NFL Records: Which are the Top 8 NFL Controversies of all Time?

The National Football League (NFL) is one of the top professional sports leagues in North America, as well as the primary American football league in the country. However, the NFL is said to have its fair share of controversy. Ranging from dubious championship decisions, franchise relocation choices to suspected criminal activities by players has been discussed in relation to the NFL throughout history. 

In this context, here’s a list of some of the well-known controversies: 

• The DUI vehicle crash involving Henry Ruggs III: Henry Ruggs III, a former wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Las Vegas Raiders was considered to be involved in a horrific collision some time back. He allegedly hit over 150 mph while driving, instantly killing a 23-year-old woman and her dog. As a result, Ruggs has been shunned by the media, and has not been mentioned in the same breath as an NFL comeback. It was, however, considered that Ruggs might not be released for a while, following the charges brought in DUI instances.
• Deshaun Watson and his major crime accusations: There has been strong focus on Deshaun Watson‘s on-field activities, as a result of Browns giving him $230 million in guaranteed money on trading several future picks for him. And all of this might be despite the fact that he is said to be the subject of lawsuits brought by 22 women, who allege that he committed crimes that include sexual harassment and assault. It was further circulated that Watson won’t be prosecuted, in connection with these allegations of sexual misconduct. But there has been a lot of discussion on the timing of his deal in light of these off-the-field events.
• Allegations of domestic and child abuse against Tyreek Hill: In the year of 2014, Tyreek Hill has been dismissed from the track and football teams at Oklahoma State, after striking and kicking his fiancée, who was eight weeks pregnant during that time. Later, he attended West Alabama before turning pro and being selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. However, the NFL was said to be not technically concerned about Hill’s off-field problems, until he lost custody of his child in 2019 as a result of multiple police calls to the residence of Hill and his fiancée.

• Kareem Hunt trapped on camera assaulting a woman: Despite battling with numerous problems off the field in the years before Pat Mahomes defeated Jimmy Garropolo in Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs nevertheless managed to achieve the championship in 2020. Before Tyreek Hill’s problems nearly implicated Kansas City, Kareem Hunt managed to put the team in a bind. When a video of the RB abusing a lady at a hotel surfaced in November 2018, he virtually forced the Chiefs to release him. Somehow, he later managed to work with the Browns.
• Colin Kaepernick banned by the NFL: Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick collaborated to resolve a collusion claim. The two were allegedly blacklisted by football team owners after they kneel in protest of police brutality during the playing of the national anthem. As per reports, Kaepernick was undoubtedly the movement’s real face, and many people used him as a scapegoat regardless of which side of the debate they support.  Even though he recently worked out for his old coach Jim Harbaugh at the Michigan Wolverines spring game, it still wasn’t confirmed if he would sign with the NFL.
• Charges of domestic abuse against Ray Rice: In contrast to how it failed to make an example of Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill, the NFL made an example of Ray Rice, however what that implies about the Chiefs is still not clear to many. Even less is said to be known about what should be made of the Browns, who reinstated two players on this list as “reclamation projects.” After a graphic video showing the Ravens running back abusing his fiancée was made public, the NFL issued an indefinite suspension to Rice. Even after promising in 2016 to contribute his salary to organisations helping victims of domestic violence, he was never able to find another place to live.
• Strict allegations against Mike Vick: Mike Vick allegedly ran a dogfighting ring that claimed the lives of numerous dogs. The Falcons took the worst of it, but most fans were disappointed to learn about one of the league’s most intriguing prospects at the time. However, Mike Vick managed to have a relatively successful career because of his outstanding second half with the Eagles. But if he hadn’t lost two seasons of his career due to a breach of the league’s personal conduct policy, his legacy might have been much greater. 
• Sexual assault allegations against Ben Roethlisberger: Andrea McNully is said to file a charge against Ben Roethlisberger back in 2009. She alleged that the Steelers quarterback had molested her the summer before in Nevada’s Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Moreover, in Milledgeville, Georgia, police looked into Roethlisberger when a college woman reported that he had sexually assaulted her in a club toilet. 

Summing up, the NFL has spawned a number of controversies throughout the years. And this is also consistent with the league’s historical norms for behaviour. 

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