# The 10 Biggest Scandals in NFL History

> Rule changes, lost draft picks and one suspension that went to a federal appeals court. Competitive integrity, argued case by case.

*By YPB Team · Published August 3, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-10-biggest-scandals-in-nfl-history*

---

## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Deflategate**
   The 2015 dispute over under-inflated footballs that ended with a four-game suspension for Tom Brady, upheld on appeal in 2016.
2. **Spygate**
   New England was fined and docked a first-round pick in 2007 for filming an opponent's defensive signals from a prohibited position.
3. **Bountygate**
   The 2012 finding that New Orleans ran a pay-for-performance pool rewarding hits, which cost the head coach a full season.
4. **The 2018 NFC Championship no-call**
   An uncalled pass interference late in the Rams-Saints game led the league to briefly make interference reviewable.
5. **The Tuck Rule game**
   A 2002 playoff ruling reversed a Raiders fumble recovery, kept New England alive and got the rule scrapped a decade later.
6. **Calvin Ridley's betting suspension**
   The receiver was suspended for the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games while away from his team.
7. **The 1987 strike and replacement players**
   A 24-day players' strike was played out by replacement squads whose results still count in the record books.
8. **The StarCaps suspensions**
   A banned diuretic in an over-the-counter supplement triggered suspensions and years of litigation from 2008.
9. **The Music City Miracle lateral**
   Tennessee's 2000 playoff kickoff return survived review despite a forward-pass argument that has never gone away.
10. **The Miami Dolphins tampering forfeiture**
   Miami lost a first-round pick in 2022 after the league found impermissible contact with a quarterback and a coach.

Tags: usa, sports, nfl, teams