Throughout the NFL playoffs, the officials have faced a lot of scrutiny after some controversial calls that went in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs in the division round and the AFC Championship game. And one NFL legend does not seem all that happy with the state of officiating in the NFL.
During a recent appearance on “SI Media with Jimmy Traina,” legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman called out the NFL officials.
Aikman acknowledge that the referees have a “tough job,” but that did not stop him from making it clear that they need to be better, especially considering the popularization of sports gambling, which the NFL promotes.
“I know the officials have a tough job. I mean, the scrutiny that they’re under. As we’ve gotten more advanced with instant replay, those guys, it seems, have become more and more scrutinized,” Aikman said according to Fox News.
“And the game has not become less controversial. The game has become more controversial,” Aikman continued. “I just think that we’re at a point that this has tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services.
“Here you are promoting gambling — people are gambling more than they ever have before and those types of calls – there’s a lot at stake regardless. But especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well.”
Aikman went on to take a stand, declaring that the NFL’s officiating should be better for the sake of the fans.
“I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think we’re at a point in time where we can. We can get it more right. So, that was really my position in just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address it in the offseason,’” Aikman said.
We’ll have to see how the officials perform in the Super Bowl LIX matchup later this month.
