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.
The officiating union attempted to further quash doubts about integrity by adding that referees are "graded every week, on every single play of each game" with the results determining who gets postseason assignments.
"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 explained. "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."
The Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday with the opportunity to win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl.
