Super Bowl controversies
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Das Boot
After the AFC Championship win over the Chargers, Patriots QB Tom Brady was spotted wearing a protective boot on his right foot and limping outside girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's apartment in Manhattan. The record-setting QB downplayed the injury and laughed at a report that a Giants player predicted the Pats would only score 17 points in the game. Well, we know how that worked out.
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The Wardrobe Malfunction
In one of the most memorable halftime performances of all time, Janet Jackson covers her breast after her outfit came undone thanks to some help from Justine Timberlake at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston.
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Barrett be gone
On the night before Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, Raiders' Pro Bowl center Barrett Robbins was sent home by coach Bill Callahan for failing to show up for meetings and the final walk-through. It was first reported that Robbins went to Tijuana, but it was later revealed that he was suffering from bi-polar disorder and depression. The Raiders went on to lose to the Bucs, 48-21.
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Not-so Princely performance
Prince is shown in silhouette as he performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI. Prince's acclaimed performance included a guitar solo during the "Purple Rain" segment of his medley in which his shadow was projected onto a large, flowing beige sheet. As the 48-year-old rock star let rip, the silhouette cast by his figure and his guitar (shaped like the singer's symbol) had phallic connotations for some.
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Go Daddy
The low-cost internet name registrar created a stir when its commercial was pulled from the Super Bowl XL telecast. (Go Daddy Girl) Candice Michelle was featured in the commercial as a witness at a fictional congressional hearing and kept having "wardrobe malfunctions".
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Ray's redemption
The previous year Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was arrested in a case involving the stabbing of two men at an Atlanta nightclub after Super Bowl XXXIV. The murder charges were dropped, but Lewis was convicted of obstructing justice. The following year Lewis led the Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV trouncing of the Giants and won game MVP honors.
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Eugene's moral dilemma
On the morning before Super Bowl XXXIII, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was awarded the Bart Starr Award for his "high moral character". That night he was arrested for making an offer to an undercover female police officer posing as a prostitute. The next day he was beaten badly for an 80-yard touchdown reception by Rod Smith as the Broncos cruised to victory.
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Turmoil with Tank
Just over a month before Super Bowl XLI, Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson was arrested for the third time in 18 months after police found six unregistered firearms, including two assault rifles, in his home. Chicago suspended Johnson for one game but was able to start in the Super Bowl after a judge granted him permission to leave the state of Illinois for the game. The NFL then suspended Johnson for the first eight games of 2008.
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Stanley can't shake San Francisco
Bengals fullback Stanley Wilson failed to show up for a meeting the night before Super Bowl XXIII after telling teammates he forgot his playbook in his room. Twenty minutes later he was found on the floor of his bathroom, shaking as he had overdosed on cocaine. Wilson's relapse was his third offense under the NFL's drug policy, and he was banned from the league for life and the Bengals lost the game, 20-16.
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Moon of McMahon
Leading up to Super Bowl XX, Bears QB Jim McMahon was fined $5,000 for wearing a sponsor's name on his headband. Then for the NFC Championship he wore one that read "Rozelle" for Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Finally, during practice in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, McMahon mooned a news helicopter hovering over the field.
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Fryar's fingers
During the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XX, Patriots wideout Irving Fryar had to explain why he had cuts on his fingers. It was found that two weeks earlier Fryar got the cuts in a scuffle with his wife.
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Max 1, Hangover 0
Rarely-used Packers backup wideout Max McGee did not expect to play in Super Bowl I so he broke curfew and went out drinking the night before the game. Starter Boyd Dowler then gets hurt on the second drive and McGee is forced to play. Thanks in part to the hangover he forgot his helmet in the locker room and needed to borrow one from a teammate. McGee then went on to have seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers victory.
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