1.Tyrus Thomas claims there is no fee to enter the Dunk Contest.

The year 2007 was fine.
Estimated Total Fine: $10,000*
Tyrus Thomas, a former NBA player, was fined $10,000 for saying that the NBA dunk contest was “free money.” When questioned about the dunk contest in a 2007 post-game interview, Thomas said, “It’s free money.”

Tyrus Thomas claims there’s free money in the Dunk Contest. ©Getty Images/SStreeter Lecka
The league took offense to his words, believing them to be demeaning to the competition and damaging to the NBA’s reputation. As a result, Thomas was fined and informed that his actions would not be accepted.

2. Cam Newton is using the wrong sponsor.

Year of Fine: 2013
Est. Fine Total: $10,000*
Cam Newton, the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, was fined $10,000 in 2013 for using helmet clips from a sponsor with which he had no affiliation. The NFL prohibits players from wearing non-sponsored gear.

Cam Newton Signs With An Inappropriate Sponsor ©Getty Images/SStreeter Lecka
Some people thought the fine was needless and exorbitant. This was especially true given that the fine only applied to helmet clips. But what’s to stop mayhem from happening if the NFL allows a player to wear the helmet clips of their choice? After that, a different player will be showing up to a press conference wearing an unauthorized cap.

3. Marty McSorley Purses the Nose

Year of Fine: 2000
Est. Fine Total: $72,000*
Former NHL player Marty McSorley was penalized in 2000 for using his stick to strike Donald Brashear in the head during a game. As a result, the perpetrator was suspended for the playoffs and the final 23 games of the season. Brashear also sustained a concussion.

Marty McSorley Strikes a Headshot ©Sports Focus/GGetty Images
Following the event, the league tightened its regulations on fines and punishments for players who used their sticks as weapons. After the episode received extensive media coverage, there was a general uproar and condemnation of McSorley’s actions. Since then, McSorley has acknowledged that he misfired and was going for Brashear’s shoulder.

4. Jamal Lewis admits to having used drugs.

The year 2004 was fine.
The estimated total fine is $760,000*.
For a brief period in the early 2000s, former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis was regarded as a top-tier player. Furthermore, he was the only Ravens player who had not been charged with two counts of murder (side note: Ray Lewis’ charges were later dismissed).

Jamal Lewis admits to having used drugs. ©Getty Images/Doug Pensinger
It turned out that Jamal Lewis was unable to stay out of trouble. Following his nearly unprecedented 2066-yard performance in 2003, the running back faced charges of “conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine” a year later. Although Lewis was able to elude defenders with his Nike sneakers, he was nevertheless caught by the law and fined $760,000 by the NFL for violating protocol.

5.Charles Swing used a large number of engines.

2009 is the Year of Fine.
Estimated Total Fine: $200,000*
In motor racing, fines occur more frequently than one may think. But at the 25th running of Nascar’s Sprint All-Star Race, Charles Swing was hit with fines comparable to what he had to pay for equipping his team’s sprint vehicle with larger engines. Nascar’s wrath didn’t just affect the crew chief.

Charles Swing employed oversied engines on Pinterest and @tbeers62.
Carl Long, the team’s driver, received a record-breaking 12-race suspension, and Charles Swing was fined $200,000, setting a new Nascar record for the time. In 2013, Michael Waltrip Racing’s $300,00o fine for its involvement in “Spingate” surpassed Swing’s record fine.

6. Serena Williams receives a code violation at the 2018 US Open.

Year of Fine: 2018;
Est. Fine Total: $17,000*
Serena fell short the previous four times she competed for Grand Slam glory, despite all the titles she has won over the years. Williams’ annoyance with Serena finally caught up to her at the 2018 US Open Finals, costing her over $20,000.

At the 2018 US Open, Serena Williams was found in violation of a code. Bradley Kanaris provided an image.
Serena lost it, calling the umpire a “liar” and a “thief” because she didn’t like the way the umpires had called the match or the penalties she had received during it. In the end, she had lost more than just game points to Williams. In addition to the heartbreak of missing the finals, she also had to pay a $17,000 fine.

7. McLaren Found With Secret Information

The year 2007 was fine.
Total Estimated Fine: $100,000,000*
The McLaren-Mercedes Formula One racing team was found in possession of information regarding Team Ferrari that they were not meant to access in 2007, suggesting that they did not receive the notice that sensitive material is not for everyone. More than any previous infraction in sports history, McLaren F1 paid a heavy price for this flagrant breach of the International Sporting Code of Conduct.

McLaren was captured with secret information via @McLarenRacing/Pinterest.
McLaren-Mercedes was fined $100 million, disqualified from the season race, and stripped of all eight titles it had won that season due to their possession of confidential information concerning Ferrari’s Formula One racing team.

8.Dion Jordan is unable to pass an exam.

Fine Year: 2014–2015
Total Estimated Fine: $6.8 million*
Dion Jordan holds the record for the most fines of any NFL player. Over the course of his career, the former defensive end for the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders has been fined around $7 million, the majority of which came in 2014 and 2015.

Dion Jordan is unable to enter a class.
Jordan was not fined for abusing other players or being involved in a domestic abuse incident. Sadly, drug addiction was a major factor in Dion Jordan’s recurrent transgressions. Jordan was hit with $551,000 and $1.1 million in penalties for substance usage in 2014, but the real kicker was the $5.2 million fine and one-year suspension he received in 2015 after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances.

9. Shawn Rogers arrives at the airport armed.

Year of Fine: 2010
Est. Fine Total: $400,000*
Every American of legal age has the “right to bear arms,” as stated in the Second Amendment, yet not everyone should. Shaun Rogers, a defensive player for the Cleveland Browns, decided to use his right to the second amendment at Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport.
At the airport, Shawn Rogers arrives armed (@clevelanddotcom/Pinterest).

In case it wasn’t obvious, it is strictly forbidden to bring a loaded pistol to an airport. Rogers discovered this the difficult way, paying a fine of $400,000, which is equal to one game’s salary. It is still unclear why Rogers believed that carrying a gun to an airport would be acceptable in the first place.

10. Irving issues another apology for a subpar performance (2022 suspension).

Year of Penalty: 2022
Total estimated fine: $3.75 million*
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is well-known for adopting controversial positions. In the fall of 2022, he expressed his support for an anti-Semitic movie, which was his toughest statement to date. Irving’s refusal to apologize and withdraw his support resulted in his suspension and sensitivity training.

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images Irving makes another bad endorsement (2022 suspension)
Irving’s eight-game suspension was unpaid, meaning that he likely missed more than $3 million in wages. In exchange for being allowed to play once more, Kyrie was required to donate $500,000 to an organization that opposes hate speech. By itself, that raises Kyrie’s most recent wage deduction to almost $3.25 million.