So Andre Agassi used crystal meth and went on a house-cleaning frenzy did he? The tennis legend is certainly not the only sport star to experiment with illegal susbtances during his career. The iafrica.com sports team did some digging to see who else has been done for dabbling…

Wendell Sailor:

Rugby League covert Wendell Sailor arrived in Union amidst a chorus of praise and high expectations. Expected to dominate the code of Union as he had done for years in League, Sailor was a miserable failure on the field. But it was off it where he made the most headlines — unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons there too. In 2006, four years after moving to Union, he was banned for a number of matches after an altercation with a South African local while on tour. Sailor returned to action in Round Six of the Super 14 that year, but just hours before the final pool match of the season the big winger tested positive for cocaine and was subsequently banned for two years, which effectively ended his professional career.

Diego Maradonna:

Another favourite of the tabloids, the former Argentine superstar has battled addiction to booze, drugs and pretty much anything else you could get addicted to. Since the 1990's, the World Cup-winner has battled his addictions and between 2002 and 2005 he spent most of his time in Cuban detox clinics. Prone to packing on the pounds, primarily due to his wild lifestyle, Maradonna underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2005, and was later treated for hepatitis and the effects of alcohol abuse in 2007. He later appeared on television to claim he had been clean for over two-and-a-half years, but the jury is still out on that one. So, did Maradonna end up in the gutter? Is this a cautionary tale of what substance abuse can do to a career? Well, Maradonna is now coach of the Argentina national team… you decide.

Herschelle Gibbs:

The West Indies is known for many things, but possibly none more so than the availability of marijuana. Possibly thinking it was legal in the Caribbean, Proteas wild-child Herschelle Gibbs, along with four team-mates and the team physiotherapist was caught lighting up in celebration of their 2001 series victory over the Windies. But while his team-mates seemingly learnt their lesson (and a couple, erm, 'drifted' out of the team), Herschelle didn't seem too bothered by the subsequent punishment, and has found himself in trouble more often than we can remember.

Lawrence Dallaglio:

The former England star retired on an almighty high, the pundits all hailed his glittering career, which includes a World Cup triumph, but let us not forget big Lol's public persona was not always so grand. In 1999, then England skipper Dallaglio was exposed by the News of the World tabloid as a former drug dealer! The British tabloid alleged that Dallaglio had been a dealer of hard drugs and even boasted about a drug-infused night of partying during the Lions tour of SA in 1997. Dallaglio was slapped with a £15000 fine and was forced into giving up the England captaincy.

Wasim Akram:

Leading the tradition of Pakistan fast bowlers mixing it up with drugs, Wasim Akram was bust, along with team-mates Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed, and two female British tourists for possession of marijuana during the team's stop-over in Grenada in 1993. Team management claimed the players had been set-up and the row reached diplomatic levels before the storm eventually blew over. The first Test in Trinidad was, however, postponed for a day to allow the players to recover from the mental stress.

Martina Hingis:

The 'Swiss Miss' may not have been liked by her opponents during her early playing days (her comments about them made sure of that), but she was widely considered to have been keeping her nose clean. It was somewhat surprising then that, after coming out of retirement in 2005, Hingis tested positive for using cocaine in 2007. The former world number one vehemently denied the results, but she was suspended and ordered to repay prize money won during the period she was accused of using the drug. Hingis retired soon after...

Ian Botham:

Sir Ian is hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played the game, but he was not shy of putting back a couple of pints and throwing the odd punch either. But perhaps his most public misdemeanour was his admission of smoking grass in the Caribbean — you listening Herschelle? The press fell on Botham like a pack of wild dogs. The ECB reacted with a ban of 63 days for 'Beefy', while the big all-rounder returned to action with a typically robust spell that equalled, and eventually broke, Dennis Lillee's then world-record of Test wickets.

Michael Phelps:

In the water Phelps is unbeatable, but after the Olympics, the swimming star proved he is as dopey as any other college student. In February this year, while visiting a South Carolina college, Phelps not only partook in some bong-smoking, but also — and this was probably the bigger mistake — got his picture taken while doing it! Phelps apologized profusely, got off with a mild punishment, and was back in the pool crushing the opposition at the FINA World Champs later in the year.

Mohammad Asif

One of the most promising fast bowlers to come our of Pakistan since Shoaib Akhtar, Asif has unfortunately followed as much in Akthar's footsteps off the field as on it. His fall from grace began in 2006 when he was bust for using a banned substance, which earned him a two-year suspension. That ban was eventually set aside, but in 2008 Asif was detained at the Dubai International Airport after an 'unknown' substance was found in his wallet. The charges against Asif were dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor due to "insignificance." The prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, was quoted as saying, "It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed ... however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect." Asif was subsequently banned from entering the UAE. Asif, meanwhile, stated he had done nothing wrong. "I did not use any banned substance. During the Indian Premier League, I underwent two doping tests, and cleared both of them...If I had been tested positive, the ICC would not have cleared me." It later emerged that Asif had in fact failed a drugs test in the IPL…

Jennifer Capriati:

Another tennis player to fall into the drug-trap, Jennifer Capriati took the tennis world by storm as a precocious wunderkind — becoming the youngest player ever to reach a final of a professional tennis tournament. She was also the youngest ever player to reach the semifinals of the major tournaments and the youngest ever player to be ranked in the top ten. But, as you would expect, the spotlight was too harsh for the youngster and she crashed out of tennis at 17, was bust for shoplifting and finally possession. Happily, she turned things around, coming out of retirement a more mature player, and capturing the French Open, Australian Open and the world number one ranking.

Who did we miss? What other sports stars have been caught with their hands in the stash? Let us know in the comments below!

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