The NFL released a statement pushing back on prevalent theories that its referees have helped the Kansas City Chiefs get to the Super Bowl, calling them “insulting and preposterous.”
In a press release from the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA), the union representing all NFL officials, it maintained its efforts to ensure the fairness and integrity of the game.
“[NFL] 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,” Scott Green, Executive Director of the NFLRA, said in the release.
“Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season,” he added. “It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.”
🚨NEWS: #NFL REFS ASSOCIATION EXEC DIR. SCOTT GREEN SAYS IT IS INSULTING FANS THINK THE REFS CHEAT FOR #CHIEFS.
“It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews, consisting of 138 officials, are colluding to assist one team.”
WOW. pic.twitter.com/tEfQfCXu9F
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 4, 2025
“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 continued. “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.”
During Goodell’s state of the league address, the commissioner called the idea that refs were helping the Chiefs a “ridiculous theory,” ESPN reported.
“This sort of reminds me a little bit of the script,” Goodell said. “That I write a script, and I have the script for the entire season … I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion, and I think it also is a reminder for us how important officiating is. And I think the men and women that officiate the NFL are outstanding. They have the highest possible standards.”
“Our officials are evaluated in several ways,” he added. “It’s not just the performance on the field, but it’s things that go on in their own lives, and we have a very tight control over that. We monitor that very closely in a number of ways.”
The NFL commissioner then pointed to the Chiefs not having had blowout games, noting that 11 of the 17 games have been within one score.
One Fox affiliate out of North Carolina decided to dig into the notion that the officiating at Chiefs games was unfair to other teams and found, looking into the Chiefs’ rankings in total penalties and penalty yards since 2018, the numbers just don’t seem to add up.
“When looking at the numbers, there simply is not any smoking gun that would indicate the Chiefs receive disproportionate favor from the officials relative to other NFL teams,” it wrote. “That is not to say that Kansas City is never the beneficiary of misjudged, incorrect, or poor calls as there are absolutely instances where that is the case as there are for any NFL team.”
Related: Chiefs Star Praises God After Team Seals Third Super Bowl Trip In A Row
