{"id":746097,"date":"2026-02-12T02:15:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T02:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/746097\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T02:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T02:15:21","slug":"i-believe-he-threw-the-super-bowl-ex-steeler-makes-wild-accusation-about-qb-neil-odonnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/746097\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Believe He Threw The Super Bowl:’ Ex-Steeler Makes Wild Accusation About QB Neil O’Donnell"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl victories in NFL history. However, they haven\u2019t won every championship game that they\u2019ve played in. Their first loss came in Super Bowl XXX at the conclusion of the 1995 season. The Steelers lost 27-17 to the Dallas Cowboys, and many fans still blame quarterback<\/a> Neil O\u2019Donnell for that. He threw two ugly interceptions to Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown. Former Steelers offensive lineman Emerson Martin was on that team, and he believes O\u2019Donnell played poorly on purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing against Neil O\u2019Donnell, but I believe he threw the Super Bowl,\u201d Martin said recently on Neil Haley\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/a> \u201cNeil\u2019s perfect two passes went to Brown. You take those plays away, that\u2019s two touchdowns that they converted in that game, and they are totally dominated by us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should\u2019ve won that game because we were the better team that day. We played better with the exception of two plays. Those two plays turned everything around.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Donnell had a solid season with the Steelers that year. He threw for 2,970 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 12 games. However, his performance in the Super Bowl was abysmal. O\u2019Donnell completed 28 0f his 49 pass attempts for 239 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.<\/p>\n

The first interception with a little under eight minutes left in the third quarter and the Steelers trailing 13-7. O\u2019Donnell threw a horrible pass around midfield that Brown intercepted and returned to the Steelers\u2019 18-yard line.<\/p>\n

30 Years Ago Tonight<\/p>\n

Super Bowl XXX MVP Larry Brown<\/p>\n

The #DallasCowboys<\/a> corner intercepts two ill-advised passes by the Steelers’ Neil O’Donnell in the second half.<\/p>\n

Both ending potential go-ahead Steeler drives, both leading directly to #Cowboys<\/a> touchdowns<\/p>\n

January 28, 1996 pic.twitter.com\/0LBZFOtdpY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) January 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Two plays later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown. The Steelers mounted a comeback, cutting the Cowboys\u2019 lead to only three points with around seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to win.<\/p>\n

The Steelers got the ball back with a little more than<\/a> four minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, O\u2019Donnell threw another terrible pass on the second play of that drive that Brown again intercepted. It set up another quick Cowboys touchdown, which basically ended the game.<\/p>\n

There is not a shred of evidence that O\u2019Donnell threw the game. However, Martin shared more details that made him more convinced that O\u2019Donnell wasn\u2019t trying to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say as much, I wouldn\u2019t feel the way I feel, but we all got on the plane afterwards and went back to Pittsburgh with the exception of Neil O\u2019Donnell,\u201d Martin said. \u201cHe got in a limo with his agent. That was the last time I saw him. I don\u2019t know if he got paid, but I feel like he didn\u2019t play for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does that mean O\u2019Donnell played poorly on purpose? No. Maybe O\u2019Donnell couldn\u2019t bear to face the rest of the team after his ugly performance. He could\u2019ve blamed himself just as much as others did for the loss.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s easy to understand why Martin feels the way that he does. O\u2019Donnell was a free agent after that season, so it likely frustrated the team that he didn\u2019t play well in the Super Bowl and then took off, never to play for Pittsburgh again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n