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2024’s Most Embarrassing Moments in Las Vegas Sports

2024 is behind us, and that means it’s time to go through the most embarrassing Las Vegas sports moments of the year!

#6 Las Vegas Golden Knights gives up Jonathan Marchessault in free agency

Jonathan Marchessault is a special kind of athlete. He came to Sin City in 2017 to join the initial Golden Knights’ roster. He played a significant role in the Knights’ march toward the title that year. The team fell short, but Marchessault emerged as one of the men who could lead the charge.

Marchessault eventually won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2022, proving what everyone knew from the beginning. Two years later, however, Marchessault was unceremoniously discarded in favor of signing other talents to the team. 

“He’s going to be 38 years old in that final season,” Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrinnon explained. “Marchy’s proved people wrong his whole career, but it wasn’t a position that we were comfortable with the five-year term.”

#5 Kurt Busch gets caught drinking and driving

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Source. Kurt Busch

Nothing is more disheartening than seeing a NASCAR hang up his helmet, which is why Kurt Busch retiring in 2023 is still difficult to swallow. The Las Vegas native was a hero in the eyes of fans. Unfortunately, a concussion injury in 2022 destroyed his career and forced him to retire.

Fast forward to 2024, and Busch is in the news for DWI and reckless driving in North Carolina. The police report claims Busch took a sobriety test and registered at twice the legal limit. 

“I take full responsibility for my recent DWI arrest and deeply regret my actions. I voluntarily completed a pre-trial assessment and followed all recommendations ahead of my court date,” Busch said in an update to fans. “I’m committed to making amends, ensuring this never happens again, and returning to racing with a renewed focus. Thank you to everyone who has supported me.”

#4 Las Vegas Golden Knights get shut out 6-0

Shutouts are among the worst things that can happen to an NHL team, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights have suffered two in 2024. The first was a November 20 matchup in which they lost 3-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The more embarrassing one, however, is their 6-0 ass-kicking from the Utah Hockey Club in December. Their only excuse for this horrible performance is that they just defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 one night earlier. Las Vegas even gave up four goals in the first period alone and two more in the second.

They had no answer for the Utah Hockey Club, and this should probably go down as one of their worst losses in franchise history. Ilya Samsonov served as the goaltender for this one, allowing six of 28 shots into the net.

#3 The Las Vegas Raiders refuse to sign Josh Jacobs 

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Source. NFL

Antonio Pierce and the Las Vegas Raiders should be embarrassed about letting Joshua Jacobs slip away. He wanted to be a Raider for life and showed it year after year with top-tier performances while also earning the rushing record in 2022.  Despite this, the organization declined his fifth-year option and then utilized a franchise tag on him.

Jacobs received $10.1 million from the franchise tag deal and had an underwhelming 2023 season. 

This might be why the Las Vegas Raiders ultimately decided to part ways with him. But Jacobs is now doing great with the Green Bay Packers. He’s currently at 221 attempts for 987 yards, 4.5 yards a carry, and eight touchdowns. When asked why he left the Raiders in July, he claims it came to a breakdown in negotiations.

“Ultimately, I wanted to come back,” Jacobs told Fox News Digital. “I wanted to go back, but when we were having negotiations, and they made their decision, it made my decision pretty easy, honestly.”

#2 Las Vegas Aces fail to win the three-peat 

There was so much hype for the Las Vegas Aces heading into the 2024 season, and it came back to bite them. The team started the year by becoming the first team in WNBA history to sell out of season tickets, as everyone wanted to see them win the championship and fulfill the three-peat.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. First, the Aces went on their first three-game losing streak under Becky Hammon.  A’ja Wilson and company went on to win nine of their next 11 games, including victories over the Storm and Sun. They ultimately finished the regular season with a 23-17 record. 

The one thing they failed to do during the regular season was beat the New York Liberty, which was ultimately their undoing. Las Vegas later swept the Seattle Storm in the first round of the playoffs before facing the New York Liberty. The hype couldn’t save them now, and they had to prove they were the better team. 

 This never happened. Everyone thought the Las Vegas Aces had that third championship pegged. Instead, the Liberty destroyed them in the playoffs. 

#1 The Las Vegas Raiders fumble the snap to lose to the Chiefs

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Source.Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are so bad that they’re devising new ways to lose games. One example is their 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which still baffles fans. The Raiders maneuvered their way down the field and into field goal range before the game came undone.

Then everything went wrong. Then the ball got snapped too early, and Aidan O’Connell was looking at the sideline. Seconds later, the ball hit him in the shoulder, causing the penultimate fumble. A member of the Kansas City Chiefs recovered the ball shortly afterward, ensuring the Raider’s eighth straight loss of the season.

Despite the fumble, Aidan O’Connell finished the game with 23 of 35 completions for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That marks one of O’Connell’s best performances with the Raiders.

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