The Worst Sporting Fouls of 2018

Fouls can be funny. Sometimes, we watch players take insane dives to draw a foul against the opposing team, giving their team an advantage. And then there are the other times when a foul can be hard to watch or even cause serious injury to a player. Here, we’ll take a quick look at some of the worst fouls and injuries over the past year.

Nickell Robey-Coleman vs. Tommylee Lewis – NFL

January 2019 saw a severe case of pass interference on a third-down pass play that somehow went uncalled and ended up deciding the outcome of the game. American football is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, so it sees its fair share of injuries and fouls. However, this one is especially gutting. Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis ran to catch a pass when the Rams’ Robey-Coleman came charging in and flattened him well before the ball had arrived. The Rams ended up winning by a narrow margin at 26–23, largely due to the fact that the foul wasn’t called. Coleman even admitted the foul after the game saying “I just know I got there before the ball got there. And I whacked [him].” It’s been called the worst missed call in NFL playoff history and must have been a heartbreaking moment for Saints fans.

Harry Kane vs. Man United – Champions League Football

The England captain and star striker for Tottenham left the pitch with a possible long-term injury after getting caught between Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof. After the match, Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “It was a clear foul on Harry Kane…(referee) Mike Dead said he didn’t see it.” Kane will be out for at least two months because of ligament damage to his left ankle, severely hurting Tottenham’s chances going forward. Though Kane came back for a match in March, he collided with Man City midfielder Fabian Delph, suffering another injury to his left ankle. Fears abound that he could be out for the rest of the season.  We could add to this a long list of fake dives in football

Jeremy Cameron vs. Harris Andrews – AFL

Aussie football saw a harsh foul back in June 2018 when Coleman Medal prospect Jeremy Cameron (playing for Greater Western Sydney Giants) received a five-game suspension after an intentional elbow strike on Brisbane Lions defender Harris Andrews, which left him with a severe concussion and “a small brain bleed.” Ouch. Harris missed four games but has since returned to regular play, saying “I’ve been very lucky to not have any ongoing symptoms.”

Scottie James vs. Himself – NCAA Basketball

This one didn’t turn out to be a bad injury, but it’s such a blatant dive that it had to make the list. The Liberty Flames’ Scottie James took some incidental contact and fell to the ground when making a throw against Lipscomb forward Rob Marberry. However, moments after he blatantly gets up and proceeds to throw himself across the floor like a ragdoll. He should have gotten the call for the original contact, but the following theatrics turned the ref against him, and no foul called. Something to watch, though.

Isaiah Canaan vs. Dallas Mavericks – NBA

This one is a grisly one, but I’ll admit, it’s more of an unfortunate injury than a foul. The then-backup-Suns point guard Canaan landed awkwardly on his left ankle while driving at the hoop in the opening quarter of a home game against the Dallas Mavericks. Canaan’s ankle bent back in a way that ankles shouldn’t, and the injury immediately ended his season. Sickening. The result was a badly dislocated ankle that caused Canaan to have surgery. The Suns managed to win the game 102-88, and since the injury, Canaan has luckily been able to return to regular play.

Harvey Park vs. Le ‘Ville Simpson – MMA

Professional MMA sees its fair share of injuries. The whole point of MMA is to injure your opponent, but Harvey Park suffered a particularly gruesome injury to his finger during this fight where you can see bone popping out. He somehow powered on through the pain and won the three-round fight against Simpson, even with the bone showing. That’s one tough guy.

So, that’s only a small collection of the worst sporting injuries and fouls during 2018-2019. But many more injuries came to pass by brave athletes that we haven’t mentioned. So, it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge and appreciate all the athletes who put themselves in harm’s way out of sheer dedication to their chosen sport. We salute you.

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