NFL controversies
Under the league rules during that time, the NFL title was automatically given to the team with the best record at the end of the season instead of having the winner be determined by a playoff tournament.
Having a team makes a large impact on a city's perceived status, entertainment and social opportunities, and ability to attract new business and corporations looking to establish a national or regional presence.
[3] The Baltimore Colts were moved to Indianapolis by owner Robert Irsay in 1984, after multiple years of lobbying to renovate or replace the decrepit Memorial Stadium, including talks of a "Baltodome".
[9] On April 13, 1995, Stan Kroenke helped Georgia Frontiere move the Los Angeles Rams from Anaheim to St. Louis by purchasing a 30% share of the team.
[21] On January 12, 2016, the NFL approved the Rams' application to relocate from St. Louis back to Los Angeles with a 30-2 vote, although the move was generally considered malicious by fans in St.
Two private investigations at the time, by the team and an outside law firm, failed to substantiate the woman's claim, and it was reported that Snyder paid the sum to avoid any negative publicity.
[36] On July 28, 2022, Snyder voluntarily testified before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform regarding its own investigation on Washington's history of workplace misconduct.
[39] On December 8, 2022, following a 14 month probe, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform published a report which found that Snyder gave "misleading" answers when he testified about alleged controversies surrounding his team's workplace.
[43] The problem with the NFL's conduct policy is that it was designed not to halt off-field troubles as much as to squelch a looming public relations disaster that came after players like Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones were arrested two years ago.
[45] Later, on October 19, 2005, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, in a reportedly profanity-laced tirade, threatened to remove players from the roster who were involved in the planning of the party.
[48] After spending time at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, awaiting his trial, on December 10, Vick was given 23 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of probation.
On December 27, 2015, Al Jazeera America released a report conducted by the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit investigating professional athletes' use of Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) which named Peyton Manning, among other prominent athletes, as having received illegal drugs from Charles Sly, a pharmacist who had worked at the Guyer Anti-Aging Clinic in Indianapolis during the fall of 2011.
[56][57][58] Al Jazeera reported on January 3, 2016, that they were in contact with a second source, who was "impeccably placed, knowledgeable [sic], and credible" and was a former employee at the Guyer Institute, which confirms Sly's allegation that HGH was sent to Ashley Manning.
[63] On September 8, 2014, TMZ Sports released a video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his fiancée and dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator led to a two-game suspension.
[81] On March 18, 2021, a third civil lawsuit was filed against Watson, alleging that he had forced a massage therapist to perform oral sex on him before she blacked out in an office building in December 2020.
Buzbee requested that the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Harris County district attorney investigate the situation and pursue criminal charges against Watson.
Because the snow at the game has yet to be removed, the Eagles' notoriously rowdy fans, with a mixture of beer, the snow, the bounty and the hatred for "America's Team", threw everything within reach at various targets, like back judge Al Jury, who was knocked to the ground by a barrage of snowballs; Cowboys punter Mike Saxon, who was targeted in the end zone; and Johnson, who was hit with snowballs, ice, and beer as he was escorted off the field by Philadelphia police.
[99] Dubbed Spygate, in 2007, despite the New England Patriots going 16–0 for the first time in league history, the team was still in the midst of a controversy surrounding head coach Bill Belichick.
[109][110] Other than the Vikings, the Saints also allegedly targeted Chicago Bears[111] and Carolina Panthers[112] players, and the program became even more notorious in the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the San Francisco 49ers, when filmmaker Sean Pamphilon released audio tapes of Williams telling his players to injure a select group of 49ers, one of them being running back Kendall Hunter, and to knock him out, as well as going after Kyle Williams because of his history of concussions.
[120] In 2005, pathologist Bennet Omalu found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of former Pittsburgh Steelers player Mike Webster.
Steelers running back Franco Harris, who had been heading downfield in the event that Bradshaw needed another receiver, caught the ball before it hit the ground and ran for the game-winning touchdown.
Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini then threw a pass to wide receiver Mike Renfro, who caught the ball in the back of the end zone.
After Browns quarterback Tim Couch passed to receiver Quincy Morgan to convert a crucial fourth down, the catch appeared to be bobbled but the officials initially ruled a completion.
However, long snapper Trey Junkin botched the snap, leading to holder Matt Allen to throw a desperation pass to Rich Seubert, which fell incomplete, giving San Francisco the win.
The controversy even drew remarks from people outside of football, as basketball player LeBron James and professional golfer Bubba Watson both sent messages via Twitter giving their own criticism on the play.
"[171] On April 25, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned Judge Berman's decision to vacate Brady's suspension by a 2–1 majority.
[175] This fact led several media organizations, including Forbes, to argue whether the financial relationship with the league creates a conflict of interest when ESPN covers the NFL.
The network also withdrew its partnership with the PBS series Frontline on the 2013 documentary "League of Denial", which chronicles the history of head injuries in the NFL, shortly after a meeting between ESPN executives and league commissioner Roger Goodell took place in New York City, though ESPN denies pressure from the NFL led to its backing out of the project, claiming a lack of editorial control instead.
Speculation about the unexpected rating drops covers a myriad of possibilities,[181] including: The loss in viewership is potentially worrisome for the larger networks that are spending roughly $5 billion for football rights through the 2021 season.
[195] Complaints about increased changes in the rulebook making the rules too convoluted to understand and reducing the perceived quality of competition have colored the media surrounding the 2018 NFL season particularly.
