Kathy Willens/AP PhotoMajor League Baseball is coming out swinging against several players it believes may have used performance-enhancing drugs.
According to ESPN, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun are among more than 20 players who could potentially be facing long-term suspensions. According to the report, the MLB is close to working out a deal with Anthony Bosch, the owner of a now-defunct anti-aging clinic in Miami, to talk about providing PEDs to his clients, which allegedly include the likes of Rodriguez and Braun.
Both athletes have denied using performance-enhancing drugs,
Of course, athletes from a wide range of sports have found themselves marred in controversy over the years dating as far back as, say, the Chicago Black Sox days of 1919. But since we obviously can't list every single one here, we opted just to focus on some of the more recent headline-grabbers.
Sure, some are definitely more serious and tragic than others, but they all definitely caught our attention in one way or another. (Hello, deer antler spray?)
Oscar Pistorius: The South African Olympic runner is awaiting trial in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, currently out on bail, returned to court on Tuesday for a brief hearing in which South African Magistrate Daniel Thulare granted prosecutors' request to postpone the case until Aug. 19 to give police investigators more time to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
Michael Vick: The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was arrested in 2007 for running and participating in a dog-fighting ring. Vick served 19 months in prison before returning to the NFL in 2010. He has since spent significant amounts of time and money advocating for anti-cruelty and anti-dog fighting campaigns.
Simon Cho: The American short-track speed skater admitted he tampered with skates of a Canadian rival during a 2011 competition in Poland. Cho insisted his U.S. coach, Jae Su Chun, ordered the athlete to do the tampering. Chun has denied any such role. A hearing is scheduled next week that could result in Cho receiving a lifetime ban from the sport.
Lance Armstrong: In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the cyclist confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs during his Tour de France victories. He blamed his "ruthless desire to win at all costs" for leading him to cheat and attempt to cover up his lies for so many years.
Dan Marino: Tabloids recently revealed that the former NFL star had a secret love child with a woman who is not his wife. Donna Savattere reportedly had the child with Marino seven years ago. The football great released a statement calling it a "personal and private matter" and saying that he takes "full responsibility both personally and financially."
Vijay Singh: Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated reported that the golfer spent $9,000 on products including deer antler spray, which may contain a substance that had been banned under the PGA Tour's anti-doping rules. Singh maintained he had no idea that the spray may contain such a substance. Singh was later cleared of any violations after it was determined the spray is no longer prohibitive.
Lenny Dykstra: The former New York Mets outfielder was sentenced in Dec. 2012 to 6 1/2 months in prison on bankruptcy fraud and other federal charges. Dykstra is already serving three years after pleading no contest last July to charges of grand theft auto and filing a false financial statement.
O.J. Simpson: The onetime football hero is currently serving a prison sentence of at least nine years after being found guilty in 2008 of a dozen crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping. Simpson took the stand last month in an attempt to get a new trial, accusing his ex-lawyer of poorly defending him nearly five years ago.