Throughout the NFL postseason, countless fans have spoken out against the perceived favoritism that the Kansas City Chiefs have gotten from referees. But perhaps the most notable comments on the matter actually came from Hall of Fame quarterback turned ESPN NFL broadcaster Troy Aikman.
During the Divisional Round matchup between the Chiefs and the Houston Texans, Aikman made it a point to call out the officiating in the game on several occasions while calling the game on ESPN after the Texans were called for numerous flags on hits to Patrick Mahomes.
Given all of the controversy and the hate surrounding the Chiefs as they await their Super Bowl LIX matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL likely wants any and all talks about the officiating mistakes to be at a minimum. Especially when it comes from broadcasters like Aikman.
However, the NFL has interestingly opted not the contact Aikman at all about his past comments.
When asked whether he had heard from the NFL regarding his comments, Aikman outlined in a conversation with Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated that he has “never heard from the NFL” about anything he has said on the matter.
Aikman is of course one of the more respected former players in the history of football. You could argue that Aikman is truly the one behind all of the criticism the Chiefs are facing based on his comments.
Whether the NFL likes it in this instance or not, his opinions hold weight in the minds of the average NFL fan when it comes to how they view the officiating of any particular team.
Interestingly, instead of retracting his comments on the matter, he doubled down, telling Traina that the league needs to “get it more right” as a whole in games.
“I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think that we are at a point and time where we can. We can get it more right. That was my position and just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address this in the offseason.”
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.