Athlete Decisions That Completely Shocked Us

The sports world has a weird way of shocking us fans on every single level.

Whether that means finding out some underdog shocked the world by pulling a huge upset or finding out that an athlete decided to do something totally unexpected, athletics is the ultimate reality TV show because it's completely unscripted.

And over the years, we've all seen some really incredible decisions that left us picking up our jaws from the ground.

Which ones were the most shocking? I give you the ones that people are probably still amazed by.

Mike Tyson's Decision to Chomp

It was honestly one of the most asinine decisions a pro athlete could ever make: biting an opponent in the middle of competition.

Yet that's what former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson did during this 1997 bout with Evander Holyfield in what became the defining moment of the boxer's career.

Getting paid $30 million for the fight, you would think that Tyson would be on his best behavior in order to continue this rivalry that had been going on for several years at that point.

Instead, he bit down on both of Holyfield's ears, costing Iron Mike $3 million and his boxing license, all but ending his fighting career.

Brett Favre's Waffling

It wasn't so much that former NFL great Brett Favre had waffled so many times between staying on the field and retiring—he had done that for years—but he did make a few shocking decisions late in his career that, until recently, Green Bay Packers fans still took exception with.

Namely, it was Favre's decision to come out of retirement for the second time and lead the Minnesota Vikings' huddle.

Normally not a big deal, right?

But when the Packers and Vikings are known division rivals and play each other at least twice a year, the city of Green Bay feels like one of their own backstabbed them.

The ol' gunslinger went on to play two seasons in Minnesota, enjoying one in which he led them to the NFC title game, and another that, well, pretty much forced him into retirement—for good.

Latrell Sprewell Chokes Up

DAN KRAUSS/Associated Press

Disagreements are a part of living, but when one happens between a star athlete and his head coach, no one thinks that something like this is going to happen.

Yet there was an instance when former Golden State Warriors player Latrell Sprewell actually choked out his own coach, P.J. Carlesimo, after the two exchanged heated words during practice back in 1997.

With tension between the two men pretty high stemming from an incident in which Sprewell was pulled by Carlesimo after laughing during a blowout loss against the L.A. Lakers weeks earlier, Spree gave a warning to his coach not to lay into him before putting his hands around his neck.

The result? Sprewell was suspended 68 games for his lack of judgement.

Zinedine Zidane's Headbutt

It was the biggest game of his life, yet former French national soccer team captain Zinedine Zidane did the unthinkable—he attacked another player, received a red card and got sent off.

One of the most recognized players in his country's history, French soccer fans could do nothing but drop their jaws in amazement and confusion after seeing ZiZu do what he did back in the 2006 World Cup final.

Of course, after hearing what Italian player Marco Materazzi said to insult Zidane, there are a few people who probably would have acted the same, but it was still a moment that many soccer fans were stunned at given the class the Frenchman usually played with.

And because his team lost in penalty kicks and it ended up being his final international cap, the decision was even more magnified.

Barry Sanders' Early Retirement

Finishing his illustrious NFL career as the third-leading rusher in NFL history, former Detroit Lions star Barry Sanders suddenly just didn't want to do it anymore.

That's right; he had put his body through 10 seasons of heavy lifting, and Sanders thought that, at 30 years old, it was time to walk away.

Of course, seeing that he even made it to 30 as a running back now isn't so shocking, but back then, it certainly was.

Seemingly disgruntled over front office moves in Detroit, Sanders didn't pout or force his way out, instead choosing to just sign his retirement papers. And although many hoped for a comeback, he stuck by his decision.

Michael Jordan's Retirement/Comeback

You know those moments, no matter how big or small, when you just remember where you were when they happened? Yeah, this was one of them for me.

Like most third-graders, I was an enormous Michael Jordan fan, watching every game and either begging my parents or saving all I could for the latest release of his Air Jordans, so his abrupt retirement in 1993 from the Chicago Bulls was more than just shocking, it was devastating.

At the peak of his career and still just 30 years old, Jordan had his reasons—along with some conspiracy theories—as to why he stepped away from the game of basketball to pursue baseball.

Was it because of the tragic death of his father? Was it because he was secretly suspended for gambling from the league? Did he have beef with Chicago's management? Only MJ truly knows.

And just when we all thought it was over and the game had lost arguably the best player it had ever seen, he shocked us again by returning just 18 months later, eventually winning three more NBA titles before retiring and staging one last comeback again.

Lance Armstrong's Admission

It wasn't so much that Lance Armstrong was found guilty of doping throughout his cycling career, but it's that after years of denial and lies in which he sacrificed so many others, the former *seven-time Tour de France winner finally admitted his faults.

As one of the most inspiring and—assumed—successful athletes in history, Lance duped us all into thinking he was first-class and world-class, playing the leading man in a Hollywood-like story that saw him go from a bad-luck Tour de France loser to cancer survivor to becoming unbeatable.

But following his shocking admission, the story ended harshly for Lance, as he was dropped by several sponsors, including his own Livestrong organization, and looked at as one of the biggest frauds in sporting history.

LeBron James' Decisions

Don't get me wrong, as a Cleveland-born-and-raised sports fan, LeBron James' decision to return to the Cleveland Cavs this past summer literally had me in tears when reading his letter.

Why? Because he finally understood what he meant to the entire state of Ohio, the economy in Cleveland and, for better or worse, the hope of those who cheered for him.

Yet just four years earlier, James shocked the sports world in a different way, proclaiming he was, "taking his talents to South Beach and joining the Miami Heat."

Jaw. Dropped.

Of course, seeing how it all played out, with James winning two titles in Miami and maturing beyond his years, it actually ended up being a blessing for us Cavs fans.

Still, the pain and betrayal that the city of Cleveland had during that time is indescribable, with all forgiven thanks to his shocking choice to come home to help win a title for The Land.

Tiger Woods' Infidelity

"Wait, what? No freakin' way!"

I remember sitting in my cubicle as an editor at Maxim magazine whispering those exact words—or a version of them—when my boss sent me a link to the story of Tiger Woods cheating on his wife.

We had all seen the pictures and heard the stories of Woods' Thanksgiving Day crash back in 2009, but we never thought this was the reason behind it.

The choir boy who was seemingly a PR person's dream had done something like this?

Tons of adult film stars, prostitutes and other extremely attractive women all vowed that Woods had slept with them, proving that no matter how squeaky clean someone might appear, they, too, have some skeletons deep down somewhere.

The news was about as shocking as any in the past 25 years, as the greatest golfer was forced to take a hiatus from golf while still at his peak in order to go to sex rehab.

Magic Johnson's Retirement/Return

Much like the first retirement of the aforementioned Michael Jordan in 1993, former L.A. Lakers great Magic Johnson's just a couple of years prior confused sports fans.

That's because at what was supposed to be the height of his career—coming off of another NBA Finals trip in which he matched up, and lost, to Jordan's Bulls team—Magic was walking away from the game.

How could this be?

Of course, Johnson dropped the bombshell, saying the words, "Because of the virus I have attained, I will have to retire from the Lakers, today," sending the media and sports fans everywhere into a frenzy because the virus he talked about—HIV—was still so foreign in the mainstream.

Then, in other stunning news, Johnson made a return to the Lakers, suiting up for 32 games during the 1995-96 season before calling it quits for good.

Ron Artest (Metta World Peace)

To all of those fans out there, remember to refrain from throwing anything onto the playing surface; otherwise, something like this might happen.

Following a scuffle toward the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons, former Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest—or Metta World Peace—was trying to escape the shoving that was occurring between the two teams by simply laying down on the scorer's table.

Presumably relaxed and minding his own business, Artest got nailed by a flying plastic cup that a fan tossed, jolting up as if he were a kid waking up on Christmas morning and bolting into the stands, with some of his teammates following suit and swinging at anyone who came around them.

I remember seeing this as a sophomore in college and being horrified, wondering what the league would do to the players and what the state of the league would be.

The result?

Artest received an 86-game suspension, which was the longest for a non-drug-related punishment, and it left every sports fan on edge about the thin line between taunting and actually harassing a player.

O.J. Simpson Avoiding the Cops

No one could have ever seen this coming.

One of the "good guys" in American sports and a former NFL legend, O.J. Simpson made the decision to take the LAPD on a chase around the entire city because he was to be questioned about the murders of two people who knew the former running back.

It was one of the most shocking things anyone, not just sports fans, had ever witnessed, with so many questions left to be answered.

Eventually the story came out regarding what had happened, leading to one of the most interesting trials in U.S. history.

Still, Simpson's decision to ride down the 405 in Los Angeles rather than just talk with cops was one that befuddled everyone.