In 2003, the USC Trojans transformed from mediocre football program to magnificent power house under head coach Pete Carroll and running back Reggie Bush. But years later, Bush’s tenure as a Trojan would be remembered as the lowest point in the team’s history. His legacy as a Heisman-winning champion was completely overshadowed by scandal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the backyard of his estate, hidden by high fencing and dark walls, NFL quarterback Michael Vick ran “Bad Newz Kennels.” There, dogs were trained to fight, pitted against one another, and killed when they lost. Vick’s 2007 arrest and sentencing would change the world of sports forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
He was a new breed of athlete, reinvigorating the NFL and its fans. But it all fell apart for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback in 2007 when it was revealed that Michael Vick owned a kennel involved in a dog-fighting ring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In September of 1920, a grand jury investigation in Chicago began gathering evidence for a court case against the eight accused White Sox players. Fans waited with bated breath as to what the consequences would be for the athletes involved and the sport of baseball itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Chicago White Sox were a powerhouse of the American League in the late 1910s. But in 1919, the team became embroiled in one of the biggest sports scandals of the century when it was revealed that several players were paid to throw the World Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With more people starting to challenge Lance Armstrong's claim that he never used performance-enhancing drugs, he had to resort to increasingly brutal tactics to keep them silent. But in the process, he may have defrauded the American government out of millions of dollars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the course of winning seven straight Tour de France titles, Lance Armstrong passed hundreds of doping tests. But in reality, he was running one of the most sophisticated doping programs in the history of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After retiring from English football in the late 1970s, Peter Storey needed a way to support himself. Through his network of shady connections, that way turned out to be crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An English football player from the 60s and 70s with a reputation for physical brutality on the field, Peter Storey’s intensity translated to a scandalous criminal life after his retirement. By the time he was 40, the football champion had been convicted of counterfeit and running a brothel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When skating rival Nancy Kerrigan was brutally attacked six weeks before the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games, the press and the public realized who stood the most to gain from knocking her out of the running. But could it be proven? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the early 90s, Tonya Harding reached the pinnacle of her career as the first American woman to complete a triple-axel jump in competition. She was expected to win gold at the ‘92 Olympics, but fizzled out, placing 4th. Within a few years, her quest would be overshadowed by scandal and infamy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On the eve of the 2004 NHL Western Conference Quarterfinals, Mike Danton wasn't focused on his first playoff series, but on killing the man who helped him get into the NHL: his agent, David Frost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By 2004, Canadian hockey player Mike Danton was in the midst of a 4-year NHL career playing for the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues. He’d soon find himself on thin ice after an attempt to hire a hitman to kill his agent was thwarted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In late 2006, NBA referee Tim Donaghy entered into a partnership with professional gambler James "Ba Ba" Battista. But the good times wouldn't last long. Within a few months, Donaghy became the target of an FBI probe. The NBA would never be the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As an NBA referee Tim Donaghy was expected to neutrally uphold the rules of his sport. However, he used his position to enrich himself in the worst way possible: betting on games he officiated. The FBI investigation into his gambling would change the landscape of sports forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After staying clean for the back half of his career, LT finishes his 13-year run with the New York Giants. Almost immediately, he finds his way back to drugs and in numerous run-ins with the law. But just as LT turned his life around once again, his decade-long journey of redemption was suddenly brought to a halt in 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From 1981-1993, Lawrence Taylor was a star linebacker for the NFL’s New York Giants. It was a legendary career on one of football’s biggest teams—clouded by failed drug tests and endless possession charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1989, the MLB caught wind that Pete Rose was betting on baseball games as the manager for the Cincinnati Reds. As the truth about him came to light, Rose had a choice: admit to what he'd done, or fight the allegations until the bitter end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pete Rose's unrelenting drive on the baseball field earned him the nickname "Charlie Hustle" and a place as one of the sport's all-time greats. But as he racked up hits in a pursuit for Ty Cobb's all-time record, Rose was also racking up significant gambling debts that threatened to destroy his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In February 2013, less than a year after the 2012 Olympic Games, Oscar Pistorius would shoot and kill his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, allegedly confusing her for an intruder. The resulting trial was rife with controversy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oscar Pistorius captured the hearts of millions while competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, overcoming the doubters he fought over the course of his life. In becoming the first double amputee to compete on the Olympic stage, his story served as an inspiration to people around the world. However, shortly after reaching inconceivable heights, he would become embroiled in an unbelievable scandal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Professional athletes are some of the most idolized figures in the world; they have millions of fans and millions of dollars. Sports Criminals is a Parcast Original highlighting professional athletes who thought they could get away with anything, including blackmail, theft, prostitution and even murder. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
