The Most Infamous Sports Infidelity Scandals

I've been thinking a lot about this.

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In the fallout of the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini story, I was thinking a lot about other infamous cheating scandals in recent sports history.

I’m talking about the kind of cheating that Taylor Alison Swift would call ‘Illicit Affairs’ not the kind the Houston Astros did to steal the 2017 World Series from the Los Angeles Dodgers…

I! Said! What! I! Said!

I’ve structured this as a list of rankings, but I don’t want to be on the record “ranking” affairs, because all affairs are bad.

So we can call it a recap or a roundup or whatever!

Some admin before we get into it: For those paying subscribers who I owe an Impersonal Foul hat to (you know who you are!), I will have those shipped out this week or next. Thank you for your patience.

Now let’s get into it.

#6: Tom “Hey, So I Have Something To Tell You” Brady

Tom Brady’s juicy 2000s love triangle wasn’t an affair, but it was just as newsworthy.

Brady and actress Bridget Moynihan broke up in 2006.

Shortly after the breakup, Brady began a relationship with his eventual wife, Gisele Bündchen.

In early 2007, Moynihan announced she was pregnant with Brady’s child.

I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t want to be Bündchen at a brunch, telling her girlfriends this news.

Reportedly, there wasn’t an overlap of the relationships, but I guess a blended family is a different kind of overlap in that your husband’s ex will be *around*.

Bündchen and Moynihan are not pals, but have publicly expressed respect for each other in their co-parenting of Moynihan’s and Brady’s son, Jack.

That’s way more of a happy ending than some of the other messy situations we are diving into today…

#5: Ime “Do Not Have An Affair With A Coworker AND Cheat On Nia Long What Are You Doing Sir” Udoka

The infamous 2022 affair of former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is the only one on this list that involved HR.

Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with a female coworker while he was dating his longtime partner and actress, Nia Long.

I’m sorry, but who cheats on Nia! Long!

The relationship was reportedly consensual, but questions were raised because she was a subordinate of Udoka.

Before the scandal broke, Udoka was considered one of the best young coaches in the NBA. He even took the Celtics to the NBA Finals!

Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for a year and eventually became head coach of the Houston Rockets in 2023.

#4: Tristan “Please Leave Khloe Alone For Real I Am So Serious” Thompson

Where to even begin with this man???

Thompson didn’t have an affair so much as a career of affairs. Aside from being a professional basketball player, cheating was his second job.

He arguably did more cheating than playing basketball.