Why did Jim Thorpe have to return the pair of medals he won at the 1912 Olympics?

The American-Indian athlete admitted that he'd been paid to play baseball in the past — and that he didn't know that was against the rules. The man considered by many to be "the world's greatest athlete" later played Major League Baseball and was inducted into the pro football, college football, and track and field halls of fame. His medals (one for the pentathlon, one for the decathlon) were returned to his family in 1982.

Asked by Beth Sederstrom · Last updated 5 years ago · 16.8K views · SOURCE