Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino was fired by the school on Wednesday, along with athletic director Tom Jurich, after the program was linked to a federal investigation into fraud and corruption in recruiting, according to a report from ESPN.After drawn out court process, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady eventually served a four-game suspension for the Deflategate scandal to start the 2016 NFL season. An investigation by the NFL found that he was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" of a locker room attendant and an equipment assistant to release air from Patriots game balls before the AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts in 2015. The Patriots also also paid a $1 million fine and forfeited a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017.On June 17, 2016, the the International Association of Athletics Federations, or IAAF, upheld its ban on Russian track and field athletes competing on the global stage over the country's lack of anti-doping efforts. The decision came following a 2015 report that detailed allegations of a "deeply rooted culture of cheating at all levels" in Russian athletics. With the ban on the Russian track and field team also backed by the International Olympic Committee, long jumper Darya Klishina was the only Russian track and field athlete allowed to compete in the Rio Games. The IOC also denied another 43 Russian athletes a spot in the Games due to the scandal for a total of 111 athletes.The Baltimore Ravens cut running back Ray Rice after graphic video surfaced of him punching his former fiancee in an elevator in 2014. He was indefinitely suspended from the NFL but was later reinstated but has not since played in the league.Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty in April 2015 of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition in the 2013 shooting death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. While serving a life sentence, he was found not guilty in April 2017 on two unrelated first-degree murder charges stemming from a double homicide in Boston in 2012, but committed suicide in prison five days after his acquittal.Donald Sterling: In April 2014, then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Sterling was suspended from the NBA for life and fined the maximum $2.5 million after a league investigation determined racist comments on a recording were indeed made by Sterling. Sterling was also forced to sell the team.Alex Rodriguez: New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball was suspended for the entire 2014 season for his use of performance-enhancing drugs and for allegedly coercing a witness in MLB's drug investigation.Lance Armstrong: In June 2012, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor was accused of doping and stripped of his many titles. In January 2013, after years of denials, he admitted to taking banned substances in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.O.J. Simpson: While the Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL star was acquitted of double murder during the most publicized trial of all time, Simpson eventually ended up serving nine years in prison for an armed robbery in Las Vegas. His tentative release date is Oct. 1, 2017.Pete Rose: In 2004, the former Cincinnati Reds player and manager admitted to betting on baseball games after years of accusations. Rose was ruled ineligible for the Hall of Fame in 1989 due to the accusations.Tiger Woods: 2009 saw a series of events -- including a car accident, more than a dozen mistresses, divorce and therapy -- derail his career and personal life. Several years later Woods is still trying to recapture his golf greatness.Barry Bonds: Baseball's steroid era and the Mitchell Report gave us hulking players (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds) who easily shattered Roger Maris' and Hank Aaron's home run records. For Bonds, allegations of steroid use have overshadowed his records, which include the single-season and career home run records.Tonya Harding: A champion figure skater in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Harding is best remembered for the cover-up of an attack orchestrated by her ex-husband and bodyguard on competitor Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. She has had several minor run-ins with the law since then, and has also dabbled in boxing.New Orleans Saints bounty program: "Bountygate" was a fund that rewarded Saints players with financial bonuses for inflicting injuries on opposing players that forced them to leave games. Following an NFL investigation, the Saints played their 2012 season without their head coach Sean Payton, defensive coordinator and key players, who were all suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell.1918 Chicago Black Sox: In response to notoriously cheap team owner, Charles Comiskey, who leveraged loopholes in contracts and MLB laws to prevent playing his star players, eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball for life for taking money from underworld figures to intentionally lose games, including the 1919 World Series.Southern Methodist University football scandal: Southern Methodist University's entire 1987 schedule was canceled due to massive violations of NCAA rules and regulations including slush funds and illegal payments to athletes for over a decade. Following the death penalty, the SMU Mustangs had only one winning season over the next 20 years.Michael Vick: In 2007, the NFL star was sentenced to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to a dogfighting conspiracy charge. The former No. 1 draft pick filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and in 2009, the Atlanta Falcons cut ties with him. Vick later made a comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009 through 2013 and then played a season each for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino was fired by the school on Wednesday, along with athletic director Tom Jurich, after the program was linked to a federal investigation into fraud and corruption in recruiting, according to a report from ESPN.
