If Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots turn out to be lying about their knowledge of the underinflated footballs used in the AFC title game, their denials Thursday could go down in history among these famous denials that turned out to be bogus:
Alex Rodriguez
In 2007, the Yankees third baseman sat down with CBS’ Katie Couric and denied using steroids. Yet in February 2009, Sports Illustrated reported Rodriguez was on the list of 104 players who tested positive for banned substances in 2003, and he was forced to admit he used performance-enhancing drugs for a three-year period starting in 2001. Six years later in a radio interview, Rodriguez denied using steroids since 2003, but he was suspended the entire 2014 season for violating baseball’s drug policy.
Bill Clinton
In January 1998, President Clinton gave a press conference in which he said, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” referring to White House intern Monica Lewinsky. However, that summer, Clinton admitted he had an “improper physical relationship” with Lewinsky.
Richard Nixon
Besieged by the controversy swirling around the Watergate break-in, President Nixon stated he was “not a crook” in November 1973. However, in August 1974, Nixon resigned from office, saying he was sorry for any “injuries” done “in the course of events that led to this decision.” President Ford pardoned Nixon, preventing a criminal prosecution.
Lance Armstrong
The world-class biker, long suspected of doping, issued several emphatic denials. But he was singing a different tune in January 2013, confessing to Oprah Winfrey. “All the fault and all the blame here falls on me,” Armstrong said. “I viewed this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times. I made my decisions. They are my mistakes, and I am sitting here today to acknowledge that and to say I’m sorry for that.”
Rafael Palmeiro
In March 2005, Palmeiro went before Congress and said, “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.” That August, Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days for violating Major League Baseball’s steroid policy, but said he did not “intentionally” take steroids and “could not explain” how the illegal substance got into his body.
O.J. Simpson
Simpson pled not guilty to the June 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, and was later acquitted of the charges. However, in February 1997, a civil court jury ordered Simpson to pay $25 million in damages to the Brown and Goldman families.