A Brief History Of Sport’s Most Unsporting Moments

Cycling: Floyd Landis Tour de France Victory and Malicious Doping Defense

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Floyd Landis, had an incredible cycling career that appeared to reach its zenith in 2006 when he won the Tour de France despite suffering from osteonecrosis, a deterioration of the hip ball joint. By stage 16, slowed by his severe pain, Landis’ chance of winning would have seemed hopeless, but a miraculous comeback at stage 17 silenced any doubters. He came from behind to take a breathtaking win, and then he returned a positive doping sample. It was all downhill from there.

Aftermath: Though his testosterone:epitestosterone ratio was 11:1, significantly higher than his maximum allowable 4:1, Landis vehemently denied the doping allegations. But it was a particular aspect of his defense that would cause a number of his supporters to turn on him. When fellow cyclist Greg LeMond testified against Landis, he also revealed that Landis’ friend and business manager, Will Geoghegan, had made a call to LeMond threatening repercussions if he testified. In particular he indicated that he would expose that LeMond had been sexually abused as a child, something that LeMond had confided in Landis.

In the end, Landis was found guilty and banned from competing for two years. He was also stripped of his Tour de France title and ordered to return the prize money.

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[Wikipedia, ABC]

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C.S. Magor is the editor-in-chief and a reporter at large for We Interrupt and Uberreview. He currently resides in the Japanese countryside approximately two hours from Tokyo - where he has spent the better part of a decade testing his hypothesis that Japan is neither as quirky nor as interesting as others would have you believe.
14 Comments on this post.
  • Kevin C
    11 May 2009 at 3:20 pm
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    Perhaps you should review what the term “clock-wise” means.

  • Kevin C
    11 May 2009 at 10:20 am
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    Perhaps you should review what the term “clock-wise” means.

  • Jim N
    13 May 2009 at 3:51 pm
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    Rolling a cricket ball is worse than biting someone’s ear off?? Granted I know next to nothing of the English sport – but c’mon.

    • C. S. Magor
      13 May 2009 at 4:03 pm
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      The sports were not in any particular order, of course I would rather have a ball rolled to me than my ear bitten off, but the rolled ball created a hell of a stink as it was seen as a cowardly play. It cast the Australian team in a bad light for many years after, even the Australian players on the field thought it was a gutless move.

  • Jim N
    13 May 2009 at 10:51 am
    Leave a Reply

    Rolling a cricket ball is worse than biting someone’s ear off?? Granted I know next to nothing of the English sport – but c’mon.

    • C. S. Magor
      13 May 2009 at 11:03 am
      Leave a Reply

      The sports were not in any particular order, of course I would rather have a ball rolled to me than my ear bitten off, but the rolled ball created a hell of a stink as it was seen as a cowardly play. It cast the Australian team in a bad light for many years after, even the Australian players on the field thought it was a gutless move.

  • Kevin B
    13 May 2009 at 8:08 pm
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    How can they leave off Woody Hayes coming from the sideline to level an opposing player running for a touchdown??

    • C. S. Magor
      14 May 2009 at 4:07 am
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      I’m only a mere mortal, but that incident just might make the next list.

  • Kevin B
    13 May 2009 at 3:08 pm
    Leave a Reply

    How can they leave off Woody Hayes coming from the sideline to level an opposing player running for a touchdown??

    • C. S. Magor
      13 May 2009 at 11:07 pm
      Leave a Reply

      I’m only a mere mortal, but that incident just might make the next list.

  • Vince
    13 May 2009 at 9:18 pm
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    Two comments: ON Kermit Washington, I saw that game and did not then and still do not believe it was bad sportsmanship. You have skirmish going on adrenaline is high and a player from the opposite team is running at you. I dont know about anyone else but I think if you put yourself in the same shoes you are going to protect yourself and while some do it by running some tend to throw out a fist or kick.

    Mike Tyson: During and after the first fight Tyson was complaining of headbutts from Holyfield, a number or other fighters also stepped forward and stated the same, Holyfield tends to lead and hit with his head. During the second fight Tyson again was complaining of headbutts. Holyfield is at least 6 inches taller than tyson why is his head hitting tyson on the forehead. bad sportsmanship on tyson but should also have been on Holyfield

  • Vince
    13 May 2009 at 4:18 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Two comments: ON Kermit Washington, I saw that game and did not then and still do not believe it was bad sportsmanship. You have skirmish going on adrenaline is high and a player from the opposite team is running at you. I dont know about anyone else but I think if you put yourself in the same shoes you are going to protect yourself and while some do it by running some tend to throw out a fist or kick.

    Mike Tyson: During and after the first fight Tyson was complaining of headbutts from Holyfield, a number or other fighters also stepped forward and stated the same, Holyfield tends to lead and hit with his head. During the second fight Tyson again was complaining of headbutts. Holyfield is at least 6 inches taller than tyson why is his head hitting tyson on the forehead. bad sportsmanship on tyson but should also have been on Holyfield

  • Mike
    14 May 2009 at 11:11 pm
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    Hmmm…like the list but if you’re going to call out dopers how about Roger Clemens ongoing boorish and deceitful behavior and taking the sportsworld and Congress for idiots with his own brand of sophistry. Also, throw in his bat throwing incident in the World Series and a professional philistine is complete.

  • Mike
    14 May 2009 at 6:11 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Hmmm…like the list but if you’re going to call out dopers how about Roger Clemens ongoing boorish and deceitful behavior and taking the sportsworld and Congress for idiots with his own brand of sophistry. Also, throw in his bat throwing incident in the World Series and a professional philistine is complete.

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