Biggest Stories of 2013

Biggest Stories of 2013

Dave Martin/AP

Auburn cornerback Chris Davis (11) returns a missed field-goal attempt 100-plus yards to score the game-winning touchdown as time expired in the Iron Bowl grudge matchup against No. 1 Alabama. Auburn won 34-28, in all likelihood ensuring that an SEC team won't be playing in the BCS national title game this year.

Lynne Sladky/AP

The Miami Dolphins unintentionally spawned a nationwide debate on bullying and the culture in sports locker rooms after starting left tackle Jonathan Martin left the team amid allegations of constant abuse at the hands of veteran guard Richie Incognito. Martin, a second-year player, alleged Incognito left threatening voicemails, called him racial slurs and stuck him with a $15,000 tab for a Las Vegas trip he, Martin, did not take. After the details of Incognito's bullying emerged, the Dolphins suspended the Pro Bowl guard indefinitely, ending his career in Miami.

Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP who missed all of last season after tearing his left ACL in the 2012 playoffs, tore the medial meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 23 and was lost for another season. Rose played in 10 games this season, averaging 15.9 points per game and 4.3 assists in 31.1 minutes. He injured the knee in the third quarter of the Bulls' loss in Portland.

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Peyton Manning wasted no time getting down to business in the 2013 NFL season, throwing for seven touchdowns in the very first game of the year. His Denver Broncos followed that up with a historic first four games, racking up 179 points (44.8 per game), the most since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 by a comfortable margin. In that span, Manning completed 75% of his passes for 1,470 yards with 16 TDs and zero interceptions, and the Broncos went 4-0.

Brian Kersey/Getty Images

Before 2013, the Pittsburgh Pirates hadn't made the playoffs in 21 years. Not only that -- they never even had a winning team in that span. They never finished one lousy game above .500. That all changed when the Pirates clinched a playoff berth by beating the Chicago Cubs 2-1. Pittsburgh wound up clinching one of the NL's wild card spots.

Darren Carroll/SI

One year after missing the U.S. Open with a knee injury, Nadal bested Novak Djokovic in the final 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The victory was Nadal's 13th Grand Slam win, and came three months after he was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon.

Matt Rourke/AP

The NFL eliminated one of the dark clouds that had been hovering over the league when it settled the concussion-related lawsuit that more than 4,500 athletes had brought against it. The sides agreed to a $765 million settlement, with the NFL also picking up the players' legal fees. Any of the league's 18,000 retired players will be eligible to receiver payouts from the fund. The settlement prevents the NFL from having to disclose internal files revealing what it knew about concussion-related brain trauma.

Erich Schlegel/SI

After an investigation into whether 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel received payment for signing autographs, the NCAA came down on the Texas A&M quarterback... with a half-game suspension. Manziel was not allowed to play in the first half of A&M's opener against Rice, which many viewed as a slap-on-the-wrist penalty. Manziel entered the game after halftime and threw for three touchdowns. Two weeks later, Manziel threw for five touchdowns and 464 yards, while running for another 98 in a 49-42 loss against No. 1 Alabama.

Tom Mihalek/AP

Clayton Kershaw's eighth-inning, no-run, eight-strikeout gem capped off the Los Angeles Dodgers' historic 42-8 stretch. With the win, L.A. rolled off the best 50-game streak major league baseball had seen since 1942. The Dodgers were led in part by rookie phenom Yasiel Puig, who hit .319/.391/.534 with 19 homers in his electric rookie season. And the rotation, led by Cy Young front-runner Kershaw and prized free agent Zack Greinke, posted a 2.54 ERA over that 50-game stretch -- not too shabby.

Mark Hirsch/Getty Images; Anthony J. Causi/Icon SMI

Two weeks afer Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun (left) was suspended without pay for the final 65 games of the 2013 season for violation of MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program, a bigger hammer came down on Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees slugger was given a 211-game ban in MLB's Biogenesis investigation; he promptly appealed.

Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk announced his retirement on July 11, stunning the NHL. Kovalchuk was three years into a 15-year, $100 million deal signed in 2010, and walked away from $77 million.

John W. McDonough/SI

Dwight Howard chose to sign with the Houston Rockets for less money than the Lakers offered. The news came only after Howard informed each of the pursuing clubs that he would be signing elsewhere.

George Rizer for The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Aaron Hernandez was arrested at his home in Massachusetts and charged with the murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. The Patriots released Hernandez shortly after his arrest.

David E. Klutho/SI

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins, clinching the series with two goals in last 90 seconds of Game 6. The series included a Game 1 triple-overtime game -- only the eighth in Stanley Cup history.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

LeBron James and the Miami Heat repeated as NBA Finals champions. The Spurs were up in the series 3-2, but the Heat took Game 6 in overtime and won 95-88 in Game 7.

Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Full of late drama and tournament firsts, the 2013 Masters was one of the finest in the tournament's history, and it didn't even need a resurgent Tiger Woods. Adam Scott eventually prevailed over 2009 champion Angel Cabrera after both birdied the 18th hole to force a playoff, and Cabrera left a key putt just a lip short on the second playoff hole. Both players appeared to maintain a positive attitude about the experience, complimenting one another's shots and sharing a warm embrace at the tournament's conclusion.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

One of the most trying years of Kobe Bryant's storied career had arguably the worst ending imaginable. Just four games before the playoffs were to begin, the Lakers' superstar injured his achilles tendon trying to drive to the basket, ending his season and putting his immediate career in doubt. The Lakers still made the playoffs without Bryant, but it is the worst injury Bryant has suffered in his career.

John W. McDonough

Even when its best player struggled, Louisville found a way to stay resilient. In one of the best title games ever, Louisville outlasted Michigan 82-76 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Michigan got 17 points from unheralded reserve Spike Albrecht and a tremendous all-around performance from star Trey Burke. But the Cards had Most Outstanding Player James Hancock and resilient senior Peyton Siva to guide them on a day when star player Russ Smith struggled. It was a game for the ages, and a win was in the Cards for the top overall seed.

J Pat Carter/AP

After an already drawn-out investigation into the Miami athletic department, the NCAA made matters worse when it announced its investigators had paid homer booster Nevin Shapiro's attorney to use her subpoena power to help their case. This came after the NCAA initiated an external review of its enforcement program when the improper conduct came to light in January. Calling the missteps in the investigation "an embarrassment to the association and our staff," NCAA president Mark Emmert insisted the investigation into Miami's athletic department would continue.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

An SI investigation into Sports with Alternatives to Steroids, a distributer of supposed legal performance-enhancing products, revealed Ray Lewis may have possessed a banned substance in his recovery from a torn triceps in October 2012. S.W.A.T.S owner Mitch Ross provided SI with a recording of a phone call with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in which Lewis sought medical advice and treatment options after tearing his triceps. A major product of the S.W.A.T.S regimen is deer-antler velvet extract, which Ross told Lewis how to properly administer in the recorded conversation. Deer antler spray contains IGF-1, a banned substance in the NFL and every major professional league. Lewis denied ever using the deer antler spray.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

After Rajon Rondo injured his knee in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics announced he would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Although the injury was initially considered a hyperextension, an MRI revealed the greater severity, forcing Rondo to undergo season-ending surgery. The stunning news came as the Celtics clung to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The four-time All-Star had been averaging 13.7 points with a league-leading 11.1 assists along with 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

John Biever/SI

In one of the most bizarre stories of the sporting world, a Deadspin investigation discovered that the story of Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend was a hoax. After the report, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Te'o told his coaches on Dec. 26 that he had received a call from his supposedly dead girlfriend, who was believed to have died of leukemia earlier in the season. Swarbrick said Te'o was the victim of the hoax, not a perpetrator, and that nothing he had learned about the situation "has shaken my faith in Manti Te'o one iota." In a statement, Te'o said he "developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online" and the realization that his fake girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, was not real was "painful and humiliating."

John Biever/SI

Alabama claimed its third national championship in four years in style, routing Notre Dame 42-14. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a huge lead, reaching the end zone on each of its first three drives. After a 28-0 halftime score, Alabama added two more touchdowns in the second half en route to the largest margin of victory in a BCS title game since USC's 55-19 thrashing of Oklahoma in 2005. Quarterback AJ McCarron tossed four touchdowns while running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon each topped 100 yards on the ground.