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17 Shocking Moments And Scandals From Super Bowl History That You Might Not Know Everything About

BuzzFeed
12 min read

This post contains mentions of drug abuse.

1.First, the night before the first Super Bowl in 1967, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Max McGee broke curfew and reportedly spent the night with two flight attendants he met at a hotel bar. McGee, who was close to retirement, didn't think he'd get off the bench in the game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, so he spent the night drinking and returned to his room in the morning. However, while hungover, McGee was put in the game after Boyd Dowler got injured, and he ended up catching the first touchdown in Super Bowl history.

kansas city player about to tackle someone from the green bay packers

Dowler remembered McGee telling him in the morning before the Super Bowl, "I was out all night and I had a few more drinks [than] I should have and I didn't get much sleep. So just don't go down." Coached by Vince Lombardi, McGee ultimately went on to catch six passes for a total of 138 yards during Super Bowl I. This was after he only caught four passes in the entire regular season.

James Flores / NFL / Getty Images

2.During the 2009 Super Bowl, where the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27–23, viewers in the Tucson, Arizona area had their broadcast momentarily interrupted — for about 37 seconds — when porn began playing, which reportedly included "full male nudity." Eventually, an Arizona man was arrested and plead guilty to two counts of computer tampering.

falcons player trying to tackle a steelers player who has the ball

At the time, authorities said that "someone cut into the Comcast cable broadcast" that went to the Tucson area. The man who was arrested was a Cox Communications employee who was working with Comcast during the incident. Comcast ended up offering "a $10 credit to all 80,000 subscribers."

Al Bello / Getty Images

3.During the 2007 Super Bowl, Snickers aired a commercial, which depicted two male mechanics accidentally kissing while eating the same candy bar. After their kiss, the men ripped out their chest hair, beat each other up, and more in order to prove they were still "manly." Immediately, the commercial was deemed anti-gay and was pulled from further broadcasts. Both the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation issued complaints to the company behind Snickers.

guy in the commercial saying, quick do something manly

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement at the time, "This type of jeering from professional sports figures at the sight of two men kissing fuels the kind of anti-gay bullying that haunts countless gay and lesbian school children on playgrounds all across the country."

Snickers / Via youtu.be

4.Following the 2017 Super Bowl, where the New England Patriots notably overcame a 28–3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons, the jersey Tom Brady wore in the game was stolen from the locker room at NRG Stadium in Houston. The jersey was valued at over $500,000, according to Houston police. The stolen jersey was eventually recovered in Mexico after an investigation led by the FBI.

patriots cheering on field

The jersey was reportedly found in the possession of a member of the international media, according to ESPN and the NFL. During the investigation, Brady's jersey from the 2015 Super Bowl, when the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks, was also found, alongside a Denver Broncos helmet, which was believed to be Von Miller's from Super Bowl 50.

Al Bello / Getty Images

5.New Kids on the Block performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 1991, however, ABC, who aired the game that year, didn't broadcast it live. Instead, ABC showed a news segment about the Gulf War, with Operation Desert Storm having launched a week before the game. New Kids on the Block's performance, which included a rendition of "It's A Small World," aired after the game at 10:40 EST. However, some ABC affiliates didn't even show the performance, instead turning to their already scheduled post-game TV episodes.

the group singing on stage and large disney characters on the field

The halftime show was sponsored by Disney. Overall, their big halftime moment was also overshadowed because it was the same year Whitney Houston performed her memorable rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

ABC / Via youtu.be

6.Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins notably went missing before the 2003 Super Bowl, where the Raiders were set to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After being dropped off at the team's hotel before their 11 p.m. curfew two days before the game, the next morning Robbins was nowhere to be found. He eventually turned up but was "so incoherent that coach Bill Callahan took him off the roster" for the Super Bowl.

closeup of barrett in uniform

The Raiders went on to lose the Super Bowl 21–48 against the Buccaneers. In an interview years later, Robbins discussed the incident, saying, "I was going through a manic episode that lasted more than two weeks. When we went to the Super Bowl I was having to shoot my foot up, going through acupuncture, going through a lot of pain. Pain is a big trigger when it comes to bipolar. That was something I was going through, as well as self-medicating."

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

7.During their 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's clothes, exposing her breast. Despite Justin's involvement, Janet wrongfully ended up at the center of the controversy, with an MTV executive reportedly saying at the time, "Janet Jackson engineered [the stunt]." The moment led to Viacom CEO Les Moonves reportedly ordering that Janet's singles and music videos be blacklisted from CBS and MTV.

justin and janet performing on stage

Meanwhile, amidst the controversy, Janet was blamed for what was being deemed a "wardrobe malfunction" and her invitation to perform at the 46th Grammy Awards was reportedly rescinded, while Justin went on to appear at the Grammys in Feb. 2004, and won two Grammys. In 2021, Justin penned an apology to Janet on Instagram, writing, "I know I failed."

Jeff Haynes / AFP / Getty Images

8.The week leading up to the 1986 Super Bowl between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots has long been commemorated as one of the most chaotic. Notably, Bears QB Jim McMahon was at the center of a lot of it. One of the most memorable moments was when McMahon bent over and mooned a helicopter flying overhead during the Wednesday afternoon practice.

closeup of jim on the field

This incident came after McMahon, who suffered a strained glute after the NFC championship, flew his acupuncturist to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Earlier in the season, he was fined $5,000 for wearing an Adidas headband, so during a practice leading up to the Super Bowl, he wore one reading "Acupuncture."

Focus On Sport / Getty Images

9.During the 2010 Super Bowl, Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow starred in an anti-abortion commercial from the conservative Christian group Focus on Family, alongside his mother. The ad focused on Tim's mom saying she refused to have an abortion after doctors reportedly advised her to have one after she contracted amoebic dysentery on a mission trip. The commercial immediately drew criticism.

tim hugging his mom in the commercial

At a press conference, Tim addressed the commercial, saying, "I know some people won't agree with it. But I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe." A protest letter to CBS, who aired the Super Bowl that year, from the Women's Media Center reportedly stated that CBS should've simply rejected the ad and never agreed to air it.

Focus on Family / Via youtu.be

10.During the 2007 Super Bowl, a massive rainstorm in Miami threatened to ruin Prince's now-iconic halftime show. The rain caused producers of the show to panic because the weather could interfere with the stage, Prince could slip and fall, etc. They began to wonder if it would be better to record the dress rehearsal in the event the show couldn't go on or if it was safer to have Prince lip sync to his own track if the band couldn't safely be on stage. In typical Prince fashion, he said, "I'm Prince, I'm gonna play live."

prince singing and playing guitar on stage

Of course, Prince went on to perform the Super Bowl halftime show flawlessly, with his performance of "Purple Rain" in the down-pouring Miami rain fans will never forget. Kim Berry, Prince's hairstylist, recalled, "People ask me, 'Was there an umbrella on the stage? How did he not get wet?' I said, 'That man was pure magic.' He was one that could dance underwater and not get wet." Due to the wind and rain, a shadow of Prince playing the guitar that was cast onto a beige sheet reportedly gave a phallic connotations for some viewers, causing some people to call it "a rude-looking shadow show."

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

11.During the 1989 Super Bowl, the halftime performance featured an Elvis impersonator named "Elvis Presto." This halftime show marked a departure from previous halftime shows and featured Elvis Presto, and a 1950s-themed performance featuring Broadway musical songs, fireworks, magic tricks, elaborate costumes, and more. The show also attempted to include 3-D effects, so everyone at home needed 3-D glasses.

closeup of hm on stage with dancers dressed as playing cards

Dan Witkowski, who produced the show, recalled, "It was generally marching bands or Disney doing something with parade floats and so we thought, 'Oh let’s have a little fun with this and do something silly.'" Although it was a shocking, and atypical show in the moment, the 1989 Super Bowl halftime is regarded as the one that changed halftime shows into the spectacle they are now.

NBC / Via youtu.be

12.In 2000, while leaving a Super Bowl party at a nightclub in Atlanta, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was involved in a fight where two men were stabbed to death. Ultimately, Lewis was charged with murder, with the charges later being dropped. Lewis pled guilty to obstructing justice, with Lewis' two friends being acquitted. No one was ever convicted for the fatal stabbing.

closeup of ray lewis in uniform with his helmet on

Many have written about the mystery surrounding the events of the night, with USA Today pointing out in a 2019 article that the cream-colored suit Lewis was wearing for the night out was never seen again. Lewis wrote about the events in his book I Feel Like Going On, and in an interview with NPR in support of the release, he said, "It's always interesting that the first thing people go to is they always say, you was charged with double murder. But nobody ever want to say that from day one, there was not one inch of evidence on me."

Focus On Sport / Getty Images

13.At the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, Madonna was the headliner and was joined by numerous artists, including M.I.A. During M.I.A.'s performance, she flashed her middle finger, which reportedly went against the contract performers for the Super Bowl sign so they "comply with the NFL's standards." A month after the game, the NFL was reportedly seeking $16 million in damages, with M.I.A. tweeting after news broke, "@madonna ummm .... can I borrow 16 million?"

closeup of MIA flippping off the camera on stage

The FCC reportedly received "222 complaints" about the Super Bowl that year, with many citing M.I.A.'s middle finger stunt as one of the reasons. Eventually, the NFL settled with M.I.A.

Kevin Mazur / WireImage / Getty Images

14.The night before the 1989 Super Bowl between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers, Bengals running back Stanley Wilson was notably found having suffered a reported drug relapse and tested positive for cocaine use. Wilson, who had been suspended several times for drug use and had entered rehab at the insistence of the team, was reportedly found by the coaching staff and was subsequently banned from the NFL for life.

closeup of him sitting on the bench

The Bengals went on to lose to the 49ers 16–20, and in 2013 coach Sam Wyche wondered if things would've gone differently if Wilson played. He said, "I wish we'd had Stanley Wilson ... I think he’d have had a big day rushing the ball, but we’ll never know."

George Gojkovich / Getty Images

15.The 2008 Super Bowl, which saw the undefeated New England Patriots taking on the New York Giants, came after a season filled with "Spygate," where the Patriots had been caught videotaping their opponents' defensive signals. Two days before the Super Bowl, a US Senator "threatened a congressional investigation," and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell assured everyone he had "ordered the destruction of the tapes and notes," so they couldn't be exploited.

player catching the ball mid-air while a patriot goes in for a tackle

All of the Spygate stuff led into the 2008 Super Bowl where the undefeated, 16–0 Patriots ultimately lost to the New York Giants after being heavily favored to win. The Giants won 17–14.

New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News / Getty Images

16.Then, in 2015, the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick were once again at the center of controversy when it was revealed that footballs used in the AFC championship game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts had been "deflated to air pressure levels below what the league allowed." After this game, the Patriots advanced to the 2015 Super Bowl where they beat the Seattle Seahawks.

tom brady in a winning super bowl shirt

Known as "Deflategate," Tom Brady was ultimately suspended for four games and the Patriots were fined $1 million and they forfeited two draft picks in 2016.

Elsa / Getty Images

17.And finally, in 2013, during the Super Bowl where the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34–31, power went out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the game was being held. The game was halted for approximately 34 minutes in the third quarter. Inside the stadium, escalators stopped working, credit card machines shut down, and emergency lighting was turned on.

players on the field in a dark stadium

In the years since, there have been a lot of conspiracy theories surrounding the power outage, including from Baltimore Ravens players. Ray Lewis referenced the outage in his Hall of Fame induction speech. He later told ESPN, "What made those lights go out at that time? At that time. Why not go out in the second quarter? Why not go out in the first quarter, when the game was close? When our run was ready to happen, the lights go out. How at this perfect time did that happen?"

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.

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