NFL commissioner Roger Goodell denied the idea that the league favors Kansas Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and implied it shouldn’t be taken seriously.
The commissioner was asked during a pre-Super Bowl press conference about the “public perception” that NFL officials have favored the Chiefs.
Goodell’s first reaction was that the accusation reminded him of the theory that the NFL was scripted.
“Well, this sort of reminds me a little bit of the script, right, that I write a script, and I have the script for the entire season,” Goodell began.
The commissioner then alluded to the idea that media members will push the idea but never take ownership of it.
“I think from a lot of those theories are things that happen in social media, and they get a new life. As you say, it’s not your theory,” Goodell said to the reporter, who prefaced his question by saying he didn’t think the NFL was playing favorites.
Goodell continued, “It’s out there. Nobody wants it to be their theory. And so I understand it. I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion, and I think it also is a reminder for us how important officiating is.”
After praising his referees for adhering to the “highest possible standards,” Goodell called the favoritism “a ridiculous theory,” warning “anyone who might take it seriously.”
‘I think that talks about the competitiveness of our game …’
The commissioner didn’t necessarily help his argument when he later boasted that 11 of the Chiefs’ 15 wins in the 2024 regular season were “within one score,” which would not serve as evidence that officiating was not catered to them.
“I think that talks about the competitiveness of our game and the importance of how we officiate it but also the competitiveness of how we play it,” the 65-year-old added.
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman recently blamed the Chiefs’ opponents for their losses, not officiating.
On “The Jim Rome Show,” Edelman was asked if the claims and complaints reminded him of criticism the Patriots received about Tom Brady receiving favoritism from referees.
“Do referees drop footballs? Do referees go for fourth downs over and over with the same play and get stuffed? Do they throw interceptions?” Edelman asked.
The former wide receiver also seemingly called out the Buffalo Bills for their AFC championship loss to the Chiefs, in which they were stopped multiple times when repeating the same play.
“The refs aren’t involved in when you throw interceptions, when you fumble the ball, when you jump offsides, when you don’t convert third down or fourth down, or third and fourth down for short, four times. They can’t control that,” he concluded.
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Fearless, Football, Nfl, Super bowl, Referees, Patrick mahomes, Sports