Sports Speak:

"To refuse them would have been an outrage."

- an original, if paper thin, defence by IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, having been found out accepting gifts worth more than IOC regulations permit.

"I expect him to go down cold. I expect him to die."

- who else but simple Mike Tyson.

"They tried to shaft me on three occasions."

- football manager Liam Austin following the behind-the-scenes shenanigans in Cavan after which he resigned.