Harshest Punishments In Sports History: How Does The Clippers Ruling Compare?

The Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer just learned that circumventing the salary cap carries a steep price tag. After concluding its investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s side deals, the NBA delivered a decisive ruling that proves no franchise is above the league’s rulebook.

According to ESPN, the NBA is stripping the Clippers of five first-round picks and slapping owner Ballmer with a $30 million fine. Ballmer will also serve a one-year suspension, leaving the Clippers without control over a first-round pick until 2034.

Leonard escaped the harshest discipline, but he was still ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution over improper benefits received by his uncle, Dennis Robertson. The NBA has also banned Robertson from conducting any future business within the league.

This isn’t just a slap on the wrist as it’s one of the steepest penalties ever handed down in pro sports. For a young Clippers team on the brink of rebuilding, losing half a decade’s worth of first-round draft capital is an absolute death blow.

With the hammer officially dropped on the Clippers, let’s dive into the history books. These are the most memorable and impactful sports punishments handed out in history.

Winning Super Bowl XLIV gave Saints head coach Sean Payton the breakout moment he needed to earn respect around the league. But that reputation took a hit when an investigation revealed a scandal brewing behind their magical season.

The victory was soon tarnished when an investigation exposed a bounty program led by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to intentionally injure opponents. Payton covered it up, resulting in a $500,000 fine and the Saints being stripped of two second-round picks.

However, the league’s hammer didn’t stop swinging at the top.

The league hit Payton with a full, unpaid one-year suspension for 2012 and suspended Williams indefinitely. General manager Mickey Loomis was also held accountable, serving an eight-game suspension without pay.

With the Clippers’ latest punishment now out there, it’s worth going back to the Minnesota Timberwolves scandal involving Joe Smith. 

Starting in 1999, Smith signed three consecutive low-salary, one-year contracts with the Timberwolves. This raised concerns, which eventually led to the discovery of an under-the-table agreement to circumvent salary cap rules.

Once the investigation concluded, the Timberwolves were fined $3.5 million, owner Glen Taylor and general manager Kevin McHale were suspended. The Timberwolves, similarly to the Clippers, were stripped of five first-round draft picks.

After winning the 2017 World Series, the Houston Astros seemed like the talk of the league and baseball’s next dynasty. However, after an MLB investigation revealed they illegally stole signs from opposing teams, public scrutiny and backlash only intensified.

The Astros were fined the maximum of $5 million and stripped of their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts. On top of that, general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were also suspended for one year, prior to their firings.

Despite widespread backlash across the sport, the Astros went on to win the World Series again in 2022. They may have cheated in the past, but winning it all without stealing signs proved just how talented and well-built the Astros roster truly was.

To no one’s surprise, the New England Patriots were a lock for this list. Head coach Bill Belichick was no stranger to league discipline, but his involvement in Spygate remains the most notorious stain on the Patriots historic dynasty.

Early in the season, a Patriots video assistant was caught illegally filming the New York Jets’ defensive signals from an unauthorized location on the sideline. Because this violated NFL rules, Belichick and the organization faced league discipline.

Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots organization was fined $250,000. Not only were the fines massive, but the team was also stripped of their 2008 first-round pick.

Following the Astros, the Boston Red Sox were also caught stealing signs during their 2018 World Series winning season. The punishment was far lighter compared to the Astros, but still impactful. 

Replay operator J.T. Watkins received a one-year suspension, and the team forfeited its 2020 second-round draft pick. Following the investigation, manager Alex Cora was also suspended for one year, but his penalty was from his role in the Astros scandal.

Since the scandal, the Red Sox have made the playoffs only three times, struggling to regain their former league dominance that fans have come to get accustomed to watching.

One of the most impactful punishments involved the SMU Mustangs. Investigators discovered that administrators and boosters were paying football players under the table and this came even while they were already on probation for previous recruiting violations.

The “death penalty” label comes from the sheer severity of the punishment. The NCAA canceled the Mustangs 1987 season, and the heavy restrictions on scholarships and recruiting forced the school to cancel the 1988 season as well.

The severity of the punishment effectively silenced the program for two consecutive seasons. With 55 scholarships stripped over four years, the roster was systematically gutted, triggering a collapse that took them more than two decades to recover from.

As well-respected as the Atlanta Braves are in baseball today, they aren’t without their fair share of controversy. From 2015 to 2017, MLB investigators caught the Braves circumventing international signing rules and bonus caps.

For a Braves franchise built on international scouting, the penalty could not have been more damaging. The Braves lost 13 top international prospects, including prized shortstop Kevin Maitan, setting back their international pipeline for years.

From top to bottom, the fallout for the Braves organization extended far beyond the field. 

General manager John Coppolella received a lifetime ban from MLB and the Braves were forced to forfeit a 2018 third-round draft pick. It only got worse as the strict bonus limits effectively shut the team out of the international market through the 2021 season.

Pete Carroll departed USC for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, executing a perfectly timed exit. This came just months before the NCAA hit the Trojans football program with severe ‘lack of institutional control’ sanctions.

The investigation centered on star running back Reggie Bush receiving improper benefits from sports marketers. Following the probe, the football program was hit with a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 30 football scholarships over three years.

The Trojans were also placed on four years of probation and forced to vacate 14 wins from the 2004 and 2005 seasons, including their national title win. Bush faced severe fallout as well, forfeiting his 2005 Heisman Trophy.

College football has undergone major reforms regarding athlete protection and mandatory reporting policies. This was largely driven by the fallout from former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Penn State was hit with historic sanctions after university and athletic department leaders conspired to cover up Sandusky’s crimes rather than report him to law enforcement. This resulted in one of the most severe punishments in college football history.

The punishment included a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason bowl ban and the loss of 40 scholarships. The Nittany Lions football program was also forced to vacate 112 victories from 1998 through 2011.

Sandusky is currently serving time in prison for his crimes at Penn State. He is serving a 30-to-60-year sentence in a Pennsylvania state prison following his 2012 conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was at the center of a six-month, league-wide NFL investigation for tampering. The start of the investigation was actually sparked by a lawsuit from former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

The lawsuit revealed that the Dolphins had illegal contact with quarterback Tom Brady and Sean Payton while both were under contract with other teams. Given how high-profile the story was, it came as no surprise when the league handed down harsh penalties.

The Dolphins were stripped of a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick, while Ross was suspended and fined $1.5 million. While it remains unclear whether Brady or Payton was planning a team-up, the punishment is one of the most severe in history.