From Tiger Woods to Spygate: The 10 Most Embarrassing Recent Sports Scandals

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Miami Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen and former Arkansas Razorback football head coach Bobby Petrino made some questionable ones recently.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Guillen expressed an appreciation for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, saying that he "loves" and "respects" the longtime leader.

Not the best way to open up a brand new ballpark in Miami, where many Cubans reside who aren't particularly fond of Castro. After the Marlins put in valuable time, money and resources to reform their image, Guillen may have put it all to waste in just one sentence.

Guillen did offer his apologies, but was still given a five-game suspension for his comments.

Bobby Petrino on the other hand was fired after revealing an extramarital affair with former Arkansas volleyball player Jessica Dorrell.

In addition to giving Dorrell a position with the football team and $20,000 as a gift, the relationship caused a bit of awkwardness within the athletic department.

Dorrell had "at one point" been engaged to the Director of Swimming and Diving Operations at Arkansas, which insinuates the marriage ceremony won't be happening.

So the question is worth asking, what were these guys thinking?

However, they aren't the only ones who have screwed up recently, as these ten other sports figures have been in similar situations.

10. Minnesota Vikings Sex Boat

Back in 2005, the Vikings set sail for a voyage of sexcapades on Lake Minnetonka.

Organized by then cornerback Fred Smoot, he and 16 other Vikings had prostitutes flown in from Atlanta and Florida to perform sexual acts in front of the guests.

Coming off a career year, quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three other players were charged with misdemeanors for their involvement in the scandalous boat party.

Culpepper was on injured reserve when the event occurred, and he'd probably trade all the lap dances in the world for another shot at glory on the field.

Culpepper would never suit up for the Vikings again and was traded to the Dolphins the following off season. Then, Culpepper bounced around the league for a few years until he eventually fizzled out.

9. Danny Almonte's Age Is Falsified

The "Little Unit" wasn't so little after all.

In 2001, one-time phenom Danny Almonte took the Little League World Series by storm, blowing hitters away with the equivalent of a major league 98 mph fast ball.

But he would soon become one of the most polarizing figures in little league history.

Shortly after throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game in back-to-back appearances, Almonte's age started to come into question and a full investigation would unleash.

It turned out Almonte was picking on 12-year-olds the whole time after investigators determined Almonte's birth records to be false. He was actually two years older than the rest of the competition and should have been ineligible to compete.

Both of Almonte's parents tried dismissing the false documents, proclaiming their son's innocence. Almonte's father was eventually banned from little league baseball, and Danny's career would never manifest like many thought it would.

8. Isiah Thomas vs. Anucha Browne Sanders

In addition to making ludicrous roster moves over the course of his Knicks tenure, Isiah Thomas really made his bed with this one.

In 2007, former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders filed a law-suit against the former Vice President of Basketball Operations, claiming sexual harassment charges. 

Sanders said Thomas repeatedly called her a "bitch" and a "ho" when Thomas took his position in 2003.

By 2004, Sanders claimed Thomas confessed his love to her and compared their love to the movie Love and Basketball.

Thomas denied the name-calling or confessing his love to her. He also mentioned he'd never seen "Love and Basketball".

The Knicks would settle, and Sanders would be awarded $11.6 million in punitive damages. Thomas was finally shown the door after the season, ending one of the worst periods in franchise history.

7. Raphael Palmiero: 'I Have Never Done Steroids. Period.'

Oops.

Those were the famous last words of the first baseman who was once considered a lock for the Hall of Fame.

After appearing in front of Congress just five months earlier for a steroids hearing, Palmeiro's drug test came back positive for performing enhancing drugs.

Just two weeks prior to his positive test, Palmeiro collected his 3,000th career hit while playing for the Baltimore Orioles. 2005 would be Palmeiro's last in the big leagues, as he coincidentally saw his production dip after his positive test.

Palmeiro is still sticking to his story, and as recently as 2010, came out saying, "I was telling the truth then, and I am telling the truth now."

6. Referee Tim Donaghy Betting on Basketball

In 2007, former NBA official Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges of fixing and betting on NBA games.

Donaghy used inside information to predict winners of NBA games and admitted to betting on games he refereed. Donaghy, who was an NBA official for 13 years, would pass on his picks to professional gamblers in return for cash.

The investigation left a stain on the NBA and legitimized the integrity of the league.

In the highly controversial Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings 2002 NBA Conference Finals, Donaghy was a lead official.

According to a letter submitted by Donaghy's attorney, "the referees made up fouls on [the Kings] in order to give additional free-throw opportunities to [the Lakers]."

After facing up to 25 years in prison, Donaghy was sentenced to just 15 months in jail.

5. Patriots SpyGate Scandal

Also in 2007, former Jets coach Eric Mangini blew the whistle on Bill Belichick.

During a Jets-Patriots regular season matchup, a Patriots cameraman was caught illegally videotaping the Jets sideline, commonly referred to as "SpyGate."

It was widely assumed that Mangini notified the league of Belichick's videotaping practices, and he later admitted he has "a lot of regrets" in regard to how the incident played out.

In 2007, the Patriots finished the regular season 16-0, and the scandal hovered over their accomplishment throughout.

As a result of the investigation, Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, and the Patriots were fined $250,000 and docked a first-round draft pick.

The investigation also completely destroyed the already iffy relationship between Mangini and Belichick.

Mangini was a former coach under Belichick's staff in New England, but the Patriots' coach wasn't too happy when his assistant bolted for a rivals head coaching job in 2006.

4. Steve Phillips Sex Scandal with 22-Year-Old Production Assistant

An interesting decision here to say the least.

Former ESPN analyst and General Manager of the New York Mets found himself at the center of a sex scandal in 2009.

The New York Post reported that Phillips was having an affair with his 22-year-old production assistant, Brooke Hundley (bottom right), who apparently was a little loopy.

When Phillips finally ended the fling, she wasn't happy about it and didn't necessarily keep the relationship a secret.

Hundley reportedly hounded Phillips' wife with Fatal Attraction phone calls and even wrote a detailed letter to her bragging about her and Phillips sexcapades.

Hundley chose an interesting method of delivery, as she drove her car into Phillips' home after dropping off the letter.

Safe to say ESPN didn't really want anything to do with this situation, and they would fire Phillips less than a week after the scandal came to light.

3. Bernie Madoff and Fred Wilpon

In March 2009, Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 felonies after turning his wealth management business into one of the largest Ponzi schemes the world has ever seen.

Thousands of investors put their money and faith in Madoff, including New York Mets majority-owner Fred Wilpon.

Wilpon became the target of an enormous lawsuit after being accused of knowingly operating in Madoff's illegal business because of the large profits he received from investing.

Wilpon denied the allegations and said he was unaware of any red flags that would have signified Madofff was operating a fraudulent scheme.

This March, Wilpon made out way better than initially expected (original suit was for $1 billion), settling with trustee Irving Picard for $162 million. Not only will Wilpon only be on the hook for a fraction of that amount, but he doesn't have to pay a dime until 2016 and 2017.

In the midst of this scandal, the New York Mets had to slash payroll at an astronomical rate because of the lawsuit's monetary strangle hold.

After the organization lost $70 million last season, general manager Sandy Alderson gutted the Mets payroll by $52 million—the largest single year drop off in MLB history.

Even through all the money lost, the worse loss of all was that Fred Wilpon remains the owner of this disheartening franchise.

2. Tiger Woods Sex Scandal

Before 2009, all Tiger Woods had to worry about was winning golf tournaments. Ever since, it's probably the furthest thing from his mind.

Two years ago, Woods crashed his SUV into a tree outside his mansion in Orlando, Florida, when his wife, Elin Nordegren, reportedly chased him out of the house after a domestic dispute.

It became increasingly obvious that Woods had been cheating on his wife when numerous women came forward admitting to sexual encounters with the golf legend.

Citing injuries from the crash, Woods withdrew from several tournaments before admitting to 'sex addiction' and having completed a sex rehabilitation. In the midst of the scandal, Woods lost several big-name sponsors and struggled on the golf course upon his return.

According to The Huffington Post, Woods had sex with 121 different women over the course of his marriage, which ultimately resulted in divorce.

Until recently capturing the Chevron World Challenge title, the first tournament win for Woods in over two years, Woods has been a mess on the golf course.

1. Child Sex Abuse at Penn State

For the most unfortunate and embarrassing stain on an institution in recent memory, Penn State holds the title.

In the past year, allegations have surfaced that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted at least ten underage boys on or near the university's campus.

Sandusky has been indicted on 50 counts of sexual molestation charges from 1994-2009, when the alleged encounters occurred.

In the wake of the investigation, Penn State trustees fired iconic football head coach Joe Paterno and president Graham Spanier for failing to report knowledge of Sandusky's sexual acts with children.

A truly unfortunate ending to Paterno's legacy with the institution, Paterno would later tell reporters "I wish I had done more."

Sandusky, who denies the allegations, is scheduled to appear in court in June, and he will face criminal charges of sexual abuse to boys he met through The Second Mile, a charity he founded to help needy children.

The sickening investigation may only get worse as more facts come to light, and unfortunately, the Penn State brand may be forever connected with this disgusting individual.