gregory said he used to self-medicate to battle anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. The new CBA in 2020, Gregory was allowed to return from suspension. Gregory eschewed a contract from the Cowboys and signed a five-year, $70 million contract in March with the Denver Broncos.

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress started 2008 by catching a touchdown pass that won Super Bowl 42 for the New York Giants. The year ended with him shooting himself in a nightclub and getting suspended by the Giants. That wasn’t the worst of it. Because he was carrying an unlicensed firearm in New York, the penalty was mandatory jail time, and Burress served 20 months behind bars. After he got out of prison, Burress played two more seasons in the NFL and ended his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.

When Stanley Wilson was on the football field, he was effective. Playing running back for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1986, Wilson scored eight touchdowns in just 10 games. He also scored two in the Bengals’ divisional playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks on the road to the 1989 Super Bowl. But staying on the field was problematic for Wilson, whose cocaine habit cost him the 1985 and 1987 seasons for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Wilson had been in drug-treatment programs five times. Wilson was using cocaine the day before the Bengals were set to face the San Francisco 49ers in the 1989 Super Bowl and never played in that game – which the Bengals lost. He never played in the NFL after that.

Two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Frank Filchock helped lead the New York Giants to the 1946 NFL Championship Game, despite throwing 25 interceptions in only 11 games. He was accused of taking a bribe to lose the championship game to the Chicago Bears by more than 10 points, a game in which he threw six interceptions. The Giants lost, 24-14. Filchock said he refused the offer, but the NFL punished him anyway with a lifetime ban that was lifted three years later.

Even though free safety Tanard Jackson played just 56 games in his NFL career, he intercepted the ball 10 times, five times in 2009, while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Jackson was in constant trouble with the NFL over substance abuse and was suspended by the league four times for violating its drug policy. The last time was in 2014, just after he signed with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders).

Pro Bowl wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Josh Gordon has had trouble staying on the gridiron. He’s been suspended six times by the NFL for using performance-enhancing drugs and violating the league’s policy of substance abuse. Gordon’s missteps have caused him to miss 73 games, including the entire 2015 and 2016 campaigns. Gordon had drug problems in college, where he had multiple drug-related incidents.

Pro Bowl Linebacker Aldon Smith was a dominant force in 2012, recording 19.5 sacks for the San Francisco 49ers. The No. 7 overall draft pick in 2011 played a key role in helping the 49ers reach Super Bowl 47 in 2013. Since 2012, however, his has been a running timeline of arrests for weapons charges, making false bomb threats, driving under the influence, vandalism, and suspensions from the NFL because he violated the league’s substance abuse policy. Smith missed four entire seasons from 2016 through 2019.

Roy Tarpley’s is one of the saddest of sports stories. Tarpley was selected as the No. 7 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft from the University of Michigan by the Dallas Mavericks. He made the All-Rookie Team in 1986-87, and the next year the 6-11 Tarpley helped the Mavs push the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Then it all came apart. He was arrested twice for DUI and was suspended for life from the NBA after the second violation. He was reinstated in 1994, but he was banned again for violating the league’s aftercare program. From 1991-92 to 1996-97, Tarpley missed five full NBA seasons. He died in 2015 at the age of 50.

Hockey player Billy Coutu was known as a brawler. While playing for the Boston Bruins against the Ottawa Senators in the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals’ deciding game, Coutu and his teammates tangled with Ottawa players as time was ticking down and Ottawa ahead. As players left the ice, Boston coaches and players took out their ire on referee Billy Bell who tried to break up the fracas between the two teams. Coutu tackled the referee earning him a lifetime boot from the NHL. Just over two years later, Coutu was reinstated but he was no longer the player he was and settled for playing minor league hockey.

The City College of New York is the only school to win both the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament in the same year, 1950. Unfortunately for CCNY, the school holds another dubious distinction – its involvement in college basketball’s infamous point-shaving scandal. In 1951, 32 college basketball players from seven different schools around the country were snagged in an organized crime-run point-shaving scheme that impacted four New York schools and three out-of-state teams, including the University of Kentucky. Most of those implicated were CCNY players and the school never returned to major college basketball.

More than 100 years after it happened, the Chicago White Sox scandal is still the worst episode in American sports. Engineered by gambler Arnold Rothstein, members of the heavily favored Chicago White Sox – annoyed by the tight-fistedness of owner Charles Comiskey – were persuaded to fix the 1919 World Series and lose to the Cincinnati Reds. Rigging baseball games was nothing new, but fixing the World Series crossed the line and was seen as an egregious attack on the integrity of the game. The scandal led to the creation of a baseball commissioner’s office. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, an iron-fisted former federal judge, was the first to hold the commissioner’s title. He banned eight White Sox players from baseball for life for their involvement with gamblers.