NEW ORLEANS – A day after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Kansas City Chiefs getting preferential treatment from officials was a “ridiculous theory,” the head of the NFL Referees Association weighed in ... and agreed.
Scott Green, a former on-field official who is the executive director of the NFLRA, applauded Goodell for his support of the officials.
Referee Bill Vinovich called a low-drama game in the Bills-Denver playoff game, but other crews have come under fire during the postseason.
“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,” Green said in a statement. “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.”
In two playoff games, the Chiefs have been called for nine enforced penalties compared to a combined 14 for Houston (divisional round) and Buffalo (AFC championship game). In the regular season, the Chiefs committed 94 penalties compared to 107 for their opponents.
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Houston fans were livid last month when the Texans were called for multiple fouls that replay showed were iffy at best, and Bills fans were similarly upset with the spotting of the football as well as a contested catch by Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy after a mid-air battle with Bills safety Cole Bishop.
In his statement, Green said: “NFL officials are graded every week, on every single play of each game. These grades are the determining factor as to who receives postseason assignments. The NFLRA commends its members, who all strive to do exactly what all 32 NFL teams do, which is to excel at their jobs so that they are working the last game of the season – the Super Bowl.
“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. 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.”
