NFL At 100: A look at the biggest scandals in NFL history - FOX Sports
my favs Access and manage your favorites here * [WKC Dog Show](/westminster-kennel-club) * [FOX Super 6 💰](/fox-super-6) * [Tom Brady](/personalities/tom-brady) * [SPORTS & TEAMS](#) * [PLAYERS](#) * [SHOWS](#) * [PERSONALITIES](#) * [TOPICS](#) ...
E
Editorial Team
Published 31 January 2026
my favs
Access and manage your favorites here
* [WKC Dog Show](/westminster-kennel-club)
* [FOX Super 6 💰](/fox-super-6)
* [Tom Brady](/personalities/tom-brady)
* [SPORTS & TEAMS](#)
* [PLAYERS](#)
* [SHOWS](#)
* [PERSONALITIES](#)
* [TOPICS](#)
# NFL At 100: A look at the biggest scandals in NFL history
Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:46 p.m. ET
share
facebookxredditlink
There's Spygate and Deflategate, bullying and bounties.
Those are just a few of the NFL's biggest scandals in just the past 15 years. And that's not taking into account all the players suspended for allegations of domestic violence.
The most divisive of all — Colin Kaepernick's protest for social justice — began in 2016 and continues.
But from the gambling suspensions of Paul Hornung and Alex Karras in the 1960s to Patriots players exposing themselves to a female reporter in 1990 to Kaepernick and other players kneeling during the national anthem, the NFL always seems to overcome whatever threatens its image or bottom line.
Football is the most popular sport in America and the league is a financial juggernaut with a current television deal worth $5.66 billion annually through 2022.
"I think some of these scandals definitely do tarnish the league's image, but like with a lot with a lot of things, memories are short and there's a big divide in the public mind between what the athlete does on the field and what the athlete allegedly did off the field," former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue told The Associated Press.
"I think the two categories that for me are the most important are those that threaten the integrity of the game and those that involve owners, because they are supposed to be accountable and responsible for the integrity of the game and for the quality of the product, and that includes the image and the reputation and the credibility and the character of people who are presenting the game."
League executive Troy Vincent has viewed it from many sides during three decades in the gam
Tags
World CupFIFAStadiumPlayerAtSportsAccessDog Show