Top 10 Biggest Super Bowl Scandals

As big as the Super Bowl game is with drama and excitement, Super Bowl week is also just as big. There have been a number of scandals that have took place around that week, which have caused distractions. For most teams, the results hurt some teams' chances of a Super Bowl title. Here are the top 10 scandals that have taken place in the Super Bowl.
The Top Ten
1 Eugene Robinson arrested for soliciting a prostitute after being named Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award recipient prior to Super Bowl 33 The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference South division.

Falcons defensive back Eugene Robinson was honored for his good character when he was named the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr award winner on the eve of the Super Bowl. But then, he was forced to give the award back the next day because that night, he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Robinson still played in the game, but the Atlanta Falcons were no match for the Denver Broncos, who manhandled them 34-19.

2 Barret Robbins disappears from team in Super Bowl week The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football franchise based in Las Vegas. The Raiders began playing in 1960 as a member club of the American Football League; they have been a member club of the National Football League since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger... read more

The 2002 Raiders' Super Bowl appearance was marred in controversy over whether or not head coach Bill Callahan sabotaged the team's chances when he switched the game plan to make it more favorable for Jon Gruden and the Buccaneers. But a bigger storyline was the disappearance of offensive linemen Barrett Robbins, who went down to Mexico to celebrate the Raiders' Super Bowl win just days prior. Later reported to be suffering from bipolar disorder, Robbins was suspended for the game and the Raiders lostt 48-21.

3 Stanley Wilson suspended and banned for drug use on the eve before Super Bowl 23 The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals currently compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's American Football Conference North division.

Bengals running back Stanley Wilson had been twice suspended for drug usage before 1988. While leading Cincinnati to the Super Bowl, he was documenting his story about being a recovering addict. But on the night before Super Bowl 23, Wilson had a relapse and was suspended and banned from the NFL. Wilson's absence would play somewhat of a role in the Bengals' losing a heartbreaking Super Bowl to the 49ers 20-16.

4 Thomas Henderson mocks Terry Bradshaw The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference East division.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson caused a few stirs during the week of Super Bowl 13 with his comments on some Pittsburgh Steeler players. Most infamously, he said that Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'C' and 'A'. This motivated Bradshaw, who put up an MVP performance in a 35-31 win over Dallas. Bradshaw wound up in the hall of fame while Henderson would have a battle with cocaine before being able to get sober.

5 Ray Lewis arrested for alleged murder on Super Bowl 34 night Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. is a former American football middle linebacker who played his entire 17-year career for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.

While the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans on Super Bowl 34, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was arrested in Atlanta for an alleged murder of two men on the streets. The murder charges were dropped, but Lewis plead guilty to obstruction of justice in connection to the murders. Lewis would have this hangover him for the 2000 season in which he led Baltimore to a Super Bowl win over the Giants and was named Super Bowl MVP. But, he was not allowed to go to Walt Disney World.

6 Superdome lights go out The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League as a member club of the American Football Conference North division.

As the Ravens were leading 28-6 against the 49ers in Super Bowl 47, the lights of the Superdome unexpectedly went out. It would take 30 minutes for them to turn back on. But when they did, the 49ers had new life and returned to make it a close game. Though the Ravens ultimately pulled out a 34-31 win, many wonder if the lights going out was the NFL's way of trying to get the 49ers back into the game.

7 Jim McMahon moons camera and is falsely accused of trashing New Orleans women The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference North division.

After sustaining an injury to his buttocks in the playoffs, Bears quarterback Jim McMahon decided to moon a helicopter camera wondering about the status of his injury. But that wasn't the only controversy McMahon was involved in when he was accused of calling New Orleans women "sluts". This claim was denied by McMahon and was later determined to be made up by a local announcer.

8 Len Dawson mistakenly linked to gambling scandal

Prior to Super Bowl 4 between the Chiefs and Vikings, Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson, who had an emotional season with injury as well as the loss of his father, was linked to a gambling scandal involving an organization ran by Donald Dawson (no relation to Len). While Len did have acquaintances with Donald, he was not implicated in the matter. Dawson would go on to win Super Bowl MVP as the Chiefs pounded the Vikings 23-7.

9 Seattle screwed by ref's calls The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football franchise based in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference West division.

Super Bowl 40 should be remembered as Jerome Bettis retiring as a champion for the Steelers in his hometown of Detroit or for Bill Cowher winning his first title as a head coach. But for many fans, it's best remembered for Seattle being screwed by a couple of controversial calls, which potentially ended their chances of being Super Bowl champions.

10 Adrian Awasom arrested for DUI The New York Giants are a professional American football team located in the New York metropolitan area.

In the week leading up to Super Bowl 42, backup Giants' defensive end Adrian Awasom was arrested for DUI while the team was in Arizona. He was sent home and was not part of the historic upset of the Patriots.

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