There are many professional athletes that just love crossing the line. Dirty hits, cheap shots, the intent to injure, you name it. These are the players that fans and opponents love to hate, and after a while, their antics eventually catch up to them.
Here is a look at 10 occasions where a dirty player received a taste of their own medicine.
10. Duncan Keith Destroys Matt Cooke
Former NHLer Matt Cooke was one of those guys who loved if he was on your team. If he wasn’t, then you probably hated the guy.
Cooke was a gritty, hard-working forward who was usually good for double-digit goals, and he won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. However, Cooke was also one of the NHL’s dirtiest and gutless players for a long period of his career.
Most hockey fans surely remember his vicious elbow to the head of Boston Bruins’ forward Marc Savard which essentially ended his career. Savard, a key part of the Bruins offense, was never able to stay healthy again after suffering a concussion.
Somehow, and someway, Cooke avoided a suspension despite the dirty cheap shot. It made him public enemy No. 1 in Boston.
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In 2011, Cooke received a four-game suspension for a hit on Fedor Tyutin. Later on, he was suspended for the remainder of the year after an ugly elbow on Ryan McDonagh.
And we can’t forget his seven-game suspension after a brutal knee-on-knee hit on Tyson Barrie.
But well before the incidents with Savard, Tyutin, McDonagh and Barrie took place, Cooke was the victim of a cheapshot from Chicago Blackhawks All-Star defenseman Duncan Keith.
Not clean on either end, but Cooke surely learned that if you can dish it out, you have to take it back. That said, Keith was the only one that earned a trip to the penalty box, while Cooke avoided the sin bin.
9. Markieff Morris Fouls Zaza Pachulia…HARD
Pachulia was a career journeyman who won back-to-back NBA Championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. That said, he wasn’t exactly a game changer, averaging just 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his career.
Pachulia will best be remembered for his shameful on-court antics. He is, simply put, one of the absolute dirtiest players in NBA history. And believe us, this incident involving Markieff Morris wasn’t the only incident in which an opponent went hard at Pachulia.
We can’t forget the incident where he stepped on Kawhi Leonard’s ankle in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals; the San Antonio Spurs star didn’t return to the series as the Dubs pulled off the sweep.
And we won’t forget the incident in which he seemingly tried to injure Russell Westbrook on purpose. Pachulia, unlike most athletes on our list here, had his own medicine served to him on a handful of occasions.
But Morris, playing for the Washington Wizards at the time, was able to serve the medicine to Pachulia without seriously injuring him.
Morris received a flagrant foul for his actions. But something tells us he had no regrets doing it.
8. Antonio Smith Goes After Richie Incognito
Though Richie Incognito is a four-time Pro Bowl guard, most NFL fans and pundits will best remember him for his awful off-the-field behaviour, as well as his dirty style of play.
Nobody can forget the infamous bullying scandal in 2013, where Incognito harassed and threatened teammate Jonathan Martin. Incognito called him racial slurs and even sent death threats towards Martin. Simply heinous and cruel.
That forced the Dolphins to suspend Incognito, and it completely ruined his football legacy.
But folks, let’s not forget that he was also suspended numerous times in college for fighting during a practice, as well as breaking team rules. And oh, the dude racked up a giant $35,000 fine for various incidents in a game against the Washington Redskins.
It was only a matter of time until Incognito finally got his. And Antonio Smith of the Houston Texans did it in a 2013 preseason game against Incognito’s dolphins.
Smith received a one-game suspension for the incident. Sure, it was dirty. But you can’t say Incognito didn’t have it coming.
7. Scottie Pippen Brings Down Bill Laimbeer
Bill Laimbeer was a central part of the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons that won back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990. The Pistons played physical, lockdown in-your-face defense and essentially bullied their way to the top.
Laimbeer’s Pistons had a heated rivalry with the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls. The two clubs met in the postseason four years in a row from 1988 to 1991.
MJ’s squad finally broke through their Kryptonite in a four-game sweep during the ‘91 Eastern Conference Finals, en route to the first of three straight Championships.
Laimbeer was a key reason why the Pistons-Bulls rivalry reached new heights. He just loved playing an ultra-physical style, and he got into heated and well-documented fights with Hall of Famers such as Larry Bird and Charles Barkley.
Laimbeer was never afraid to cross the line, and he seemed to embrace all the hatred he brought upon himself. But one day, Laimbeer finally met his match: None other than Mr. Pippen himself.
We miss rivalries like this.
6. Sergio Ramos Takes Down Luis Suarez
Soccer is a sport where physical contact is extremely limited, and if you cross the line, you get penalized for it. And of course, players don’t want to commit a dirty action that will draw a yellow or red card.
But Luis Suarez is one of the dirtiest athletes we’ve ever come across, even though he’s part of a game that’s supposedly played by “gentlemen.”
Suarez has gotten himself into trouble plenty of times throughout his career. The entire soccer universe saw his bite onGiorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup, which led to a four-month suspension from the sport.
That was only one of the few biting incidents involving Suarez. His on-field antics have been nothing short of embarrassing and disgraceful. And like the other dirty athletes on this list, it wasn’t going to be long until Suarez finally met his match.
During a 2017 “El Clasico” showdown, Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid decided to finally serve Suarez a taste of his own medicine.
As if the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona FC wasn’t heated enough…
5. Jarrett Johnson Sits Down Hines Ward
He was a legend in Pittsburgh, but former Steelers’ Pro Bowl wideout and Super Bowl 40 MVP Hines Ward was strongly disliked outside of the Steel City. And for, well, pretty good reason.
Ward developed a reputation for being one of the league’s nastiest and dirtiest players. In fact, Sports Illustrated ran a 2009 poll that consisted of 296 NFL players, and Ward was voted the league’s dirtiest player.
Ward’s worst on-field moment was by far the incident in a 2008 game against the Bengals, where he broke the jaw of linebacker Keith Rivers on a blocking play.
Ward loved to get into his opponents’ kitchen, and for the most part, they didn’t fight back. But during a Week 1, 2011 game between the Steelers and the arch-rival Baltimore Ravens, Jarrett Johnson decided to give Ward a taste of his very own medicine.
Ward turned out to be just fine, so Ravens fans probably didn’t feel the least bit of sympathy towards him. The guy had to be on the wrong end of a dirty hit like that at some point.
4. Seth Jones Destroys Tom Wilson
Washington Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson was an integral part of their Stanley Cup championship team in 2017-18, and the good folks in DC absolutely love him. But uh, 30 other fanbases simply can’t stand the guy — and for good reason.
Wilson has seemingly done everything in his power to earn the crown of the NHL’s dirtiest and most hated player. There was an incident where he dished out a brutal hit to Zach Aston-Reese of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which resulted in a broken jaw and a concussion for the latter.
Wilson also received a 20-game suspension for a hit on Oskar Sundqvist during a 2018 preseason game, although he had it reduced to 14 games following an appeal.
Enforcers like Wilson have learned a golden rule in hockey: If you’re going to play it dirty, you can expect retaliation. A taste of your own medicine. A LOT OF IT. Just ask any other tough guy to ever suit up in the NHL.
You can find plenty of instances where Wilson got his, but the one that especially stands out to us was the time where Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman crushed Wilson in a 2017 game. As a bonus for the Jackets, it led to a goal for Zach Werenski.
It’s worth noting that the Blue Jackets met the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs later that season. However, it was Wilson’s team that got the last laugh, as they dispatched Columbus in six games en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
3. Draymond Green Gets Kicked By Danny Green
Many of the NBA’s most dominant defensive players have to be especially physical and often dirty. Just as the likes of Dennis Rodman and Golden State Warriors all-Star Draymond Green, a cornerstone player in their 2010s dynasty.
Green won the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year award, and he’s basically a lock for the NBA All-Defensive First-Team every year.
That said, Green’s style of play has often gotten him into trouble. He was suspended in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers for seemingly hitting LeBron James in the groin area, which led to a flagrant foul one. The Cavs, of course, won three straight games to win their first ever NBA Championship.
Had Green been active for Game 5, the series could have ended right then and there.
Green has a disturbing habit of kicking players and often targeting them in the groin area. There have been numerous incidents of Green poking players in the eye too. There’s simply no place in the game for some of his antics.
But during a 2018 game against the Spurs, Green had to be on the wrong side of a hit to the groin. The culprit was Danny Green, who got a big shot in after attempting a one-hander near the basket.
Green had to go to the locker room, and after the game, he questioned the media as to why they didn’t ask him if they thought Danny did it on purpose. Yeah, it just wasn’t a fun night for Green, who had to experience a taste of his own medicine on this occasion.
2. Brad Marchand Leveled By Gabriel Landeskog
Boston Bruins All-Star forward Brad Marchand truly lives up to his well-known monikers of “The Rat” and “The Little Ball of Hate.”
Marchand, listed at 5-foot-9 and approx. 180 pounds, isn’t exactly the biggest player on the ice. But he still finds a way to get under the skin of his opponents, and for the most part, he does it by dishing out dirty and unnecessary hits.
Marchand has a long history of ugly slew-footing incidents. He’s also had a handful of well-documented fines and suspensions.
Nobody can forget his downright ugly “clipping” hit on Vancouver Canucks blueliners Sami Salo in 2012. Or his vicious elbow on Marcus Johansson. Or his brutal spear to the groin of Jake Dotchin.
There’s simply no sugar-coating it. Marchand is one of the dirtiest players we’ve ever seen. And he knows it. And his incredible dominance on the ice makes non-Bruins fans hate him even more.
But during the Bruins’ Nov. 12, 2015 home game against the Boston Bruins, Marchand finally got a taste of…HIS OWN MEDICINE.
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog — who isn’t exactly known for being much an enforcer — got a clean look at Marchand. And he wasted no time in dishing a dirty hit right back at Marchand.
Landeskog was penalized on the play, and Marchand retaliated by punching the Colorado captain square in the face — which also led to a trip to the penalty box.
This time, Marchand was on the wrong side of a not-so-clean hit. We’re not condoning what Landesekog did, but Marchand had to learn his lesson at some point. And an unlikely candidate stepped up.
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster Lays Out Vontaze Burfict
Seeing how great of a guy he is on and off the field, you have to think that JuJu Smith-Schuster only did this in retaliation to everything Burfict had done to the Steelers.
Burfict, quite frankly, is the dirtiest NFL player of this era. Hands down. And you can easily argue that he’s the dirtiest player in NFL history.
Burfict is the guy who dished out some dirty hits on Ben Roethlisberger. And the guy who hit Le’Veon Bell viciously in the knee, which led to the latter tearing his MC and thus missing the remainder of the 2015 season.
And let’s not forget Burfict’s head-hunt on Antonio Brown in the 2015 AFC Wild Card Round that cost the Bengals a playoff win, which caused A.B.to miss the Steelers’ next game.
During a 2017 game between the Bengals and Steelers, Smith-Schuster simply had enough of Burfict. The rookie wideout dished out a brutal blindside block on Burfict, knocking him to the ground.
Smith-Schuster was penalized on the play, and he was suspended for one game.
The next season, Roethlisberger said that after Burfict dished out an ugly head shot on Brown, the Bengals’ linebacker warned Smith-Schuster that he was next.
Hits and behavior like this don’t belong in football. And we didn’t want to see Burfict get injured like that. But did he really think he was going to get away with it forever? Somebody was going to retaliate eventually, and Smith-Schuster decided to do it.
That’s the one time where Burfict was on the wrong end of a dirty hit, but let’s not forget his horrible history of intentionally injuring opponents.
What other instances did a dirty athlete get a taste of their own medicine?
