The Weirdest Super Bowl Scandals Ever

America’s biggest sporting event has had some really weird moments. The Super Bowl is so popular that one would have to separate these scandals into multiple categories. There were sporting scandals, cheating accusations, halftime show surprises, and disasters, and on top of all this, it’s one of the most popular events in the country. The NFL finale is on many TV networks and websites. It’s also one of the hottest topics as people can’t stop talking about it, neither the game itself nor the scandals. In this article, we’ll cover some of the weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever. Some of you might have heard about these but let’s see if anything has become cleaner since the date of these events.

Nothing goes unnoticed in the Super Bowl. An event that is televised to millions of people and followed by even more can’t hide from the eyes. Both experts and the media love to criticize or praise the players, teams, coaches, halftime performances, or sometimes, the scandals. And yes, the weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever include just about everything. Cheating, accusations, personal life issues, and all kinds of unintended mistakes. The events that we mention in this article are burnt into the history of the NFL. There’s no erasing them and whether they’re older or newer stories, a lot of people still talk about them. If you didn’t know about these, we guarantee you that they will have you in shock and disbelief by the time you finish reading this article.

Brett Favre’s Infamous Flu Game Might Be The Most Popular Super Bowl Scandal Ever

Brett Favre is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and is a Hall of Famer. He’s the only player to receive the MVP award in three consecutive years. He played for 20 seasons, 16 of these were with the Green Bay Packers. One of the weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever happened during his time with this team. Green Bay and Favre won Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season. They won 35-21 against the New England Patriots, but there are still some questions about the Packers quarterback.

It’s common knowledge now that Favre has struggled with alcohol and drug problems in the past. The infamous story is that the Packers QB was seen partying and drinking in New Orleans before Super Bowl XXXI. Green Bay turned down these rumors but Favre was visibly not well during that game.

The team tried to cover the rumors by saying the QB had the flu. Just like Michael Jordan in his flu game in the same year, in 1997, Favre still led his team to victory. The difference between the two legendary athletes is that one was probably partying of his own will, and the other got poisoned. Most online sportsbooks in the US had the Green Bay Packers as the secondary favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, their odds just a bit worse than the Chiefs’. Ultimately, neither team made it to the final. In his book, “Favre: For the Record”, published months later after the game, the QB admitted that he might have had a few drinks before the game. The story remains one of the weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever as the NFL lifted an alcohol ban from Favre a couple of months ago.

Stanley Wilson’s Fall From the Top

Reaching the Super Bowl and eventually winning it is every football player’s biggest dream. Or at least it should be. Many legendary retired players never won a Super Bowl or barely got the chance to play in one. Nothing is granted in this life so when a team makes it into the final, players try to make the most out of every single opportunity there. The Bengals are in the Super Bowl this year and Everygame Sportsbook has them winning with +175 odds. The last time Cincinnati made it this far was in the 1988 season when they lost to the 49ers 20-16.

Why is this important? Because Bengals running back Stanley Wilson was the key to victory, except he wasn’t at the game. Wilson struggled with drug abuse in the past and when he failed to show up to a team meeting, everyone became concerned.

Wilson seemingly beat his addiction and even served a season-long suspension a year before these events. He was found in his bathroom shivering and sweating from cocaine. The faith of the whole team and coaching staff shattered when they discovered this news. To make things even worse, Stanley Wilson was banned from the NFL for life as this was the third offense. Many people believed that if he was there at the game, Cincinnati would’ve won its first Super Bowl. If you think this isn’t sad enough, Wilson was sentenced to 22-years in 1999 for robbery. We will never know whether or not Super Bowl XXIII would’ve turned out differently if he was there. Stanley’s story is one of the saddest and weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever. But Bengals fans suffered enough and after more than 30 years of waiting, they’re in the final again.

Ray Lewis With The Weirdest Super Bowl Scandal Ever

This one has to be the most absurd and weirdest Super Bowl scandal ever. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis attended Super Bowl XXXIV as a spectator. The game was between the Rams and Titans, so Baltimore doesn’t even have to do anything with this weird story. Ray Lewis was featured on more headlines than the championship game itself. The linebacker was arrested a day after the game on murder charges. Two men were stabbed to death and Lewis was linked to the crime.

Ultimately the charges against him were dropped and Lewis pleaded guilty only for the obstruction of justice. He received 12 months probation for it. The events of that infamous night in Atlanta remain a mystery to this day and there’s no strong evidence of what happened. The star linebacker was fined $250.000 later that year too.

What made people over the country mad was that Lewis played in the Super Bowl the following year. Thousands thought that he should be in a jail cell. Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens faced the New York Giants and absolutely destroyed them. The game ended 34-7, Baltimore won its first Super Bowl trophy and Ray Lewis even became the MVP of that game. If you think that deflating a football is absurd, remember this story. The Ray Lewis murder story, allegation, or mystery is definitely our pick for the weirdest Super Bowl scandal ever.

Eugene Robinson Was the Beacon of Virtue, For a Short Time

The NFL has seen some absurd events, especially between the 80s and 90s. One of the weirdest Super Bowl scandals ever is Eugene Robinson’s incident in the 1998 season finale. The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons were the two teams headed to Miami for Super Bowl XXXIII. Robinson, defensive back of the Falcons at the time, had just received the Bart Starr Award.

Said award is given to athletes with high moral character, someone to look up to on and off the field. Seeing how this game was Atlanta’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance they wanted to prepare the best they could, which included an early bedtime. The veteran defensive back had other ideas, however. Eugene went out to visit a not-so-virtuous part of Miami which turned everything upside down. Robinson was arrested by an undercover cop on the charge of soliciting a prostitute.

Falcons coach Dan Reeves was informed about the incident over the phone. Robinson made bail and was able to play in the game but both the safety and the Falcons were presented with plenty of troubles. By morning, the news about the arrest was everywhere and even Robinson’s family was among the stands. To make things even worse, Robinson wasn’t in his best shape and the Broncos won 34-17. He retired not too long after, in 2000. His only Super Bowl came from when he played with Brett Favre in Green Bay. The Falcons made it to the final only once since then but we don’t talk about that game. When online sportsbooks in the US had Atlanta as the clear winners, things have turned on their heads once again.

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