Sports

Sports Teams Showed No Moral Integrity With These Vile Decisions

Darren - August 16, 2022
Sports

Sports Teams Showed No Moral Integrity With These Vile Decisions

Darren - August 16, 2022

USA Today Sports

Quebec Nordiques

There are few things worse than stripping a city of its sports teams. Montreal understands this better than most places because it lost several beloved franchises. One of these was their NHL team, the Nordiques. Incredibly, the team began in San Francisco before it moved to the cold North (via The Hockey Writers).

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They became an institution in Quebec City and came close to Stanley Cup contention. But a cruel fate awaited them because of their small market. Finally, the franchise evolved into the Colorado Avalanche and left its old name behind. Team owners have no moral compass when it comes to milking fans out of their cash.

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Chelsea Sexism

Jose Mourinho is one of the most compelling but controversial soccer managers on the planet. The Portuguese coach brings trophies to most teams but also burns bridges along the way. One unsavory incident occurred when he cast Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro into the wilderness.

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A Chelsea player went down injured during a promising attack. She intervened and did her job. But this prevented the attack from continuing and Mourinho vented his fury at her. The club showed no moral compass as they took his side. In the end, Carneiro won a civil suit for wrongful dismissal (via Sky Sports).

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Kavanagh’s Greed

Irish MMA exploded in 2014 when Conor McGregor broke out as a superstar. He took a stable of fighters with him from S.B.G. Ireland, including Paddy Houlihan and Cathal Pendred. However, a schism occurred in the gym after head coach John Kavanagh grew in fame.

SBNation

Several of Kavanagh’s fighters also opened training centers in collaboration with their coach. But there was outrage when Kavanagh demanded fees from these teams. Chris Fields opened Team KF because he was tired of Kavanagh’s lack of loyalty (via MMA Fighting).

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BountyGate

Football is one of the most dangerous sports on the planet but one coach found a way to make it even worse. Gregg Williams became the Saints’ defensive coordinator and concocted a dastardly scheme. He offered his players bonuses if they took opposition athletes out of the game.

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News of these bounties became widespread and an NFL investigation found that it was real. His lack of a moral compass cost him a lengthy suspension. Head Coach Sean Payton also received a one-year ban from the league. Allegedly, Williams encouraged similar schemes at his previous franchises (via Bleacher Report).

USA Today Sports

Dave Bliss

Bliss was the man behind one of the wackiest and most disturbing stories on this list. His desire to win overrode any common sense that remained in his brain. It also convinced him to cover up a murder in one of the weirdest decisions a sports coach has ever made (via Bleacher Report).

Daily Beast

The former Baylor coach convinced his players to say that one student was a drug dealer. That’s because he was secretly paying his fees in a morally dubious move. Furthermore, he ignored rampant drug use that went on behind the scenes because winning was all that mattered.

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Sorry St. Louis

Several NFL franchises have led a nomadic existence including the Rams. They currently play in L.A. but they began in Cleveland and also played in St. Louis. Sadly, they left the latter city in 2015 because Stan Kroenke demanded a new stadium and wouldn’t pay (via SB Nation).

BBC

Arbitrators agreed that the city had a responsibility to invest in the new arena but St. Louis disagreed. In the end, the franchise relocated back to Los Angeles in a move that broke fans’ hearts. Kroenke claimed that declining attendances were another factor but the product on the field was a disgrace.

Sky Sports

M.K. Dons

It’s extremely rare for European teams to relocate to different cities. This is in stark contrast to North American sports because supporters have more power. The only major example of this in U.K. soccer was when Peter Winkelman moved Wimbledon F.C. to Milton-Keynes.

BBC

This created a massive controversy and almost didn’t happen because the F.A. failed to grant permission. However, an independent commission allowed it and the club relocated. Fans reacted furiously and Winkelman received death threats because of the betrayal (via MK Citizen).

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Houston Oilers

Houston residents loved the Oilers before they moved to Tennessee and evolved into the Titans. Owner Bud Adams had a problem with their small stadium and hinted that the franchise was living on borrowed time in Texas. But Houston wanted to keep their team and poured tens of millions into upgrading the arena.

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Then Adams demanded a new stadium and the writing was on the wall. It was untenable for the city to sanction this after spending so much on updating the Astrodome. Meanwhile, results declined on the field and Adams had no moral compass. In the end, they moved to Nashville and Houston fans lost out (via Texas Monthly).

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The Glazers

Manchester United spend almost two decades as the best soccer team in England. That was mostly because of their brilliant manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. However, their owners didn’t help matters because they allowed their stadium to deteriorate and didn’t plan for Ferguson’s retirement (via Sporting News).

Sky Sports

The Glazer family plunged the club into massive debt and appeared to care more about their NFL franchise. United’s on-field results declined and they failed to bring day-to-day operations up to a modern standard. Their lack of moral compass saw them focus on financial gains rather than winning games.

USA TODAY Sports

Ray Rice

Rice was one of the Ravens’ most important players but he was an appalling human being. He infamously assaulted his girlfriend in one of the NFL’s worst domestic violence cases. Camera footage captured the Baltimore star dragging his victim out of an elevator.

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Roger Goodell made a mess of punishing Rice as he showed a lack of a moral compass. The commissioner received a massive amount of criticism because it was a joke. In the end, Rice received an indefinite ban but no team wanted to touch him when it ended (via The Spun).

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Cowboys Ratings

Incredibly, the Cowboys remain the most lucrative sports franchise on the planet despite their recent lack of success. The Jerry Jones regime helped the commercial side of the team but the lack of postseason success is noticeable. Jones openly said that high ratings were more important to him than Super Bowl rings.

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That’s a terrible attitude because it’s completely out of odds with the dreams of fans. They follow their team because it gives them a sense of community pride and escapism. However, Jones is all about milking Dallas for as much money as possible (via NBC Sports).

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Jameis Winston

Winston continues to forge a career as an NFL quarterback despite facing tough times on and off the field. His arrival in the league created a furor because of his personal history. Many opposition fans deride him as a crab leg thief because he stole the shellfish from a grocery store.

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But it’s his record of domestic and sexual violence that sickens some supporters. Tampa Bay drafted him despite this because they thought his skills overrode the negative publicity. They didn’t care when he grabbed a female Uber driver’s crotch either in a sickening move (via Inside Hook).

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Pegula’s Stadium

The Buffalo Bills will play in a new stadium later in the decade after team owners the Pegulas pressured New York State into action. It was a delicate situation because the Bills play upstate in one of the NFL’s smallest markets. While they maintain a rabid fanbase this means nothing to evil franchise owners (via Defector).

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Luckily, the governor is a Bills fan and was happy to pour taxpayers’ money into a new arena. They’ll dig the first hole in 2026 and potentially pour billions into its construction. Rumors flew around that the Bills’ ownership considered relocation to Toronto and Austin. Trust us, no team is safe because they have no moral compass.

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Saints or Sinners?

Nobody wants to hear that their favorite sports franchise has an alleged relationship with pedophile priests. Unfortunately, Saints fans woke up in 2020 to learn that their team covered up Catholic Church abuse. This was a sickening story and one that tarnished their relationship with the franchise.

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Court reports claimed that the Saints influenced a list of credibly accused clergy. Emails revealed that the team’s executives prevented some names from making this list in a dark twist. The Church and Saints allegedly worked together to block the exposure of these vile humans (via PBS).

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SpyGate

Bill Belichick broke many records with the Patriots throughout his tenure as head coach. However, he shattered one in 2007 that he didn’t want. This came at the culmination of the SpyGate scandal when an NFL tribunal hit him with a massive fine for cheating.

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They found the franchise guilty of videotaping opposition teams’ hand signals at practices. This gave the Patriots an unfair advantage and may have helped them to win key games. Belichick has no moral compass when it comes to cheating and regularly practices the dark arts (via History).

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Cris Cyborg

There’s a strong argument to be made that Cyborg is the greatest female fighter ever. The Brazilian became the UFC’s featherweight champion and destroyed almost everybody she faced. Meanwhile, she won titles with Invicta and Bellator too. Amanda Nunes shocked her in her final UFC appearance but she hated the promotion.

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That’s because UFC President Dana White appallingly treated her. He referred to her as the ‘female Wanderlei Silva’ and disparaged her consistently. Furthermore, he failed to build a division around her when she was a genuine draw (via Sportskeeda).

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders began life in Oakland before an idiotic move to L.A. in 1982. Then they returned to their original home and became one of the NFL’s most distinctive franchises. Yes, Oakland is a gritty city but the Raiders were a perfect fit because they didn’t conform.

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Then the NFL’s evil owners voted in support of a move to Las Vegas. A shiny new stadium awaited in “Sin City” and Oakland couldn’t compete. Sadly, their fans lost their team because there was no way to stop the relocation. It’s a shame because it no longer feels the same way on game day (via Forbes).

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Sepp Blatter

The Qatar World Cup is one of the most controversial sports events in history. After all, the Gulf nation only has a population of 2.9 million people with one major city. Somehow they will host millions of visitors despite a lack of infrastructure or soccer history (via The Athletic).

Sky Sports

Multiple personalities involved in the bid received jail sentences and bans for bribery. Meanwhile, there was a massive scandal because of alleged human rights abuses during the stadia construction process. The people involved in this racket don’t have a single moral compass between them.

The Ringer

The SuperSonics

Portland is the only city on the northwest coast with an NBA franchise after Seattle lost to the SuperSonics. It’s a shame because the iconic team provided the league with great moments. They also had fabulous players like Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp (via Reuters).

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Ultimately, one man decided to relocate the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City. They changed their colors and became the Thunder as the franchise left its name behind. Seattle refused to sanction a new stadium and the writing was on the wall from this point.

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Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are a strange entry on this list because they still exist, albeit in a different form. Winnipeg lost its NHL franchise in 1996 after its owner relocated them to Phoenix, Arizona. This was extremely cruel because of the dramatic geographical shift from Canada to the U.S. desert.

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Fortunately, Winnipeg fans received a new edition of the Jets when the Atlanta Thrashers moved north in 2011. The Truth North ownership group considered other names but settled on the Jets because of the sentimental attachment. It was a travesty that the city lost its team in the first place (via Saskatoon).

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Jon Gruden

Gruden’s second and last tenure with the Raiders came to an unceremonious end in 2021 after a wild email scandal. He demonstrated sexist and discriminatory perspectives in a series of online communications. In the end, Gruden lost his job because his position became untenable.

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It should be noted that Gruden appeared to act independently in Las Vegas as he communicated with his Washington counterparts. But this revealed the type of attitudes that exist behind the scenes at NFL franchises. These people wouldn’t be able to find a moral compass to save their lives (via Sporting News).

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Astros Scandal

The Houston Astros are one of MLB’s most successful franchises in recent seasons. But controversy tainted their World Series victories as the team disgraced their city. Their sign-stealing practices helped them cheat their way to victories in an appallingly immoral sequence of events.

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In the end, the team’s coach and general manager lost their jobs. However, the players escaped without any punishment while MLB failed to strip them of their 2017 World Series win. It was a shambles and one that stung the league because it didn’t need another controversy (via Sporting News).

Motorsport

Kyle Larson

NASCAR has a dubious legacy but things are improving in the modern world. But it still creates controversies like the Larson scandal in 2020. The driver competed in an online race during the global health crisis. He didn’t realize that he left his microphone live and used racist language (via Essentially Sports).

Motorsport

His team dropped him and the league hit him with a suspension. Most sporting teams wouldn’t want to associate themselves with a racist but Hendrick Motorsport didn’t have a moral compass. They signed him up and now the two parties are winning races without a care in the world.

Sky Sports

Crewe Alexandria

In 2021, a UK court sentenced Barry Bennell to 31 years in prison for child abuse. Bennell was a former youth coach at the English soccer club Crewe Alexandria. The court found him guilty of over 50 counts of abuse against 12 boys under his care. It was a horrendous case with massive questions about the club’s code of conduct.

Sky Sports

Many people said that it was an open secret that Bennell took boys to his home. Allegedly, senior figures knew about his gross habits but failed to intervene and protect the vulnerable children. Finally, the club issued a public apology but it was too late for its victims (via Mirror).

Sky Sports

Ken Bates

English soccer clubs shudder when they hear Bates’ name because he was one of the worst owners ever. His time in charge of Chelsea ended with a massive racism scandal. Later, he took over Leeds United and caused them to plummet down the leagues (via The Guardian).

Sky Sports

There were positive aspects to his ownership of Chelsea because he modernized the club and improved its facilities. But his later behavior was inexcusable. Furthermore, some Leeds fans like Bates because he stabilized them in the Championship but he had no moral compass.

USA Today Sports

Robert Kraft

Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots and one of the most powerful men in sports. He helped his team to unprecedented success but that’s not why he’s on this list. The business tycoon made headlines when he allegedly received sexual services at a massage parlor.

USA Today Sports

However, Kraft successfully avoided punishments because his legal team did their job. They convinced a court that video evidence was inadmissible. In the end, the Asian masseuses received the brunt of the law because they couldn’t afford the same representation (via Vanity Fair).

Sky Sports

Juventus Match-Fixing

The Juventus match-fixing scandal-tainted Italian soccer for a generation. The team has experienced more domestic success than any of their rivals but it emerged that they cheated their way to two titles. Key club figures applied pressure on referees to favor the Turin giants.

Sky Sports

The truth emerged and a massive lawsuit began as the scale of this scandal emerged. In the end, the Italian FA relegated Juventus to Serie B as an unprecedented punishment. The club bounced back and became a force again but its owners had no moral compass at all (via Daily Mail).

USA Today Sports

Hartford Whalers

Every list of iconic and extinct sports franchises contains the Whalers because of their popularity. Connecticut’s only major sports team maintains a special place in the hearts of NHL fans. They also had one of the best logos in all of hockey but sadly it’s obsolete today.

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That’s because Connecticut couldn’t sustain the market requirements for a major league franchise. At least, that’s what Peter Karmanos thought when he forced an exit. He wanted a new stadium but the state governor refused and that was it for the iconic team (via Patch).

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UFC Concussions

Combat sports are very exciting but there’s one uncomfortable reality. Every time a fighter goes to war, they put their long-term health at risk. Former UFC fighter Spencer Fisher revealed that he suffered CTE after his long career. But the company’s president, Dana White, had a cold reaction.

USA TODAY Sports

He showed a lack of a moral compass as he brushed it off. White told the media: “He’s not the first and he’s definitely not going to be the last. This is a contact sport and anybody who’s ever done this younger, myself included, is dealing with brain issues. It’s part of the gig”

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The Lesnar Debacle

Brock Lesnar is one of the few people who successfully forged UFC and WWE careers. The former heavyweight champion stunned fans when he rejoined the former promotion for a headline fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. This went down after they controversially withdrew Conor McGregor from the high-profile card.

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Lesnar won the match after he used his wrestling to full effect. Later, he failed a drug test after he tested positive for multiple steroids. Hunt sued the UFC because they put him in a dangerous situation against an obvious cheater. The promotion had no moral compass and poured millions into their defense (via Sportskeeda).

The Athletic

Robert Irsay

Irsay was one of the most controversial NFL owners ever because of an infamous relocation. He moved the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis in the shadiest manner possible. Irsay hired a fleet of moving trucks and drove the team away in the middle of the night before Baltimore knew what happened.

Sports Illustrated

He expected the city to intervene and launch legal action against him so he got ahead of the problem. Meanwhile, Indianapolis greeted the trucks like returning D-Day veterans. Now the modern Colts feel like an unrelated franchise to Johnny Unitas’s iconic team (via History).

GOAL

Aurelio De Laurentiis

If we’re honest, most sports owners only care about the business side of their franchises and teams. Money makes the world go around and they want to milk their toy for all their worth. However, De Laurentis makes it clear that he has no moral compass because he doesn’t stay quiet.

EuroSport

The Napoli owner broke the Internet in 2022 when he said he’d never sign another African player. He said this because he was tired of players representing their nations at the African Cup of Nations when he paid their wages. It was gross and immoral but typical of this vile personality (via ESPN).

USA Today Sports

Art Modell

Modell remains one of the most polarizing figures in the NFL’s history. That’s because two fanbases have staggeringly different perspectives of the media tycoon. On the one hand, Cleveland fans despise him because he stripped the Browns from their city, albeit for a short period.

The Athletic

But Baltimore loves him because he reintroduced an NFL franchise to the city in the form of the Ravens. However, there wasn’t a moral compass involved in this process because he wanted to make more money. The Browns returned to Cleveland but never had the same success again (via USA Today).

USA Today Sports

Richie Incognito

Incognito was a decent NFL guard but his name didn’t match his character. The former Dolphins veteran was a horrendous bully and made Jonathan Martin’s life a misery. It’s extraordinary how far his treatment of Martin went and that the NFL allowed him back into a dressing room (via Sports Illustrated).

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Finally, the Dolphins began an investigation and brought the league into the loop. But they allowed it to go so far that Martin feared Incognito might inflict violent harm on him. This was one of the least-savory situations in recent NFL history and shows that bullying occurs in every workplace.

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Broncos Cap-Tampering

Cap-tampering is a massive taboo in the NFL because it destroys the principles of the practice. However, Denver tried their luck in the mid-1990s by delaying payments to players. They repeated the same trick with John Elway and Terrell Davis in 2001 (via NBC Sports).

Denver Post

The NFL didn’t respond kindly to this and made an example out of the franchise. Denver lost multiple draft picks and received a hefty fine for their cheeky attempt. Furthermore, the Broncos won a pair of Super Bowls during this period but claimed their cap-tampering didn’t give them a competitive advantage.

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Michael Vick

Vick was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL before a massive scandal emerged. An FBI investigation uncovered his role as the leader of a dogfighting ring. He received a jail sentence and the Falcons discarded him because he was worse than garbage (via CNBC).

USA TODAY Sports

However, that wasn’t the end of his NFL career because teams will do anything for a decent quarterback. The Eagles decided that a negative fan reaction was worth gaining an elite starter. They showed no moral compass as they snapped him up following his release from prison.

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Greg Hardy

A pair of organizations showed a lack of a moral compass when it came to Greg Hardy. Firstly, Jerry Jones cheerfully brought the convicted woman-beater to the Cowboys. Many of their fans resented him but the tone-deaf owner didn’t care about this at all (via TalkSport).

USA TODAY Sports

Then, the UFC signed him to fight in their heavyweight division. Fans loathed Hardy but the UFC continued to promote him and put him in high-profile spots. In the end, he flamed out of the organization and nobody shed a tear. It was a terrible decision to bring him there in the first place.

USA Today Sports

Shahid Khan

On paper, Khan is a fascinating figure because he is the only minority NFL owner right now. The businessman runs the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as the Premier League’s Fulham F.C. However, he has no moral compass or common sense in managing these enterprises (via Florida Times-Union).

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Khan inflicted Urban Meyer on his team’s fans in 2021 and watched them burn. Then in 2022, he raised the ticket prices of Fulham’s games to an outrageous amount that alienated many supporters. Khan is all about the bottom line and doesn’t care about the results on the field.

Variety

Conor McGregor

McGregor is the most lucrative MMA fighter in the history of the sport. The UFC maintains one set of rules for the Irishman and another for everybody else. They recognize that he’s a massive cash cow and don’t want to risk offending him because of his marketability.

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However, McGregor is also an appalling human and has made a bunch of questionable decisions. The UFC failed to suspend the fighter when he faced sexual assault allegations or multiple arrests for minor offenses. There’s no moral compass when the dollar sign light is on (via NZ Herald).

MARCA

Ousmane Dembele

When an athlete signs a contract with a new team, it’s down to the latter how much they choose to use them. Barcelona didn’t see the best of Dembele because he had terrible luck with injuries. The Frenchman failed to stay fit and spent a lot of time receiving injury treatment.

Sky Sports

That’s a gamble every franchise takes when they buy a new player. But they decided that they wanted him to leave and threatened legal action if his agent didn’t force an exit. Dembele and his representation laughed because this was ridiculous and had zero hope of standing up in court (via Guardian).

Sporting News

Dan Snyder

It’s difficult to know where to begin with Snyder because the man doesn’t have a moral compass. The Washington owner rules his franchise with the chaotic mindset of a Roman Emperor. Unfortunately, Snyder is more like Caligula or Nero than Marcus Aurelius and is one of the league’s most hated figures.

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Several former cheerleaders accused him of sexual harassment after nude videos leaked. Allegedly, he created a toxic work culture over his two decades in charge of the franchise. He ruined the team’s competitiveness on the field with several ruinous decisions (via New York Post).

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Miami’s Truth

When the Dolphins fired coach Brian Flores, he poured a can of gasoline on the floor and lit a match on the way out. The head coach revealed some startling truths about their season. Allegedly, the front office instructed him to tank and lose several games but Flores refused to do this (via CNN).

USA Today Sports

Furthermore, he claimed that the team offered him money to stay quiet after he lost his job. He also said that three franchises showed racially dubious practices in their hiring processes as they lied to him. Miami received a massive NFL punishment for their lack of a moral compass.

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Nate Diaz’s Contract

Diaz is one of the UFC’s biggest stars but found himself at odds with the promotion. He reached the final fight of his contract and made it clear that he wasn’t planning on re-signing. Then, the UFC put him on ice and tried to force him to take an appalling matchup against up-and-coming prospect Khamzat Chimaev (via SB Nation).

USA TODAY Sports

The Stockton fighter planned a massive boxing match with YouTube sensation Jake Paul. But the UFC wanted to tarnish his image by inflicting a horrible beating in his final appearance. Meanwhile, a clause enabled them to extend his deal if he rejected the bout. It was ethically disgraceful but brilliant business on their part.

MARCA

Frenkie De Jong

De Jong is one of the most exciting young midfield talents on the planet but Barcelona tried to sell him in 2022. That’s because the team found itself in a financial hole and had an urgent need to create revenue streams. When nobody bid an appropriate amount they changed tactics and showed a lack of moral compass.

MARCA

In short, they attempted to bully De Jong into accepting the terms of his former, less lucrative contract. They claimed that the terms of the new one weren’t legal but De Jong refused to budge. It was an audacious and scandalous effort from the club and it’s a wonder that he wanted to stay (via Mirror).

USA Today Sports

NFL Concussions

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that repeated blows to the head cause long-term damage. However, the NFL tried its best to cover this up for as long as possible. They downplayed the dangers of the sport and repressed medical studies that proved CTE was real.

USA Today Sports

This showed a lack of moral compass because they exploited young men who didn’t understand the risk. Then they endured horrific health effects in their later life. Now the NFL is dealing with hundreds of lawsuits because of the lives they have destroyed (via FSP).

MARCA

The Super League

European soccer clubs don’t follow the franchise model like U.S. teams. It would be an unthinkable travesty if an owner dreamed of relocating their club to another city. However, a greedy group of owners decided to break away from their national leagues and create a new, glamorous competition.

Sky Sports

12 European teams agreed to the schism but their fans protested furiously. In the end, the plan fell apart because the fallout was too toxic. Supporters proved that they had the power to make or prevent change from happening. This was crucial because their club owners don’t have a single moral compass (via The Athletic).

USA Today Sports

DeShaun Watson

The Browns made one of the most desperate and controversial decisions in recent NFL history when they signed Watson. They opted to bring the quarterback to Cleveland despite the toxic cloud of ongoing sexual harassment accusations. The Browns even manipulated his contract because they expected a suspension.

USA TODAY Sports

Another wild aspect is that a whole host of NFL franchises including the Dolphins had a strong interest in the QB. It didn’t matter that he settled many civil suits with his alleged victims. They saw a strong arm and lost all sense of a moral compass on the way (via Breitbart).

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