NFL referees have come under fire recently for what has seemed like blatant favoritism for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row if they manage to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even had to address the allegations of favoritism.
“A lot of those theories are things that happen in social media and they get a new life,” Goodell said, according to the Associated Press. “I understand that. I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion and is a reminder for us on how important officiating is.
“I think the men and women officiating the NFL are outstanding. We have the highest possible standards. It’s a ridiculous theory for anyone who might take it seriously. But at the end of the day it’s something we have to work at, how do we make our officiating better.”
Following Goodell’s words, the NFL Referee Association released an official statement of its own.
“Commissioner Goodell’s comments that it is ‘ridiculous’ to presume that NFL Officials are not doing everything possible to make the right call on every play is spot on,” said Scott Green, Executive Director of the NFLRA in the statement.
“Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.”
“NFL Officials are graded every week, on every single play of each game. These grades are the determining factor as to who receives postseason assignments. The NFLRA commends its members, who all strive to do exactly what all 32 NFL Teams do, which is to excel at their jobs so that they are working the last game of the season – the Super Bowl,” the release explained.
“There are many things that fans can worry about over a 17-game season, such as coaching decisions, player injuries, the weather and, yes, even close calls on incredible plays made by incredible athletes,” Green went on. “But you can rest assured that on every single down, NFL Officials, both on the field and in the replay booth, are doing everything humanly possible to officiate every play correctly.”
However, fans weren’t too thrilled with the need to put out a statement at all, when no other team has ever warranted such measures.
“The fact they even needed to address this speaks volumes,” one Broncos reporter wrote on Twitter.
“Makes them look even more guilty,” one fan added.
“Fans are not blind,” another person added.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Super Bowl is called.
