The Most Controversial Plays of 2015

If you've watched sports this year, you've probably noticed that there has been just a little lack of control by the people wearing the zebra shirts, as refs have left fans, teams, players and coaches scratching their heads over a few controversial calls.

Likewise, there have been some plays by coaches that have left people shocked and confused, too, making us all wonder "what if."

With a number of different games being affected all year long, here are the most controversial plays of 2015 that still have us talking.

A Bunch of Plays During the Denver Broncos-New England Patriots Game

The one call that everyone remembers is the game-clock snafu that left fans watching at home confused and the New England Patriots outraged, but there were more controversial calls than that throughout the game, leaving Tom Brady pretty darn upset with the officials.

If there's one thing no official wants, it's being the talking point after a tough battle between two teams. Unfortunately, that's what happened following this game between the Pats and Denver Broncos, which was marred by questionable pass interference calls and a defensive holding on New England that had some wondering what in the heck the rules actually are!

The Unnecessary Roughness Penalty That Negated a Washington Redskins Score

It might have just been a midseason game between the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins that ended with Carolina winning big, but, at the time of this play, the score was still tied, and the Skins had some life.

That is, until the refs completely botched an unnecessary roughness call.

I'm not one to sit here and say that I understand the full explanation of what is and isn't a legal hit in the NFL—although tons of people could probably say the same thing. But after watching this video over and over, there's nothing that stands out as being illegal.

Carolina's Greg Olsen got hit awkwardly, but, for some unforeseen reason, refs thought that Washington's Chris Culliver did something wrong, taking six points off the board.

Al Horford's Questionable Ejection in the Eastern Conference Finals

Announcer Marv Albert called this "the most controversial call of the entire playoffs," when Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford was booted during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was a classic case of big guy falling on little guy—in this case, the Cavs' Matthew Dellavedova—and an elbow appearing worse than it probably was.

After Horford received a flagrant-2 foul—which is an automatic ejection—Twitter blew up with reactions from players who thought the Hawks got hosed.

The league defended the decision, but it didn't come without controversy; that's for sure.

The Seattle Seahawks' Decision to Pass in Super Bowl XLIX

Unlike the majority of others on this list, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves here because, well, they made the most questionable and controversial play call in Super Bowl history, passing from the New England Patriots' 2-yard line as the clock wound down.

We all know what happened once they made the bold move, with New England's Malcolm Butler stepping in front of a Russell Wilson pass for a game-winning interception.

The Hawks, who were questioned by everyone following the decision, might just turn and hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch if they're ever in this position again.

Chase Utley's Hard Slide Against the New York Mets

Arguably the most controversial play of the MLB postseason this year, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Chase Utley went in hard to break up a double play on the New York Mets' Ruben Tejada, breaking the shortstop's leg.

Everyone wondered if the slide was dirty or unnecessary, with some even going to great lengths to determine their decision.

The Dodgers ended up tying the series during that game but would have to play the next game without Utley, who was suspended by MLB for his actions—which left some wondering what's good and bad baseball these days.

Odell Beckham Jr. Loses His Mind but Doesn't Get Ejected

The only way to describe the decision by All-Pro wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to viciously attack and spear Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman a couple of weeks ago is "savage."

OBJ clearly had the intention to injure Norman and should have been punished for his actions during the game. (He did pick up a one-game suspension after the league took a closer look at the incident.)

With reports surfacing that the league believes Beckham or Norman (or both) should have been ejected for their ongoing scuffles, one can't help but wonder why the zebras continued to let this happen because it could have ended with serious injury.

The Goaltend That Wasn't Called During UCLA-SMU Game

While it didn't come during a critical Final Four game, there's no denying that the inability of refs to review a questionable goaltending call during the UCLA-SMU men's hoops game in last year's NCAA tourney is absurd.

That might speak more about the NCAA changing up its rules more than anything else, but from the beginning, this play had people confused.

The fact that this isn't a reviewable play needs to be changed because SMU ended up getting screwed—even if neither you nor I have a clue about that ball going in.

NFL Refs Forget Rules During Seattle Seahawks-Detroit Lions Game

Ask most casual sports fans and they'll probably be unaware of the rule that states a player can't knowingly knock a loose ball out of the back of his own end zone.

Then again, casual sports fans aren't paid to be refs, so seeing the zebras mess this play up during the Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions is actually unacceptable.

Rather than the Lions getting the ball back at Seattle's goal line with a chance to score, the Seahawks maintained possession of the ball following the bat out of the back of the end zone by K.J. Wright.

It's a play that, according to NFL rules, should have never counted.

Phil Mickelson's President's Cup Error

Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

The sport of golf has been around for a long, long time, so it's OK if people don't know every little detail and explanation of the crazy rules it has. Still, the one that bit Phil Mickelson in the butt during this year's President's Cup is ridiculous.

To best describe the incident, here's what USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio had to say:

"

On the seventh tee at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, Mickelson and Johnson were all square in their match against world No. 2 Jason Day and Adam Scott when Mickelson reached into his pocket and pulled out a different model ball than the one he started the match with and swung away. A few moments later, Mickelson found out he violated the One-Ball Condition of the rules, which states a player must use the same model of golf ball throughout the match that he started with on the first hole. The penalty for this breach is a one-hole adjustment in the match.

"

On so many different levels, this is a dumb rule. That said, it is something that is in the PGA guidelines, so it was enforced.

That's great and all, but the fact that rules officials messed up and later apologized to Team USA is where the mistake and real controversy comes in because Mickelson's error ended up costing his entire team.

That Whole 'Finishing the Catch' Thing for Dez Bryant in the Playoffs

I originally thought about putting Golden Tate's wild touchdown catch against the Chicago Bears here, but the stage wasn't as big as the playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, so Dez Bryant's non-catch gets the nod.

And it came at a time in the game that would have changed the final outcome.

With the Cowboys trailing by five with about four minutes to go, the refs determined that Dez didn't control the ball all the way through, which left everyone and their mother wondering what a catch in the NFL really looked like.

In fact, the league even changed its policy before the start of this season because of this very play, so yeah, this was a big one.

A Few Goals by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals

Winning three of the past six Stanley Cup titles, the Chicago Blackhawks leave no argument as to their dominance. However, that doesn't mean their most recent championship didn't come with a bit of controversy.

In fact, there were questions a few times throughout their Finals series with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The main incident came during Game 2 in which Chicago's Brent Seabrook's game-tying goal appears to be illegal because of his teammate.

As Seabrook fired a slapshot past Tampa goalie Ben Bishop, Chicago's Marian Hossa’s stick hit Bishop on the pads, which should have been an interference call, which would have disallowed the goal.

Twitter reacted to the non-call, but fortunately, the end result wasn't affected, as Tampa Bay wound up winning the game in overtime.

Michigan State Spartans Get Robbed on the Road

What makes this questionable call so big is that it could have cost the Michigan State Spartans a chance at the College Football Playoff, as the refs upheld a game-winning touchdown by the Nebraska Cornhuskers that shouldn't have been allowed.

As Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. hit Brandon Reilly for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left to give the Huskers a 39-38 lead, Sparty wondered why Reilly wasn't flagged for exiting the field and then coming back into play without reestablishing himself—which is a penalty.

Refs determined that Reilly was forced out of bounds, so the touchdown was upheld—with the Big Ten later agreeing that officials made the right call—although it doesn't really look like the play should have stood.

Indianapolis Colts' Fake Punt Only Fools Themselves

Like the aforementioned Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl play call, when the Indianapolis Colts lined up for a fake punt against the New England Patriots, it was so bad that it had to be included on this list of questionable plays.

People have mentioned this as being the worst play in league history, so how could I leave it off?

While it wasn't a missed call by refs, it was a total blunder by everyone involved from the Colts, as the play should have never even been called, and the ball should have never been snapped.

The 8-Lateral Kick Return to End the Duke-Miami Football Game

This eight-lateral kickoff return touchdown really did have it all, so it's tough to even begin to describe how crazy it was—and how bad the refs handled the entire situation, which left fans outraged.

With the Miami Hurricanes trailing by three in the closing seconds, the Canes channeled their inner Stanford-Cal by executing this improbable touchdown—although, upon further review, they really didn't.

Refs missed a bunch of different things on this play, which led to the crew getting suspended and the ACC admitting that the play should have been ruled down.

It messed up the entire conference race and, in all honesty, was one of the most pathetic displays of officiating I've ever seen, as the zebras lost complete control during the process.

The 7th Inning of the ALDS Between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers

Of all the crazy things that happened this year, the seventh inning of Game 5 in the ALDS between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays is the nuttiest, as it had a number of wild plays that led to questionable rulings.

Considering it was the playoffs and an elimination game, this has to be tops on this list.

The most bizarre of plays came when Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin attempted to throw the ball back from behind home plate to his pitcher and unexpectedly had the toss deflect off the bat of Rangers hitter Shin-Soo Choo, ricocheting into the infield.

Rangers baserunner Rougned Odor scored on the play to make it 3-2 Texas, causing Toronto to protest the call and the entire stadium to litter the field in outrage.

With Jose Bautista hitting a monster blast in the home half of the inning to give the Jays the lead for good—which included an epic bat toss—and benches clearing afterwards, the controversial play was a major piece of tension that was stuck in the minds of every player.