With Super Bowl 50 just around the corner, now would be the perfect time to reflect on 14 biggest NFL scandals of all time. Super Bowl’s gold anniversary will be celebrated in Santa Clara, California in a matchup between Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. This will be a duel between age and youth – between Peyton Manning, who has broken almost every quarterback record during his stellar career and Cam Newton, who will likely be the quarterback superstar for years to come, and this season’s most likely MVP. Both teams will certainly give their best in this last and most important push of the excruciating and painful season. After one wins the Super Bowl, however, all bad that has happened throughout the season will be instantly forgotten. The question is: “Who’s hungrier?” Is it Manning in his twilight days to whom this win could be a fairytale farewell (even though he has another year to his contract), or Newton who will want to show what a commanding presence he is, even at the age of 26?
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But enough about the upcoming Super Bowl – we’re here for another topic. With National Football League being present for almost a full century, certain scandals and unwanted behavior from all sides involved in this beautiful story were to be expected. There have been many indiscretions of all kinds over the years – whether those were bad referee calls, player or coach misdemeanors, ownership controversies, and even murders and league executives’ controversies. All subjects of the NFL have had their share of troubles controlling themselves, but players were the ones most often criticized. It’s impossible to create the list of 15 biggest NFL scandals of all time without including a few of them committed exclusively by individuals associated with the game. We have, however, decided to include some still ongoing controversies like concussion cover-up which has been a debate during the recent years. All in all, we hope to give you an all-around list of NFL scandals that haven’t only shaken the game itself, but the very foundations of sports in general. At least, some of them have.
Many NFL players have been accused and/or found guilty of various prohibited substance abuses. While it would be impossible to list all of those cases here, we certainly need to mention them. This isn’t only Football’s problem, but a blight upon sport overall. Here’s a list of top 11 running doping scandals of all time that proves this. Thanks to great many similar cases, no sport can be deemed clean, and no competition can be treated the same with certainty anymore.
14. Deflategate
There’s hardly a better way to start this list but with one of the most recent big scandals that have shaken the NFL. It’s probably still fresh in the memory of football fans across the globe, but to remind you – the scandal happened during the 2014 AFC Championship game between New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Blowout in such an important game raised suspicion of foul play, and where’s smoke, there’s fire; right? New England Patriots, and especially their prized quarterback Tom Brady were accused of purposely deflating the footballs used in the game. Every team is responsible for their own footballs, that’s true – but they have to inflate them to a gauge pressure between 12.5 and 13.5 psi. Needless to say, 11 out of 12 of New England’s footballs inspected at half time exhibited gauge pressure 2 psi lower than allowed minimum. Brady was suspended for four games of the 2015/16 season based on “substantial and credible evidence” which holds him accountable for knowing about the deflation and failing to fully cooperate with the investigators (destruction of his cell phone). After his initial appeal had been rejected, Brady’s suspension was finally overturned in court. Whether he knew about the deflation or not, he has led his team to another AFC Championship game this season, only to be stopped by Manning’s Broncos in a thrilling game whose outcome was decided in the final possession.
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13. Hernandez Murder Case
Since we’re already talking about the Patriots, here’s another scandal that shook the franchise not so long ago. Aaron Hernandez, a 26-year-old tight end is currently serving a life sentence without a possibility of parole for murder in the first degree. The perspective career of a talented player has thus gone with the wind for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He’s awaiting further trial for double homicide carried out in 2012 – a year before Lloyd murder. While this won’t affect his sentence which is already maximum possible in Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it goes a long way in describing Hernandez’s temper, since he allegedly murdered the two Boston men over spilled drink in a nightclub. It’s a shame really because Hernandez and Gronkowski could have become the best tight end tandem in football’s history. Some things just weren’t meant to be, it would seem.
12. Bad Boy Robinson
It happened a while ago, but the sheer circumstances don’t allow this scandal to just dissipate in the mists of time. Eugene Robinson was always considered a highly professional athlete with high moral standards. This makes the story even more ironic as he had been arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover cop night after winning the Bart Starr Man of the Year award for high moral standards. Furthermore, he was due to play in Super Bowl XXXIII the following day. He had played, but everyone associated with the Falcons probably wishes he hadn’t since his poor performance and couple of crucial mistakes directly impacted the game and gave Broncos the trophy. Some might find this type of behavior funny, but it’s ultimately disappointing and embarrassing.
11. Cowboys White House
It seems that for Cowboys the fame – three-time Super Bowl champions – went to their heads as they were traveling to practice in limos during build up before the last of these Super Bowls – XXX in Tempe, Arizona. But their white house excursion was the biggest scandal of them all. An uninspiring two-story house in a suburb, rented under the name of wide receiver Alvin Harper was the site of drug abuse and orgies. It all came down after team’s skipper Michael Irvin was caught with drugs, strippers, and sex toys. One of the football’s biggest powerhouses would never recover after that, but many players from that famed roster (including Irvin) are now Hall of Famers.
10. Vikings Love Boat
Minnesota Vikings too had their white house, apart from the “house” being actually a boat. Back in 2005, 17 members of the team decided to rent a pair of houseboats on Lake Minnetonka. It turned out that they flew prostitutes from Atlanta and Miami as well. What good is a night on the lake without company, right? Needless to say, everyone can imagine what was going on there that night, but the scandal blew off in following months. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was infuriated and utterly embarrassed at the time, but he just couldn’t fire half the team, could he?
9. Big Bad Boy Ben
Women love football players, especially tall, handsome and strong quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger. The question is: “Does he like them?” Judging by his alleged behavior towards some of them – I’d say he doesn’t. Or, perhaps he loves them too much. He has been accused of sexual assault twice but was never charged. He was, however, suspended for first four games of 2010/11 season, even though the initial suspension was for six games. Apart from having a nickname Big Ben, couple of Vince Lombardi’s and having his own Roethlis-burger – thanks to these accusations, he can also boast (not sure if that’s the right term) with the nickname Rapelisberger.
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8. DeBartolo Extortion
It’s not every day that we see owners forced to give up their teams, but we’ve seen it happen. Edward J. DeBartolo was suspended from NFL for a year in 1998 after his reputation was tarnished in Edwin Edwards corruption case. Edwards, former four-time Louisiana governor, was indicted, and then sentenced for extortion, racketeering, and money laundering among other things. DeBartolo was caught within Edwards’ scheme after paying him $400,000 for a riverboat casino license. Of course, 49ers owner never received the license, and he subsequently decided not to return to their helm. Instead, his sister Denise DeBartolo York took the helm, while the current owner is her son Jed York. At least, 49ers are still in the family. Fans, however, will never forget DeBartolo as the most successful owner in NFL history, percentage-wise. Under him, 49ers won no less than 5 Super Bowls in as little as 14 years. Players and fans alike still love the man who turned the franchise into eighties’ powerhouse and ownership model into the family model.
7. Controversial Relocations
Speaking about the owners, many of them have made some rather controversial decisions. We are witnessing Rams’ return to LA these days, but back in the eighties and the nineties, relocations were a common thing. A couple of most controversial moves were that of Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 and relocation of Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore. Colts owner at the time, Robert Irsay decided to move the team to Indiana after his appeal for a new stadium in Baltimore was rejected. After the State of Maryland had threatened to seize the team, Irsay decided to pack in the middle of the night in fear of following morning’s possible events. Baltimore did, however, get its new NFL team 12 years later in 1996 when Art Modell, then owner of Cleveland Browns decided to move his team there despite promising he’d remain in Cleveland. The State of Ohio even gave into Modell’s demands for stadium improvements and passed the referendum which was later successful. Still, Modell decided to move away, and former Browns became the Ravens. Cleveland has, however, gotten their team back three years later in 1999, and reactivated Browns even hold the heritage rights of their previous team, so everything finished up fine in the end. Irsay and Modell, however, are still hated in Baltimore and Cleveland even though they aren’t among us anymore.
6. Dog Fighting Ring
Michael Vick was involved in a dog fighting ring which was conducted on his Virginia property and lasted for no less than 5 years. Vick himself was a 6-year veteran at the time, and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. After pleading guilty for his inhumane activities and cruel treatment of animals, he served 21 months in prison, was released by the Falcons, and lost all of his income. He could have had a Hall of Fame career – no doubt about it. Still, Vick has made a remarkable comeback with the Eagles and was even named the 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Scrambling quarterback is currently by far the best rushing quarterback in NFL’s history with more than 6,000 yards which means that he has at least managed to salvage some of his career.
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5. Betting Scandal
We are slowly, but steadily reaching the end of our list of 14 biggest NFL scandals of all time, and it’s time to go way back with this one. It was one of the first big NFL scandals when Pro Bowl players Paul Hornung of the Packers and Alex Karras of the Lions were suspended for betting on NFL games back in 1963. Initial suspension was for indefinite period of time which meant their careers were forfeit. However, commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated their NFL status after only a year which is still more than current suspensions would probably last, though. Hornung ended up being Hall of Famer, while Karras got himself another Pro Bowl selection and successful post-NFL career as an actor and even professional wrestler.
4. Bountygate
Injuries are, sadly, part of the game – especially contact game like football. However, encouraging players to injure opponents is just unspotrsmanlike. That’s exactly what was going on in Saints’ camp a few years ago when head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams were suspended for a season and more than a year respectively. Saint were also heavily fined with the loss of 2012 and 2013 second round draft picks and $500,000 in cash, and so were many of their players. Saints’ players were involved in setting up a pool in which they would be awarded certain bonuses for injuring or hitting their opponents. This wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened, however. Buddy Ryan’s bounty pool from late eighties saw his Eagles team target their then-rivals Cowboys – especially star quarterback Troy Aikman and former Eagle kicker Luis Zendejas.
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3. Spygate
It seems that Patriots are appearing in NFL scandals regularly. One of the biggest scandals they were involved in as organization is the Spygate. Patriots were fined for videotaping Jets’ defensive coaches from their sidelines back in 2007. Who knows how many teams have they beaten thanks to this cheating tactic, but, at least, the Pats were heavily fined for their wrongdoings. Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, while Patriots lost $250,000 and 2008 first round draft pick. While they aren’t appearing in Super Bowls as regularly as in two thousand, Patriots are still a powerhouse within the league.
2. OJ Simpson Murder Trial
It’s been a long time, but OJ Simpson’s murder case is still one of the most storied trials in the world. Former Bills’ and 49ers’ Hall of Famer had been accused of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman back in 1994 – long after his retirement from professional football. Still, as Hall of Famer, Simpson was always associated with the NFL. Highway chase which ruined game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals between the Nicks and the Rockets is arguably even more famous than the man himself. Even though he was acquitted of the crime, Simpson’s troubles only just begun. He has lost the civil lawsuit for wrongful death against Goldman family and was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in compensation. Needless to say, all of his assets were seized, and OJ Simpson was left only with his $28,000 yearly NFL pension. As of 2008, Simpson is serving a sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping, and will remain in custody through 2017 at least.
1. NFL Concussions
One of the best-kept secrets in the NFL earns the finishing words on this list of 14 biggest NFL scandals of all time. We all know how many injuries NFL players sustain throughout the season, but what about the long-lasting injuries which no one can see at first? After many years of speculation, accusations and untimely deaths of former NFL players, the league has finally decided to reach a settlement over increasing number of concussion lawsuits. Repeated head trauma caused by constant hits to the head in football game leads to brain damage and many conditions including Alzheimer’s and chronic traumatic encephalothapy. The league is guilty of not informing the players of this possibility, and will have to pay the penalty to some 18,000 former players and their families. This won’t return the Hall of Famers like Gene Hickerson, Larry Morris, Joe Perry and Jim Ringo, who were believed to suffer from CTE. It also comes too late for Jovan Belcher, who suffered from CTE as well, and ended up killing his girlfriend and himself in 2012. At least, the players are now aware of the dangers, but NFL’s reputation will remain forever tarnished for trying to discredit the researchers that have brought this problem up.
