The NFL Referees Association has joined commissioner Roger Goodell in shooting down the narrative that officials are working together to help the Kansas City Chiefs, calling the theory “insulting.”
“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,” NFLRA executive director Scott Green said in a statement obtained by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Green added: “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.”
Officiating calls have been scrutinized heavily during the Chiefs’ run to Super Bowl LIX. A roughing the passer penalty and unnecessary roughness penalty against the Houston Texans were questioned in their divisional-round win while a fourth-down stop on Josh Allen in the conference title game was among calls that Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane disagreed with. This prompted Goodell to label the theory that the refs were assisting Kansas City “ridiculous” Monday.