Ben Flower's punches and 10 of the worst cheap shots in sport

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/oct/13/ben-flower-punches-worst-cheap-shots-sport

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Ben Flower wrote himself into the history books on Saturday evening. Not only did he become the first player to be sent off in rugby league’s Grand Final, but he will now be remembered as the man who punched an opponent while he lay unconscious and defenceless on the Old Trafford turf.

Flower has apologised for his behaviour and may recover his reputation over the coming years, but he was wise enough to admit that he will “have to live with this for the rest of my career”. Some sportsmen never escape their moments of madness. They linger on in our memories as the batter who lost his mind and kicked the catcher, the boxer who threw a punch after the final bell or the substitute who came running on to the field and attacked the winger.

Flower will probably face a long ban but his punishment will last a lot longer than his suspension. He will now face the ignominy of becoming the rugby league player who threw a punch at a man he had already knocked unconscious. He will join the list of sportsmen who have thrown cheap shots.

Dennis Rodman v cameraman Eugene Amos

Dennis Rodman fell over into a pit of photographers, lost his temper and lashed out with his feet, kicking the stunned cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin. But at least he apologised, sort of: “I really wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. It was just the heat of the moment. I could have done a lot worse things than that, besides kicking somebody. I could have punched somebody in the face.” Charming. The Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson took Rodman’s side – “It looked like he kicked the guy in the knee, and the guy suddenly got falsetto” – but the player had to pay Amos $200,000 in damages.

Floyd Mayweather v Victor Ortiz

Do not throw a headbutt at Floyd Mayweather and then show him your chin. Victor Ortiz learned this lesson the hard way.

Chris Simon v Ryan Hollweg

Chris Simon was suspended for 65 games in his NHL career. Thirty of those came after he swung his hockey stick into Ryan Hollweg’s face. In Simon’s defence, Hollweg had just shoved him in the back. But even Simon knew his retaliation had “absolutely no place in hockey”. The local district attorney considered filing criminal charges against Simon, but Hollweg said he wasn’t interested and the matter was dropped. In fact, Hollweg was very relaxed about the whole affair. When he was asked how he felt after the match, he replied: “I feel great that we got the win – that makes all the pain go away. Getting the two points was huge for us.”

James Butler v Richard Grant

Throwing a punch after the bell is one thing, but throwing a vicious right hook after the judges have called the fight is something else altogether. When James Butler beat Richard Grant at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in 2001, the victorious fighter walked across the ring to offer his condolences. Grant, who had taken off his gloves by this stage, was seething in his corner. When he saw Grant coming towards him, he pulled back his right fist and launched it into Grant’s face, breaking his jaw, knocking out some of his teeth and leaving him with a cut that required 26 stitches. Butler was arrested and sent to prison.

Kermit Washington v Rudy Tomjanovich

Kermit Washington is best remembered for one thing: throwing The Punch. “I saw something from the corner of my eye – it was Rudy running at me 100 miles an hour,” Washington later recalled. “And I swung and that was a mistake that I made in judgment.” That mistake was going to be the moment that would define his career in sport. Tomjanovich, who had done nothing to provoke the attack, fell to the floor and a pool of blood began to spill from his face. He almost died that night and was never the same player again, but Tomjanovich now calls Washington his “brother”: “It’s no big deal that I just forgave Kermit. That happened a long time ago.”

Andrew Golata v Riddick Bowe

Andrew Golota was dominating Riddick Bowe. He had won almost every round and was coasting towards a points victory. But he kept throwing low blows. After six punches below the belt, the referee had seen enough. He stopped the fight and gave Bowe the victory. With their man lying prone on the canvas, Bowe’s team came marching into the ring. One of them smacked Golata in the head with a walkie-talkie and it all kicked off. When the boxers met in a rematch later that year, Golata bossed the fight but again threw it away when he was disqualified for more low blows.

Marty McSorley v Donald Brashear

With less than five seconds remaining in the Boston Bruins’ match against the Vancouver Canucks, Marty McSorley swung his stick into Donald Brashear’s head. Brashear fell backwards, hit his head on the ice and lost consciousness. McSorley was charged with assault and suspended by the NHL for 23 games. He was later found guilty of assault with a weapon and was sentenced to 18 months probation. McSorley would never play in another game in the NHL.

Izzy Alcantara v Jeremy Salazar

Izzy Alcantara took exception to the pitches he was facing from Blas Cedeno while playing for Pawtucket Red Sox against Red Barons. So he turned around, kicked catcher Jeremy Salazarin the head and went after Cedeno. When the brawl died down, Alcantara was given a six-game suspension.

Tommy Lewis v Dicky Maegle

Dicky Maegle destroyed Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl. He scored three touchdowns on runs of 79, 95 and 34 yards, and gained a total of 265 yards as the Owls ran home convincing winners. But Maegle is best remembered for being tackled. With Rice leading 7-6, Maegle broke free and sprinted down the wing in front of Alabama’s bench. Unable to contain himself, Alabama substitute Tommy Lewis jumped from the bench and flung himself at Maegle. “I saw him crouching down like he had dropped his headgear,” recalled Maegle. “A thousand things went through my mind and son of a gun if he didn’t block me down. If I hadn’t stepped one half-step to the left, he would have broken my leg.” Thankfully Maegle played on and flourished.

Elizabeth Lambert v BYU

Elizabeth Lambert knows how to mix it. But she doesn’t know where to draw the line. Players can get away with the odd high tackle or shoulder barge, but vicious pony-tail pulling is not acceptable.