Athlete Hall Of Shame
Where we remind you of the events the athletes would love to forget!
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Tonya Harding
Inducted August 2007
Photo From: oceleb.com
Former Olympic figure skater. Finished second in the '91 World Championships and won the '91 U. S. Olympic Festival. Had 2 first place finishes in the U. S. Championships. Had 2 first place, a second place, and a third place finish at the Skate America competition. First American woman to complete a triple axel jump in competition.
Shameful Moments:
-Known for being hindered by asthma but was also a known smoker
-Had to ask referee’s permission to start over in the 1993 U. S. Championships because the back of her dress came unhooked when she started to skate
-Stopped in the middle of her free skate at the 1993 Skate America competition and complained to a referee that her skate blade became loose (looked at by a skate technician and allowed to resume)
-Anonymous telephone bomb threat was made in '93 at the regional qualifying competition for the U. S. Championships against Harding that made the USFSA excuse her from having to qualify (later came out that the FBI had evidence that Harding participated in the bomb threat)
-Delayed medal ceremony at the 1994 U. S. Championships because Harding could not be found backstage after she competed
-Failed to appear for her turn at the 1994 Winter Olympics on time because she was trying to replace a broken lace backstage (the new lace was too short and she had to ask the referee permission to restart)
-Conspired to make an attack on competitor Nancy Kerrigan on January 6, 1994 at a practice session for the ‘94 U. S. Championships when Shane Stant, who was hired by Harding’s then-husband, struck Kerrigan on the knee (Harding won, but was later stripped of her title while Kerrigan withdrew - Harding was allowed to stay on the ‘94 Olympic team after threatening legal action and finished 8th while Kerrigan recovered from her injury and finished 2nd - Harding received 3 years probation, 500 hours of community service and a $160,000 fine on March 16, 1994 after pleading guilty to hindering the investigation of the attack)
-Part of a sex tape scandal with ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, who sold the tape to tabloids after he was implicated in the Kerrigan attack (Harding publicly claimed she was “drunk as a skunk” when the tape was being made)
-Followed a car on May 25, 1995 that she believed was being driven by a professional golfer that was stalking her and called Oregon police, who joined the chase (Harding claimed someone ran a vehicle into her house and drove away weeks before and believed the car she was following was responsible - the chase ended in a food store parking lot, the driver was questioned and no charges were filed)
-Claimed she was taken at knife-point outside her home on February 12, 1997 and forced to drive to a rural area where she struck a tree and managed to escape into the woods on the opening weekend of the 1997 U. S. Championships (no evidence was found that she was abducted)
-Ordered by a judge on February 24, 2000 to avoid alcohol and her ex-boyfriend, Darren Silver, after she was charged with fourth-degree domestic violence assault for punching Silver and throwing a hubcap at him (sentenced to 3 days in jail, 10 days of community service, and probation - had been attempting a skating comeback, but the charges effectively ended any chance of it)
-Evicted from her rental home in 2002
-Cited for drunk driving and a violation of her 2000 domestic violence probation agreement on April 20, 2002 after driving her truck into a ditch (sentenced to 10 days in jail and 12 hours of classes for troubled young adults)
-Involved in a fight with her assumed boyfriend, Christopher Nolan, at her home in Washington on October 23, 2005 while under the influence of alcohol (she first made a 911 call claiming two masked men assaulted her in her home - Nolan was charged with assault and ordered to avoid alcohol and Harding)
-Called police at 5 A. M. on March 11, 2007 saying five armed men attempted to steal her vehicle and hide rifles on her property (the officer on the scene said her story was “very implausible” because neighbors didn’t see anything and found no evidence to support her claim)
-Another call was made to police just four hours later from a friend of Harding, who had her over for a visit, saying that Harding was violent and “tweaking out, seeing animals” (the responding officer took Harding home and advised her to get medical help - Harding’s agent said her behavior was a result of an interaction of prescription drugs)