What they didn’t show at the end of this clip is that the NFL commissioner at the time Paul Tagliabue called Terry McAulay and told him the game had to be finished. Some of the players on both teams had taken their gear off and started showering but they were forced to go back onto the field more than 20 minutes later so that the Jaguars could kneel on the ball 2 times and the clock could officially hit 0.

I love the ‘happy holidays’ on the scoreboard as the game is called to an end

The fans chanting "bullshit" is unabashedly my favorite part of this.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard, “It’s getting ugly in Cleveland”

Never thought I would see the day the footage of this incident would be in good quality. Always thought this footage would be hidden away forever outside of home recordings. Glad to see its being acknowledged.

I was 6 years old and this was my first Browns game. I went with my dad and grandfather and my memories are pretty foggy from the game as a whole. However, I remember being quickly escorted from the stadium when the bottles started flying. As we walked back to our car I told my dad "So a bowl shank must be when they start throwing bottles." They obviously were happy to let me believe that's what the crowd was shouting. At school on monday I was so excited to tell my friends that I had been to a bowl shank!

Wow, the NFL embracing one of the true really, really, REALLY weird parts of its past

Never thought I'd see the day that the NFL actually acknowledges this moment happened!! One of the WORST officiating disasters in the history of league that potentially robbed a team of a Playoff spot. This moment is also one of the many that's responsible for why alcohol sales are stopped after the 3rd quarter and why beer is no longer sold in bottles at stadiums.

This was a wild ending. I remember watching this one live. Ironically Quincy Morgan the guy at the center of this caught a hail mary from Tim Couch in Jacksonville the very next season to win 21-20.

Just imagine if this happened in the Social media/Hot take era.

The thing in all this: Earlier in the season the Browns played the Bears. This exact thing happened where the Bears made a play on the sidelines but they ran up and spiked the ball. The refs did not review the play there because the Bears spiked it.

OMG! I never thought this would ever be uploaded by an official NFL channel ever! Well done Throwback!

An official NFL channel acknowledging Bottlegate? Hell hath frozen over indeed!

If the NFL is acknowledging this, they need to acknowledge the horrendous officiating in the league currently.

When the Jags had their uniforms right

Im shocked the NFL is finally acknowledging this.

This was the one game I think that the NFL came out and admitted that they fucked up

I’ll Never get over this call.

I cannot say I feel sorry for the refs in any capacity in this situation. They flagrantly broke the rules multiple times.

I remember when this happened so well. I was fairly new to Cleveland and was listening to this game on the radio, and it was crazy. Amazing that this was twenty two years ago, almost to the day, and it seems like last week. I always felt bad for Tim Couch, as he had a LOT of potential but was going to get killed with that offensive line and the coach, who was woefully inept, just wouldn't design an offense to play to his strengths. No wonder he was out of the league so fast. I really did feel bad for him.

I remember being so pissed as a kid that a ref didn't get dome shotted by a bottle lol

One of the most infamous officiating controversies in NFL history.

The fans had every right to throw that

9:47 I just find it funny that two Browns fans are fighting each other when the real enemies are going by them 😂😂

Wow. Seems like just yesterday the NFL, who owns this KZfaq channel, wanted us to forget that this game ever happened. Thanks to Ramen Robbie for not letting that happen.

Man I remember this, that’s so crazy still that they went back those two plays that’s wild

It screwed the browns out of a possible wild card spot that year

One of the reasons they don't allow bottles and cans inside the stadium anymore. I used to bartend at stadiums and fans always ask why they can't have the bottle/can and why it has to be poured in a cup...this is why

Now you can see how bad the officiating really is!

I remember this like it was yesterday. I was at my uncles house and he got super angry and kicked the screen door off the back porch lmao. My aunt got super mad at him.

I was at that game, was in early high school with another friend upper deck. If you remember back then, it was if the challenge didn't come in before the next snap, it NEVER got overturned. That's why people were so pissed. People at the game didn't get to hear these announcers agreeing with us either, that probably might have helped It also officially knocked the Browns out of the playoffs haha. Is what it is

This is the most Cleveland Browns thing I've ever seen.

Yep, I remember watching this game. Crazy how that unfolded.

There's a KZfaqr named Ramon Robbie that uploaded a longer version of this. It shows the players coming back onto the field from the locker rooms.

If this would happen today, with how we're all connected digitally. It would be the highlight of the Season

Could Imagine Jacksonville Jaguars Against Cleveland Browns From New Chapter In 1994 AFC Central Division Rivalry Thanks For Uploading

Me: I’m done talking about Bottlegate NFL Throwback: We can’t let that happen.

Time flies wow thanks NFL throwback! A real throwback!

“Welcome to Cleveland town everyone”

I was there. The place was absolutely furious. We were still playoff hopeful. I remember being furious not only at the call but Tom Coughlin was out so far onto the field the Jags should've been penalized. And yes, I had a bottle that I'd found but I didn't throw it. i was too high up and away from the field.

Aww… I wanted to see the subway post game show…

How on earth can you overrule a play from a previous snap when you've already ran another play? This was the worst officiated game ever played in the history of the National Football League.

I was at that game, I had questions about making it out of there. There were fights on the streets, people fighting the cops, it was the craziest thing I have ever seen. I'll never ever forget that day.

I did not expect an official NFL channel to post this…

Gotta feel for the Browns in this. There's a case for the intentional grounding call but that's BS going to the previous play!!

Next time the Rams/Saints play each other, NFL Throwback should post the game that happened the night after this game (Bottlegate II)

They posted this because the Browns are playing the Jaguars this Sunday in a game with playoff implications. 👍 Only reason they chose to remind us all

I was at this game as a kid (maybe 11 yrs old) - I had won a school contest and was invited to the field before the game. We were given 5th row seats behind the Browns end zone. I'll never forget when this game went sour and the storm of crap that came flying down around us. My parents did all they could to shield myself and my younger brother from the chaos. After the game, my mother actually got stopped by the media. During the interview, an angry mob of fans surrounded us and started chanting 'bullshit'. My mom, being more upset that her kids had to go through that hell then the outcome of the game itself, got right in this guys face, wagging finger and all, and started telling him off like she was his own mother. That clip wound up on World News tonight with Peter Jennings. Still my first and only Browns game! Certainly a moment I'll never forget.

I love when crowds become this passionate - especially when the anger is righteous and justified. And I say this as a Steelers fan. The Browns were robbed. I mean, this was blatant. And also very weird, at that.

The NFL....uploaded this game. They wanted us to forget about this game, and they uploaded it. Did not have that on my 2023 bingo card.

"This play will be talked about in Cleveland for the next 6 months." This was 2001, It's currently 2024, and we're STILL talking about this bullshit in Cleveland.

Announcer: "you're only hurting yourselves by throwing things on the field!!!" LOL I don't think the fans agree with that statement

This is forever what Terry McAulay will be known for even if he had an otherwise great officiating career.

I remember that game. That was wild

I was there that day. Only 10 years old, but that’s a memory that will stick with me forever. Got hit in the head with a bottle too! This made national news too back then. Was a wild time.

Should've been 1 & goal at the 20. They already snapped the ball, the last play was too close to overturn, but the quarterback did commit intentional grounding. And I think this was before the 10 second runoff was introduced.

A Gate that Doesn't involve the Patriots is Pretty Rare.

I was at this game. That minute between the call and the first bottle on the field was the definition of eerie silence.

11:12 I’m in awe. Absolute unit.

I dated a woman from Akron who took this SO hard that we stopped seeing each other romantically but still remained friends afterwards.

The most Cleveland Browns ending to a game ever.

This was cathartic to watch

I understand why Cleveland beat my Jags this past Sunday now. We owed them one.

I was waiting for this. After losing to the pats the week before. This was the last chance the browns had at the playoffs.

Honestly one of the craziest endings you'd ever expect to see. I don't ever condone throwing beer bottles on the field but at the same time those Cleveland fans were JUSTIFIED in their anger. There had been some massive referee screw ups before this but I think it's safe to say you can pinpoint this as the beginning of the modern era of officiating where there's at least a handful of really controversial or outright bad reffing in the NFL every year.

Watched this live with my grandparents. Fans took over tv cameras and started cussing live lol

"The fans have to be smarter than that." LOL

This was my first NFL game. I was 6, thanks NFL.

Games like this are why I’ve purchased Brandon Perna’s “F*** The Refs” coffee multiple times.

I was at this game in the opposite side of the stadium. It was also those years we had the Dwayne Rudd helmet game and Orlando Brown getting a penalty flag into the eyeball which ended his career. All home games. Not exactly the history we were hoping for

8:49 That is the end of the game!

Let’s not kid ourselves the refs are still this bad.

I was at this game. I was in the top row if the upper deck. We were halfway down the stairs down when they brought them back out. Some dude arguing with a fire hydrant of a cop had a rough day trying to get back into the seats.

"Happy Holidays" LMAO

This is what happens when the refs break the rules. The next play started and was completed. You can no longer review the previous play. That was the rule then, that’s the rule now. People blame the fans and ignore why they reacted the way they did.

I wish someone could upload this game in full.

I love how they made them cone back out to lose. It was classic

You can see right at @0:42 when the official got buzzed. Clearly after the play started. Officiating was trash back then and has even gotten worse today.

9:11 “Happy Holidays” Jax:15 CLE:10 “Enjoy the win”

Thanks for listing the year of the video that’s extremely informative

NFL screwed this up royally. They should have given the 1st down and then called intentional grounding making it 2nd and 20. They do that and we aren’t talking about this game 20 years later

This is what can happen when those officials screw teams out of wins

Browns fans were absolutely justified in this situation. Still a very classic and iconic moment in football history!

I was at this game as a kid with really good tickets my dad got from work on the side of the end zone. When the bottles started flying, we got up to leave and a fraction of a second after standing up a FULL bottle slammed into my dads seat. Could have really hurt him.

These two teams just played this weekend in Cleveland. I was kinda hoping for the same result.

Fast forward 22 years: 4,782 high definition cameras in every stadium, the league seemingly not able to define what a catch is, rules to protect players being selectively enforced, selectively thrown penalty flags that more often than not favor a marketable star, and after 10 minutes of reviewing a play that it takes the average human watching the game 10 seconds to get the call correct - the officials STILL get it wrong. Man, replay really made the game better.

Sam Wyche would have put a stop to this.

I Like This Amazing Video 📸 NFL Throwback Keep It Up

I never thought the NFL would post this situation. It's their Malice at the palace

Boy I’m glad the guy kept explaining refs don’t usually review calls once another play has been run. I was having such a hard time understanding.

If I was the browns head coach, I would gathered my players and walked off the field. This was total B.S.

Remember this like it was yesterday couldn't believe what I was seeing!

best part is the Happy Holidays graphic 😂

Refs blew that one

This cemented what everyone already knew: the NFL absolutely hates Cleveland and does not want them to succeed.

"The play that will be talked about into 2024"

As a Giants fan I can’t judge-we once pelted the Chargers with snowballs in the last game of the 1995 season.

This was the ref’s fault. You can’t go back two fucking plays. Regardless of malfunction. It wasn’t even like they tried to stop the play while couch was spiking it.The ref touched the ball before the center did meaning your allowed to run a play. The refs are somehow never at fault. The only thing bad that happened because of this was now we can’t have beer in the 4th

Cleveland fans should be ashamed of themselves. They didn't hit a single ref with those bottles. What a stupid call. You literally can't challenge a play after another one is ran.

The origins of NFL officiating being the deciding outcome in games