The Top 5 Worst Indiana Sports Moments of 2023

It’s safe to say 2023 was not nearly the Indiana sports hellscape that it was in 2022.  We actually had quite a few positives in 2023 but that’s for my other list.  Despite the positives, there were some pretty big negatives in 2023.  We’ll examine the top five worst moments in Indiana sports over the past year.

5.  The Jonathan Taylor Contract Drama 

This one appears lower on the list because it has since been resolved but the contract dispute between the Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor was ugly and at the front of everybody’s minds for the entire summer.  It started with Taylor commenting on the state of the running back position around the NFL and how it seemed to be getting de-valued every season despite the importance of the position in every offense.  He wasn’t wrong.  It’s the most de-valued position in football despite some of the most taxing work being asked by those players.  Taylor’s gripes didn’t seem overly concerning in mini-camp but as OTA’s and training camp got underway it was clear the issue was even more dire than anyone realized.  Taylor sat out of practices, looked unhappy in general, wouldn’t talk to media and didn’t like what he heard from owner Jim Irsay in a one-on-one meeting.  It seemed like a point of no return between the two sides when Taylor requested a trade.  The Colts turned to Zach Moss in his absence and seemed to be willing to get through the season if needed but ahead of their Week 4 match-up against the Tennessee Titans it was announced Taylor and the Colts agreed on a 3-year extension.  It seems like smooth sailing now but the seas were fierce and extremely ugly during the disagreement, which is why it cracks my top five.

4. The Pacers/Ja Morant “Laser” Incident

This moment has less to do with the Pacers and more to do about the downfall of Ja Morant, but the Pacers definitely played a key role in what transpired.  Reports came out in February that the NBA league offices were investigating an incident involving the Pacers team bus and Morant’s crew.  Following a heated game in Memphis between the two teams, Morant reportedly hurled expletives at the Pacers, including exchanging words with Andrew Nemhard.  The issues continued as the Pacers were getting on their team bus when supposedly Morant and friends were inside a nearby SUV and those associated with the Pacers reportedly saw a “red laser” coming from the vehicle.  “Grave danger” was a term used at the time as those who saw the alleged incident weren’t certain if the laser in question was attached to a gun.  It was the first of many concerning off-court incidents involving Morant and firearms.  He was seen multiple times on social media with guns and was handed down an 8-game suspension and then a 25-game suspension for separate incidents. Morant has since returned from suspension and in one of his first games back, led the Grizzlies to a 116-103 win over the Pacers.

3. More Than A Handful of Colts Suspended In 2023

The words “Colts” and “suspended” were synonymous with each other in 2023.  A whopping SEVEN players were suspended in the calendar year.  Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and linebacker Rashod Berry were given season-long suspensions for gambling on NFL games, Defensive tackle Grover Stewart and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad were both handed six-game suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and cornerback Tony Brown were both handed three-game suspensions without pay due to conduct detrimental to the team and cornerback Chris Lammons was suspended for three games due to violating the league’s conduct policy.  It’s a very odd but notable blemish on Shane Steichen’s rookie coaching season.  While it’s good to see guys being held accountable for their actions it’s also alarming at the number of players on one team that have needed to be held accountable by missing multiple games or being dismissed by the team entirely.  Let’s hope it’s a one off and not a trend that continues into 2024.

2. Top-Ranked Purdue Boilermakers Lose To 16-Seed Fairleigh Dickinson

It could not have gone worse for the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.  The Boilermakers were the No. 1 seed in the East bracket and were promptly disposed of by 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in a humiliating 63-58 defeat.  The Knights became only the second 16-seed to ever upset a No. 1 seed, joining UMBC’s infamous upset of Viriginia in 2018.  It was the third consecutive year of a Purdue team severely underachieving in the NCAA Tournament (North Texas in 2021, St. Peter’s in 2022) and not only breaking the hearts of Purdue fans but putting serious doubt in their championship abilities going forward.  Once again, Purdue is off to a hot start in the regular season but if you think anyone is feeling confident about any tournament aspirations at this point, you’d be fooling yourself.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me three times, you’ve lost the benefit of the doubt.  Fool me four times?  There better not be a fourth time.

1.  The Passings of Bobby Knight & George McGinnis

Without question the worst of 2023 was losing two of Indiana’s best.  The passings of Bobby Knight and George McGinnis rocked the state where basketball grows.

Knight, the controversial face of Indiana basketball for decades died on November 1 at the age of 83.  He accumulated 902 wins in Division I, a three-time national champion head coach and inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

McGinnis, the Pacers legend, passed away on December 14 at the age of 73.  McGinnis played for Lou Watson at Indiana University, a year before Knight was hired.  McGinnis played for the Pacers in the ABA from 1971-1975 and finished his career with the team when he returned and played for the organization from 1980-82.  McGinnis holds multiple ABA/NBA records that to this day have rarely been topped.

The loss of either man would have been considered a huge loss.  To lose both within a matter of weeks of each other is simply unthinkable but a sad reality.