The Longest Suspensions In Pro Sports

The list of the longest suspensions in pro sports now includes Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The perennial Pro-Bowl selection was recently informed he’d be sitting for the remainder of the 2014 season after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down his ruling.

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Peterson joins a list of talented on-field performances who saw their legacies tarnished and wallets lightened due to controversial on and off field behavior. Hit the jump to see Peterson’s distinguished company.

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Photo: WENN

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Before he became Metta World Peace, Ron Artest’s role in the infamous “Malace at the Palace” earned him a suspension spanning 72 games and the entire postseason.

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Repeatedly lying about his use of various performance-enhancing drugs earned professional cyclist Lance Armstrong a lifetime ban.

When Latrell Sprewell choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo in 1997, he earned an 82-game suspension, which was later reduced to 68 games by an outside arbitrator.

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After his role in an investigation on performance enhancing drugs, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was suspended 162 games (or the length of an entire MLB season).

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Technically, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely when video evidence surfaced of him punching his wife Janay Rice. But most think Rice will be reinstated for the beginning of the 2015 NFL season, which amounts to a 16-game suspension.

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Former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA for life after being caught on tape making racist remarks to his mistress, but his still pocketed $1.5 billion from the forced sale of the team.

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Gilbert Arenas said he brought guns to the Washington Wizards locker room as a joke after teammate Javaris Crittenton allegedly reneged on a bet. NBA Commissioner David Stern didn’t find the prank funny and suspended Arenas 50 games.

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Cincinnati Bengals running back Stanley Wilson earned the rare NFL lifetime ban after repeatedly getting caught using cocaine. The last straw (no pun intended) was when Wilson was caught snorting lines the night before Super Bowl XXIII.

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Pete Rose was caught gambling on baseball games and repeatedly lying about his betting, which led to MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti banning him from baseball for life.

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His only crime was being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, but that didn’t prevent Muhammad Ali from being stripped of his title, jailed and indefinitely banned from boxing. All in all, it amounted to a three-and-a-half year suspension.

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After being caught using performance-enhancing drugs for a second time, San Francisco Giants pitcher Guillermo Mota triggered the repeat offender alert, automatically earning a 100-game suspension.

In 2007, New York Islanders forward Chris Simon earned what was then an NHL record 30-game suspension for stomping on an opponent with his skate. You know, those skates with razor sharp blades attached to the bottom?

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In 2009, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth was suspended an entire 16-game season after he pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter in connection with a crash in which he struck and killed construction worker Mario Reyes.

Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game suspension in 2013 as punishment for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.

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His nickname is “All Day,” but Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will pretty much sit out the entire 2014 season after pleading guilty to charges of reckless assault in conjunction with disciplining his four-year old son with a thin tree branch.