 Theoren Fleury describes how his ex-coach and convicted sex offender Graham James abused him during his time as a junior hockey player. (Sun Media/Stuart Dryden) |
One of the best things about watching sports is the way gifted athletes can shock us with incredible feats of skill and strength.
Unfortunately, as we have learned this month, sports stars can also make our jaws drop when they're nowhere near an arena or a stadium.
For better or worse, Theoren Fleury's revelation that he was one of the victims of pedophile coach Graham James has cast his entire NHL career in a different light. And while it was sad news -- like many of the admissions on this list -- here's hoping some good can come out of it.
10. Bode Miller
In a 2006 interview with 60 Minutes on the eve of the Torino Olympics, world champion skier Bode Miller admitted to having been drunk during a World Cup slalom race, noting "it's not easy" to ski while "wasted." The man who was supposed to be the U.S. team's golden boy was roundly lambasted for his comments, especially after failing to win a single medal at the Games.
9. Wade Boggs
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It wasn't terribly shocking when a former mistress sued Boston Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs after an acrimonious breakup in 1989 ... after all, pro athletes are renowned for their extramarital dalliances. But what was shocking was the way Boggs attempted to defend himself -- by telling reporters he was suffering from a "sex addiction." Instead of explaining his infidelity, the excuse just made the legendary batsman look ridiculous.
8. Dock Ellis
In 1984, while working as a drug counsellor, former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis revealed the greatest moment of his career -- his 1970 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres -- had been accomplished while he was stoned on LSD. Not realizing he was scheduled to pitch that day, Ellis dropped acid before the game and was still high when he took the mound. Despite yielding eight walks and hallucinating he was pitching to a guitar-swinging Jimi Hendrix, Ellis beat the Padres 2-0.
7. Martina Navratilova
In a 1981 interview with the New York Times, the most dominant player in the history of women's tennis admitted publicly what many had suspected for years -- she was a lesbian. While the news might not have been shocking, the fact that such a high-profile athlete in the prime of her career would voluntarily "out" herself was stunning ... especially considering how nobody of her stature has done the same in the three decades since.
6. Ken Caminiti
Unlike Alex Rodriguez, Marion Jones and other top-tier athletes who have admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs, Ken Caminiti came forward without failing a test or being otherwise forced into the spotlight. In 2002, a year after his retirement, the former big-league third baseman told Sports Illustrated he had used steroids for several seasons, including his MVP-winning 1996 campaign with the San Diego Padres. He was the first baseball player to make such an admission.
5. Jacques Demers
Theoren Fleury isn't the first sports figure to drop a bombshell in an autobiography. In 2005, former Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers made the embarrassing revelation that he was functionally illiterate, the result of an impoverished, abusive upbringing. The 1993 Stanley Cup winner was praised for his courage and was recently nominated for a seat in the Senate.
4. Lyle Alzado
A Pro Bowl defensive end who enjoyed a 15-year career with the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Raiders, Lyle Alzado was one of the NFL's most popular players of the 1970s and '80s. Dying from a brain tumour which he was convinced had been caused by decades of steroid use, Alzado came clean in 1991, becoming one of the first athletes in pro sports to admit doping and providing a cautionary tale for future generations.
3. Sheldon Kennedy
Few athletes have shown as much courage as Sheldon Kennedy, the man who first exposed Graham James as a pedophile. After living for several agonizing years with the secret of his abuse at the hands of his former junior coach, Kennedy came forward in 1996. Within a year, the man who had tormented him -- and Fleury -- was behind bars.
2. Lou Gehrig
Something was clearly wrong with stalwart first baseman Lou Gehrig when the New York Yankees opened spring training in 1939. The two-time MVP, in the midst of an incredible streak of 2,130 consecutive games, could barely hit the ball and looked unco-ordinated in the field. Two months later, after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- a degenerative malady that would become known as Lou Gehrig's Disease -- he shared his grim fate with the world. A year later, he was dead.
1. Magic Johnson
Jaws dropped around the world in 1991 when Lakers guard Magic Johnson, one of the biggest stars in NBA history, announced he had tested positive for HIV. At the time, such a diagnosis was considered a death sentence, but in the 18 years since then, Johnson has managed to stay healthy and AIDS-free.
Disagree with our picks? Send yours to topten@sunmedia.ca.