Most ignominious Career exits

[jstnrgrs]

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I honestly can't remember being as surprised by anything in a sporting event as I was by Zidane's headbutt today

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seriously?

Pacers/Pistons brawl with players going into the stands?
Tyson biting off an ear?
Don Zimmer attacking Pedro?

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FYP

[Dominic]

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Steve Tasker was ejected just a few plays into his final football game for bumping an official. That was a sad and unexpected end to a long, outstanding career. Especially since he's one of the most sportsmanlike, least selfish individuals that has ever played a sport professionally.

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I remember this...it pissed me off that the official did that over an inadvertant bump. Tasker should be in the HOF.

[Aces McGee]

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I honestly can't remember being as surprised by anything in a sporting event as I was by Zidane's headbutt today

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seriously?

Pacers/Pistons brawl with players going into the stands?
Tyson biting off an ear?
Pedro throwing Don Zimmer to the ground?

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Pedro/Zimmer doesn't belong anywhere near this list.

I should have clarified. I didn't see Tyson bite Holyfield live. I meant the most surprising thing I've seen live. If you hear about something and then see it, it loses some of the shock value. Similarly, I wasn't alive for Kermit Washington decking Rudy Tomjanovich, but I've seen the tape, and that was a much more disturbing image than Zidane's headbutt.

Tyson biting Holyfield is a bit more shocking, for sure, but Tyson had already established himself as a bit unstable and boxing is, after all, a combat sport. It certainly surprised me, but perhaps it really shouldn't have as much as it did.

Pacers-Pistons may have escalated to an unprecedented level in the NBA, but it started out as pushing and shoving that grew to something more. It was a tangibly tense and emotional situation, and the ill-advised actions of everyone involved unfolded in a somewhat logical fashion.

Zidane's headbutt came from out of nowhere, as two players were casually walking up field. It also came in the World Cup final, and was the final act in a legendary career. Even the day after, it remains incomprehensible -- not necessarily for the violence of the headbutt, but also the stage on which it played out.

McSorley-Brashear was a graphically haunting image, but hockey is such a violent sport, and players whack each other with their sticks all the time. It was only a matter of time before something like that happened.

-McGee

[ThaSaltCracka]

this thread has kind of spiraled out to something completely different then the original intent. Zidane's is probably the hardest to beat. Getting booted out of your last game ever, in arguably the biggest game in the world, in overtime. That is just stunning. This would be like Shaq getting thrown out of a game 7, with the score tied in overtime, in his final season. That would be stunning as well.

[Aces McGee]

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this thread has kind of spiraled out to something completely different then the original intent.

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Yeah, that's my fault. Sorry about that. I agree that Zidane's exit is going to be hard to top, and I should have just left it at that.

-McGee

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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this thread has kind of spiraled out to something completely different then the original intent. Zidane's is probably the hardest to beat. Getting booted out of your last game ever, in arguably the biggest game in the world, in overtime. That is just stunning. This would be like Shaq getting thrown out of a game 7, with the score tied in overtime, in his final season. That would be stunning as well.

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yes and no. as I said in another thread, Zidane getting kicked out at that point didn't affect the French chances THAT much. I would guess they win 3-4% less (if they were say 50% to win w/ him, they are maybe 47% to win w/o him).