It's inevitable that athletes get into trouble every year and quickly regret their actions or words.
• Also read: Instead of exploiting him, Galchenyuk's family should have helped him
• Also read: Forced kiss: Luis Rubiales' mother was hospitalized after her hunger strike
Over the last 12 months, a number of people have attracted attention for their problems outside of sports. Here are those who in 2023 should have curled their tongues seven times before saying something or thought twice before acting:
Alex Galchenyuk
In July, a few days after signing with the Arizona Coyotes, Alex Galchenyuk was arrested for drunken driving in Scottsdale. The former Montreal Canadiens were clearly unaware of this and seriously threatened to call the police.
“Your wife and children’s crap will die, I can assure you,” the hockey player shouted. The video of his arrest shocked more than one person.
The American subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of threatening behavior, after which the five other charges against him were dropped.
His contract was terminated by the Coyotes and he went into exile in Russia.
Gilles Courteau
Archive photo, TOMA ICZKOVITS
In May, Gilles Courteau resigned as commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. This brought a 37-year career in this position to an abrupt end. The 65-year-old made this decision after telling a falsehood during a press interview following his testimony before a Quebec parliamentary committee in connection with the initiation scandal in the world of ice hockey. He reiterated that there was “no sexual connotation” in the statement of the affidavit of a former Tour player in connection with a class action lawsuit filed by several former players against the Canadian junior circuit. It was wrong.
Mr. Courteau had also previously announced his intention to retire in 2024.
Eric Staal
Screenshot TVA Sports
Several National Hockey League (NHL) players refused to wear a special vest in support of the LGBTQ+ community. This was particularly true for the Russians Ivan Provorov, Andrei Kuzmenko and Denis Gurianov, but also for the brothers Eric and Marc Staal.
In March, the two Canadian brothers, who wore the colors of the Florida Panthers at the time, said they did not want to wear the jersey because of their Christian faith.
However, Eric Staal seemed pretty stupid when he stated that he has never worn a jersey to celebrate his pride. However, he did this during his time with the Montreal Canadiens in 2020-2021, supporting photos and videos…
Luis Rubiales
Photo AFP
These are not the words of Luis Rubiales, but a gesture with the mouth that he regretted in 2023. The ex-president of the Spanish Football Federation was visibly too excited about the women's national team's victory at the World Cup and he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips and held her head with both hands without her consent.
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault, lost his job and was suspended by FIFA for three years.
Shane Pinto
AFP
The young Ottawa Senators forward should have thought twice before asking a third party to place sports bets on his behalf. The restricted free agent was suspended for 41 games by the NHL in October. The county did not say what exactly Pinto was accused of, but players are not allowed to wager money on NHL games. However, you can do it in any other sport. According to The Athletic's website, the hockey player had ties to a third-party bettor, which is prohibited. An issue with his account was also reported by one of the NHL's betting partners.