9 of the Biggest Super Bowl Scandals

Lights Out

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While all eyes were on the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens last year, the New Orleans Superdome took "romantic lighting" one step further when the stadium plunged into darkness. (NBC's Revolution even capitalized on the unexpected power outage via social media.) The cause of the power failure was put on a device called a relay, specifically designed by Entergy New Orleans to prevent a blackout. While the 30-minute delay caused a surge from the then-flailing Niners, the Ravens were crowned champions with a 34-31 victory.
What’s My Line?

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Performing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl is one of the biggest honors a singer can have, which makes you wonder why Christina Aguilera didn't memorize the words before she took to the stage for Super Bowl XLV in Texas between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Claiming before the game that she had been "performing the anthem since I was seven years old and I must say the Super Bowl is a dream come true," Aguilera still managed to flub the words by reciting "what so proudly we watched" instead of "o'er the ramparts we watched."
Super Bowl, Lies and Video Tape

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The New England Patriots "Spygate" scandal was sparked by allegations that the team illegally videotaped the New York Jets defensive coaches signals in September 2007. Head coach Bill Belichick paid a whopping $500,000 fine but even that didn't put the issue to rest, and it reared its ugly head again two days before the Patriots faced off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII with a U.S. senator demanding a meeting with NFL commisioner Roger Goodell regarding the illicit practices. Six months later, accusations that the Pats had also recorded the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002 also came to light.
Super Bowl or Mardi Gras?

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Drinking before the game doesn't always result in a loss. Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to victory in 1996 and earned himself the MVP title, but before the game, the quarterback was allegedly getting fired up on New Orleans' Bourbon Street. Despite admitting he had battled alcoholism and pain medication addiction, Favre was spotted knocking back beers, and then reportedly dry heaving before kickoff on game day (which the Packers blamed on the flu). However, everyone loves a winner — and all is forgiven if you bring home a ring.
The XXX Super Bowl

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Viewers in the Tucson, Ariz. television market got more flesh than football in 2009 when a clip from adult cable station Club Jenna interrupted the game with 30 seconds of porn. Instead of seeing Cardinals player Larry Fitzgerald's fourth-quarter touchdown, Comcast subscribers got flooded with full frontal male nudity.
Tequila Shots Over Touchdowns

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Preparing for the game of his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, the pressure became too much Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins — who literally fled the border to Tijuana, Mexico. He later revealed that he had been diagnosed as bipolar and having skipped his depression medication, was in such a manic state that he went partying under the delusion that the Raiders had already won the game. (In reality, Oakland lost.) Robbins then spent 30 days in treatment at the Betty Ford Center and was cut from the team the following year after testing positive for steroids.
Blow Out Bills

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It wasn't just one Buffalo Bills player who partied too much — it was all of them, according to NFL sources. From 1991 to '94, the team made it to four Super Bowls and lost all of them. Darren Woodson, who played for the Dallas Cowboys and beat the Bills in two of those matchups, told the Mike and Mike in the Morning Show that "as much as everyone talked about how much experience the Bills had back then, they partied harder than any other team. They [the Bills players] were out Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Couple guys got into altercations in the clubs, older, veteran guys with the Bills."
Murder He Wrote

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Ray Lewis' scandal happened the night after the 2000 Super Bowl in Atlanta, when the Baltimore Ravens linebacker and his entourage became embroiled in a fight that resulted in the stabbing deaths of two people. Lewis and his companions were later indicted on murder and aggravated-assault charges. However, those charges against the NFL star were later dismissed in exchange for his testimony against friends Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, who were also acquitted. Lewis went on to win two Super Bowl titles and is now an ESPN contributor since retiring in 2013.
Spelling Test

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Trash talking is an integral part of any sport, but Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson of the Dallas Cowboys took it to a whole new low during the 1978 Super Bowl, telling reporters that Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Bradshaw was "so dumb, he couldn't spell cat if you spotted him a C and an A." Now a Super Bowl pre-game host for Fox NFL Sunday, Bradshaw has since proven that he is smart enough to carve out a profitable career after retiring from the game — as well as having four championship rings to his name.

Lights Out

What’s My Line?

Super Bowl, Lies and Video Tape

Super Bowl or Mardi Gras?

The XXX Super Bowl

Tequila Shots Over Touchdowns

Blow Out Bills

Murder He Wrote

Spelling Test