You can add former NFL punter and sports personality Pat McAfee to the list of people who didn’t like officiating on Championship Sunday.
The game that received the most scrutiny was the Kansas City Chiefs-Cincinnati Bengals AFC Championship that saw Patrick Mahomes & Co. return to the Super Bowl after Harrison Butker kicked a 45-yard game-winner.
Whether it was a questionable pass interference call, completely redoing a third down play that could have forced the Chiefs to punt, or what could have been holding up Mahomes’ final run that led to a crucial penalty. For unnecessary rudeness, referee Ronald Torbert and his team from that game have received much criticism from experts and fans alike.
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Referee Ronald Torbert during the third quarter of the AFC Championship Game on January 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
McAfee said his article on his «The Pat McAfee Show» Monday morning.
«I think we have a huge officiating problem. I think refs suck, not all refs. There are some refs that suck and they shouldn’t be in playoff games. Why are they in playoff games, especially when there’s only two games? And will there be 15 million people watching? That’s a big question.»
McAfee believes that NFL referees working part-time instead of full-time is part of the problem, suggesting they could be financially influenced.
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«Since they’re not fully committed to the NFL, there’s a chance someone could reach them,» McAfee said. «Now, I think they’re paid well, but what’s good? What’s the line? Especially with the amount of money that’s potentially being made from these games.»
«So make them full time, boom, we can remove that distraction of potentially being swayed elsewhere,» McAfee added. «Like all politicians, because they don’t get paid enough, so they’re easily swayed by Big Pharma, Big Gas, damn alcohol, tobacco, you name it.»
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, right, speaks with referee Ronald Torbert, middle, and linesman Jeff Seeman during the second half of the AFC Championship Game, on January 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
McAfee wasn’t the only one to have his say on the matter, as ESPN NFL pundit Adam Schefter joined him on the show and brought his sourcing to the table.
«There is a problem with arbitration,» he said. «And when you talk to people in the league, they think it’s as bad as it’s been in a long time, maybe ever. If we go back to the only game I think about is the Seahawks-Rams game, the final game of the season. regular, where the referees missed several calls that potentially influenced the outcome of that game.
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«It shaped the way the playoffs ended. If they had made other calls and the Rams had won, the Lions would have gone in. I can tell you this: The Rams weren’t happy, the Lions weren’t happy, other teams weren’t happy. And guess what? I think the league’s own front office, if they were being honest, we’re not happy with those calls in that game.»
Schefter added that many teams started calling him after that report initially came out, saying it didn’t go far enough because bad calls have been made during the regular season.
Pat McAfee
(Cooper Neill/Getty Images/File)
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The NFL still has one more game to referee, the biggest game of the entire season, and they’ll be keeping an eye on the striped jerseys to see what the game is called.