Not so long ago the suggestion that the NFL was rigging games through questionable officiating would have made a person a pariah at their Super Bowl party but now the Kansas City Chiefs getting a perceived favorable whistle has become one of the main storylines ahead of their matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis Kelce asked the best question on media day when he turned the tables and asked reporters why they lean into fringe conspiracies instead of lean away from them.
But Kelce, despite his incredible standing in the league and pop culture, is completely helpless here as nothing will change and every single call made during Super Bowl LIX will be meticulously dissected for any signs of bias instead of the genuine human error that can happen while trying to catch everything happening world-class athletes are doing at breakneck speed.
That's just the way things are now.
That doesn't mean anyone who puts on the stripes and dons a whistle has to like it. Scott Green, in his capacity as the executive director of the NFL Referees Association, on Tuesday attempted to inject some actual facts and feelings into the conversation.
"Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice in regular season," he said per Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager. "It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team."
"Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice in regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.” - Scott Green, Executive Director of the NFLRA
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 4, 2025
The wildest part about this whole circus is that it would have all gone away had the Chiefs lost one of the many, many close games they've been a part of. They have made exponentially more 50-50 plays than they've gotten 50-50 calls over their years of a dynasty, which in itself is absurd enough to catalyze these rigged thoughts.
That someone associated with the officiating side of things would even be moved to get this out in the public shows just out of hand things have become. And they could only get worse should Kansas City prevail in a squeaker on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Refs Exec Rips 'Conspiracy Theories' of Collusion, Rigged Games.
