Suspensions are commonplace in professional sports. What makes suspensions controversial is the type and length of punishment per violation. Some athletes receive a slap on the wrist and miss a couple games, while others are slapped with huge fines and are banned all season. Nevertheless, suspensions will always be criticized for their severity, or lack thereof, and causing unfair advantages and disadvantages in the game. Here are the 10 most controversial sports suspensions:

1. Leonard Little
   St. Louis Rams linebacker Leonard Little faced a controversial suspension for his 1998 drunk driving accident that killed another motorist, Susan Gutweiler, in St. Louis. Little’s blood alcohol level measured more than twice the legal limit in the state of Missouri. The NFL suspended Little for 8 games during the 1999 season, and he was put on paid leave by the Rams. After pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, Little served 90 days in jail, four years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. When he returned to the NFL, Little was banned from playing in the first eight-regular season games, costing him about $125,000.



2. Michael Vick
   Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was found guilty for running an illegal dogfighting ring at one of his properties in Virginia in 2007. He was charged with competitive dogfighting and conducting the venture across state lines, for which he served 23 months in prison. Vick was suspended indefinitely from the NFL without pay in 2007. After he was released from prison, Vick returned to the NFL in September 2009, with a shortened two-game suspension.



3. Ron Artest
   Ron Artest was involved in one of the biggest basketball brawls that won him the longest non-drug or betting related suspension in NBA history. During a 2004 Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game, Artest, who was playing for the Pacers at the time, fouled Pistons center Ben Wallace, which led to arguing and shoving Artest. Artest walked over to the sideline and laid down on the scorer’s table, when a Pistons fan threw and hit Artest with a cup of soda. He jumped into the seats and confronted the wrong man, causing a brawl between fans. Artest punched Pistons fan A.J. Shackleford, who he says was taunting him. Artest was suspended from the NBA for the remainder of the season, missing approximately 73 games and playoff games, which cost him about $7 million in lost salary earnings.



4. Todd Bertuzzi
   During a 2004 NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche, Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched his opponent Steve Moore in the head, leaving him with a broken neck, a severe concussion and other serious injuries. Bertuzzi hit Moore as retaliation for hitting his teammate, Markus Näslund, in a previous game. He pleaded guilty to criminal assault in a Vancouver court, and was given a conditional discharge, one year of probation and 80 hours of community service. Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely from the NHL for 17 months, as well as banned from playing in any European league, the World Cup of Hockey and two world championships.



5. Latrell Sprewell
   Former Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell was suspended for assaulting his head coach, P.J. Carlesimo, during a team practice in 1997. Unnerved by his coach’s criticism and yelling, Sprewell and Carlesimo had a verbal altercation, in which he threatened to kill his coach, and later dragged Carlesimo to the ground and began choking him until teammates pulled him off. Following the incident, Sprewell was suspended from the league for 68 games, and his $32 million contract with the Warriors was terminated.



6. Ben Roethlisberger
   Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old student at a Georgia college town nightclub in March 2010. Roethlisberger denied such claims and will not be charged after prosecutors decided to drop the charges against Roethlisberger. However, the league suspended Roethlisberger for six games without pay for the 2010-2011 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He is the first player to be suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the conduct policy without being arrested or charged with a crime.



7. Manny Ramirez
   Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and all-star slugger Manny Ramirez surprised baseball fans and players when he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs during the 2003 survey testing. In 2009, Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for violating the MLB’s performance enhancing drug policy, in which tests showed he had artificial testosterone in his body. Ramirez used a female fertility drug, called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is commonly used by steroid users as they finish a steroid cycle and need to reboot their natural testosterone production. Ramirez claimed that his physician prescribed him a medication for a personal health problem, and was unaware the medication was banned under the MLB’s drug policy.



8. Sean Avery
   Former Dallas Stars left winger Sean Avery made headlines in 2008 for a crude comment about his ex-girlfriends dating other hockey players. The ever-controversial hockey player was suspended for six games by the NHL for his erratic behavior and detrimental comments. It also proved to be the last straw for the Stars organization, which announced that Avery would not return to the team after his suspension. In order to return to the league, Avery was required to participate in an anger management evaluation.



9. Rafael Palmeiro
   Former MLB player Rafael Palmeiro had one of the biggest suspensions for testing positive for steroids. Known for his career leading hits, including his record 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, Palmeiro was likely to make it into the Hall of Fame. But, in 2005, Palmeiro tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol, and later testified at a Congressional hearing that he never used steroids. Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days following his positive test results.



10. Donte’ Stallworth
    Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth was driving drunk when he struck and killed a pedestrian, Mario Reyes, in Miami in 2009. Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter in June 2009, and two days later he was suspended from the NFL for the entire 2009 season without pay. Stallworth served 24 days of his 30-day jail sentence, reached an undisclosed financial agreement with the Reyes’ family, and continues to serve his two years of house arrest, eight years of probation and other restrictions.

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