Super Bowl Controversies

SI Staff | Feb 3, 2013

Super Bowl Controversies

Max McGee

Walter Iooss Jr./SI

The Packers' backup wideout, made his legend by dodging bed check and drinking in Los Angeles all night before the game. While nursing a brutal hangover on the bench, he was stunned to be sent into the game in the first period. In an enduring testament to intestinal fortitude, woozy Max caught seven passes for 137 yards and two TDs in Green Bay's 35-10 win.

Namath's Guarantee

Tony Triolo/SI

Jets QB Joe Namath was the mouth that roared in Miami. After trashing Colts QB Earl Morrall in the press, Namath ran into Colts defensive end Lou Michaels in a Miami restaurant the Sunday before the game. Juicy stories about a brawl circulated, but what ensued was merely a frank exchange of views. Three days before the big game, Namath tossed another log on the fire by brashly guaranteeing that the Jets would win.

Moon Over New Orleans

John Iacono/SI

Bears QB Jim McMahon' reputation as a hellion preceded him. On the heels of a $5,000 fine levied by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle for wearing a headband with a sponsor's name on it during Chicago's divisional playoff game, McMahon retaliated by wearing one with "Rozelle" on it during the NFC title game. The feisty QB continued to make headlines in New Orleans by mooning a news helicopter as it hovered over the Bears' practice field.

Fryar's Finger

Bob Martin/SI

While Bears QB Jim McMahon was busy mooning helicopters, Patriots wideout Irving Fryar was trying to explain the cuts on the fingers of his right hand. It came out that Fryar had suffered them in a scuffle with his spouse two weeks before the game. He was able to play and even hauled in a TD pass, but it did little good in New England's 46-10 loss to the Bears.

Stanley Wilson

Allen Steele/Getty Images

The night before the game in Miami, Bengals fullback Stanley Wilson told his teammates he had left his playbook in his hotel room. After failing to show up for a meeting, he was found on the floor of his bathroom, sweating, shaking, and overdosed on cocaine. Without him, the Bengals lost 20-16 to San Francisco.

Favre's Faux Pas

Peter Read Miller/SI

After a season in which Brett Favre publicly battled the demons of alcohol and vicodin addiction, the Packer QB was allegedly seen drinking beer in New Orleans the week before the game. He took the field against New England with the dry heaves -- but they weren't from drinking. Favre was suffering from the flu, but his numbers were healthy: 14 of 27 for 246 yards, plus TD tosses of 54 and 81 yards.

Busted

AP

Hours after winning the Bart Starr Award for high moral character, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was busted by an undercover cop on Miami's Biscayne Boulevard for solicitation. The next day, Robinson took the field against the Broncos and got burned by wideout Rod Smith for an 80-yard TD in a thoroughly embarrassing 34-19 loss.

Ray Lewis

John W. McDonough/SI

The previous year, Ravens LB Ray Lewis was arrested in a case involving the stabbing of two men at an Atlanta nightclub after Super Bowl XXXIV. Murder charges were dropped, but Lewis was convicted of obstructing justice. That turned his appearance in Super Bowl XXXV into a morality play. Widely perceived as a villain, Lewis won game MVP honors in Baltimore's 34-7 dismantling of the Giants.

Bye-Bye Barret

Brad Mangin/SI

Barret Robbins, the Raiders' Pro Bowl center, was sent home by coach Bill Callahan the night before the game in San Diego for failing to show up for meetings and the final walk-through. According to news reports, Robbins had gone on a bender in Tijuana, but it was later revealed that he was suffering from bi-polar disorder and depression. Adam Treu replaced Robbins in Oakland's 48-21 loss to Tampa Bay.

Wardrobe Malfunction

AP

The mother of all Super Bowl scandals occurred at halftime when singer Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunctioned (with a little help from Justin Timberlake) and briefly exposed her right breast to a worldwide TV audience. The fallout was swift, massive, and terrible. The FCC launched a crackdown on TV and radio raunchiness, and the NFL is still in a prevent defense against sleaze.

Tank's Arsenal

AP

Johnson was arrested for the third time in 18 months on Dec. 14, 2006, after police raided his home and found six unregistered firearms, including two assault rifles. The Bears suspended Johnson for one game, but he started in the Super Bowl after a judge granted him permission to leave the state of Illinois for the game. Johnson made five tackles and 1/2 sack in the loss to Indianapolis. In the offseason, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Johnson for the first eight games of 2008.

Tim Tebow Commercial

Phil Sandlin/AP

Before he became the most controversial backup quarterback in New York Jets history, Tim Tebow had his critics on high alert as rumors of his presence in a pro-life commercial swirled before Super Bowl XLIV. In reality, the ad, which starred Tebow and his mother plugging a website called "Focus on the Family," turned out to be much tamer than the fervor preceding its airing, which included some groups demanding that CBS not run it.