Bottlegate


While most of the 2001 Cleveland Browns season was uneventful, there was one moment during their mediocre 7-9 season that would stand out as one of the greatest refereeing blunders in the game.

The Browns were in the midst of a losing streak after starting the year 4-2, leading to frustration among Cleveland Browns who wanted more out of their #1 QB, Tim Couch.

In week 14's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns were behind 15-10 when Couch was in the process of leading the Browns down the field for a potential game-winning score. On 4th and 1, Couch had completed a pass to Quincy Morgan to keep the drive alive. Tim Couch ran up and spiked the ball to stop the clock on the next play. After the spike was done, referee Terry McAulay went to review the catch. This led to controversy as a play cannot be reviewed once another play was run. McAulay claimed that the booth buzzed him before the spike. He judged the play and concluded that Morgan did not have possession of the ball and ruled the pass incomplete, giving the Jaguars the ball. Fans in the stadium began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the players and officials. McAulay declared that the game was over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee's decision, sending the players back onto the field, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris.

That's the better video, but this is the better audio (Wizards announcers):