Biggest Apologies in Sports
Luis Suarez apologizes for biting opponent.
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Luis Suarez Apologizes for Biting Player - Anytime a high-profile athlete screws up, you can be rest assured that there's an apology coming. Case in point, shamed Uruguay soccer star Luis Suarez. Days after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup match and being slapped with a nine-match suspension and four-month FIFA ban, Suarez tweeted an official apology statement on his Twitter account Monday. "I deeply regret what occurred. I apologise to Giorgio Chiellini and the entire football family. I vow to the public that there will never again be another incident like this." We hope he's finally done biting into the competition, as this is his third offense. And just like Suarez, athletes mess up — whether it's getting into legal trouble or blatantly breaking their respective sport's rules. Almost always, an apology follows. Here, BET.com takes a look at th...
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Kobe Bryant - With his wife seated beside him, a teary-eyed Kobe Bryant apologized to his family, friends and the Los Angeles Lakers' organization during a 2003 press conference, in which he proclaimed his innocence of sexual assault charges against a 19-year-old Colorado woman. Bryant was declared innocent, but agreed to undisclosed terms of a civil lawsuit to pay the woman, whom he also apologized to afterward. (Photo: J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images)
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Tiger Woods - When Tiger Woods was exposed for several extramarital affairs, with more than a dozen women saying that they slept with the golfer, he hit rock bottom. His wife announced plans to divorce the superstar — which she made good on — and he lost several endorsements. In his first public statement in front of his mother, reporters and friends in 2010, Tiger apologized for his wrongdoings and for letting those closest to him down. Since then, he's been busy trying to keep the eye of the Tiger on the links and nowhere else. (Photo: Joe Skipper /Landov/Reuters)
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Pete Rose - Sometimes even numerous apologies can't deliver closure. Just ask Pete Rose. Major League Baseball's all-time hit king, with 4,192, said he was sorry for betting on baseball in 1989 on more than one occasion. And while many fans have accepted his apology, the MLB still upholds its lifetime ban against the former Cincinnati Reds outfielder, effectively barring him from being a Hall of Famer. Damn shame. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Alex Rodriguez - Alex Rodriguez is definitely one of the most complex individuals the sports world has ever seen. In 2009, the former New York Yankees third baseman admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during a three-year stretch while part of the Texas Rangers. He said he was "very sorry" at the time, and went on to help the Bronx Bombers win the World Series that same year. But just when it looked like A-Rod had come clean and was done with PEDs, a Biogenesis baseball scandal in 2013 named A-Rod as a key abuser of PEDs. The scandal, which he vigorously tried to fight, ended with the MLB suspending him for the duration of this 2014 season, possibly ending his career. Be better than that, A-Rod! Kids are watching!(Photo: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
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Lance Armstrong - What's so irksome about Lance Armstrong is the world-class cyclist vehemently denied doping allegations for years before finally admitting to years of wrongdoing in an apologetic interview with Oprah Winfrey. Crazy to think that Armstrong backpedaled his way into a corner with his years of lies to the point that the only way to move forward was to admit his wrongdoings. (Photo: Lucas Jackson /Landov/REUTERS)
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Marion Jones - Marion Jones's fall from grace was hard and perhaps even harder to watch. In 2007, the former Olympic track and field superstar was sentenced to six months in federal prison following her involvement in a check fraud case and for her use of performance-enhancing drugs. Jones was forced to relinquish her five Olympic medals even though she offered a heartfelt apology before and after her jail time. Upon her release, Jones memorably broke down saying, "With a great amount of shame...I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust and you have the right to be angry with me. I have let my country down and I have let myself down."(Photo: Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images)
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Gilbert Arenas - Gilbert Arenas's joke went terribly wrong and practically killed his NBA career. After bringing guns into the Washington Wizards' locker room during a showdown with his teammate, Arenas was suspended for the entire 2010-11 season. "Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong," Arenas offered in an apology statement. "I should not have brought the guns to D.C. in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns — even if unloaded." Arenas's career was never the same again. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Michael Vick - Michael Vick did federal prison time for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring, and has apologized on more than one occasion. He even joined lawmakers and the national Humane Society on calling Congress to pass H.R. 2492, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act.(Photo: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images)