Have Mercy! 5 Scandals That Rocked College Sports

If you thought the Kardashians brought the drama, enter in Operation Varsity Blues. The scandal has rocked Hollywood along with the sports and academic world but it’s not the only (or even the biggest) college athletics scam out there.

They always get caught.

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. Yesterday, the Justice Department released the news about Operation Varsity Blues, a cross-country admissions scandal. Over 50 people were charged in the scheme, with 33 of them being parents, including CEOs and actresses Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Lori Loughlin (Full House).  In some instances, parents bribed college coaches to recruit their students as elite athletes, even though they had no athletic background. Some even went as far as creating a fake athletic profile for their children by photoshopping them into sports photos and including them in the admissions packets. (This scandal goes way beyond the sports aspect, so click to read more). IT WASN’T ME

2. From photoshopped to something more permanent, five football players at Ohio State were suspended for selling memorabilia and receiving discounted services at a local tattoo parlor. “Tattoo-Gate” was just the tip of the iceberg of Ohio State football scandals that eventually led to the resignation of their head football coach. HOPE THE TATTOO WAS AT LEAST SPELLED RIGHT

3. In late 2017, the FBI uncovered a college basketball bribery scandal so big, people are still being sentenced for it. This scandal had more moving parts than a lobster. It included coaches pocketing cash for referring players to agents and financial advisors to Adidas paying athletes when they committed to play for Adidas sponsored schools. And of course, there were adventures to topless bars with lots of booze. WHERE ARE THEY NOW

4. The mob and college is not something you’d typically put together until discussing the Boston College points shaving scandal. Richard “The Fixer” Perry bribed Boston College basketball players to do everything they could to throw the games. But it didn’t really work out for the mob as despite the threat of physical violence and brutal intimidation tactics, they couldn’t control a bunch of college kids. The mob didn’t make a ton of money on the scandal and Perry was later charged and thrown in the slammer. FIX THIS

5. SMU (Southern Methodist University) received the sharpest penalty on this list. They ignored the NCAA’s (college sports governing body) warnings about cheating and illegal benefits for their players (think cars, cash, etc). The NCAA shut down their football program for an entire season. SMU still has the distinction of being the one and only major college football program to be shut down by the NCAA. A BADGE OF HONOR?

Changing the subject

Let’s talk about the top three topics in the world of sports today including James Corden’s brilliant punk of David Beckham, why you’ll need hand sanitizer in Coachella this week and the ‘most dramatic “Bachelor” ending ever.’ READ

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition

Finally, it’s Friday! We’re not going to send you off into the weekend without a few teachable moments including spell checking your tattoos, avoiding drugs and what happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

 Point taken,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Hugs not drugs. Florida Marlins’ second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended for 80 games. Gordon tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs or PEDs. Coincidence that his hitting coach, Barry Bonds, has a stellar career tarnished for allegedly dabbling in PEDs? 

NBA (NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION)

• Logoed for a lifetime. The Sacramento Kings unveiled their new logo. To take it a step further, they paid for fans to get the new logo tattooed on their body and encouraged them to share photos using #NewEraOfProud. I bet their mamas were proud.  
• Spell check please. Tattoos are the name of the game today. America’s favorite couple Iggy Azalea and Nick Young are back in news. Azalea reportedly stopped her fiancée Young from getting a misspelled tattoo on his back. He almost ended up with the ferocious “BORN REBLE” instead of “BORN REBEL.” Young is the Lakers’ player who was secretly filmed by his teammate talking about his deviant behavior.
• Moving on. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics to claim a spot in the next round of the playoffs. They will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the semifinals. Semifinal games start on Monday May 2nd.  

NFL (National Football League)

• The first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft is...The first pick of the draft was the quarterback from Cal (University of California, Berkeley) Jared Goff to the Los Angeles Rams. For the full analysis of the first round picks, click here. Tonight the draft continues at 7 pm (EST) on ESPN and NFL Network. 
• Meanwhile in Vegas. While everyone was talking about the draft, Oakland Raiders were eyeing a move to sin city. The Raiders’ owner has pledged $500 million towards a new stadium and stated “Let’s turn the silver state into the silver and black (Raider's colors) state.”

NHL (National Hockey League)

• Victorious. Washington Capitals beat Pittsburgh Penguins in sudden death overtime 4-3, taking 1-0 series lead in round two of the playoffs.  

Soccer

• What are the odds? On Sunday, an improbable event could take place in the English Premier League (England’s professional soccer league). Underdog Leicester City could win the Premier League with a victory over the powerhouse Manchester United. To show you how unexpected this feat is, the odds for Leicester City to win the league before the season started were 5000-1. The odds for Elvis being alive are also at 5000-1.  The game will air on Sunday at 9 am (EST) on NBCSN.  

Overtime

• UFC fighter Ronda Rousey and tennis superstar Serena Williams have signed on with Lifetime Network. Rousey has signed on for three movies with the intention of developing and producing flicks focused on female empowerment. Williams is set to produce a film inspired by the annual dance-off competition she hosts with her tennis star sister Venus.

Sideline stat

• 10 minutes before the draft, the Twitter account of top prospect Laremy Tunsil showed a video of someone (maybe Tunsil)? smoking an illegal substance while wearing a gas mask. Tunsil’s agent says his account was hacked. Regardless Tunsil has a history of bad behavior that already made some teams wary. The top pick slid all the way down to the 13th pick. According to Sportrac.com, the third pick (Tunsil’s consensus ranking) in the 2016 draft is set to earn $25.8 million. Dropping down to 13th may have cost him more than $10 million.  

Coaches’ corner

• What is sudden death overtime in hockey? If the game is tied at the end of regulation it goes into sudden death overtime which is three-on-three play for five sudden-death minutes. (During regulation time, there are six players on the ice for each team). The first team to score wins. If a goal isn't scored, the game moves to a three-round shootout.