Chiefs owner Clark Hunt's wife Tavia weighs in on NFL's ruling on quarterback penalty fairness

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt's wife, Tavia Hunt, posted clips of a KCTV5 report on quarterback penalty fairness on her Instagram stories on Thursday. Her posting follows increasing chatter regarding NFL officiating and accusations of favoritism.

Hunt explicitly cited one of the most significant results of the NFL's examination.

"Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (7.32) and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (6.73) received the most and second-most calls from officials in the 2024 season," the report read.

Clark Hunt's wife Tavia Hunt's Ig story (image credit: instagram/taviahunt)

The Chiefs have been mired in controversy throughout the 2024 season. Many football analysts and observers alleged that Patrick Mahomes received favorable treatment by officials during games of paramount importance, especially in Kansas City's postseason run.

As per KCTV5's report, the NFL performed a thorough review of QB calls during a football operations meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said the league discovered no favoritism pattern.

Mahomes was eighth out of 33 quarterbacks examined, incurring 3.53 penalty fouls per 100 hits. The NFL considered hit plays involving pass attempts, sacks, scrambles and designed runs. This puts him far behind league leaders Josh Allen and Tagovailoa.

NFL dealing with disputed calls with wider replay aid

NFL: Super Bowl LIX-Host Committee Handoff Press Conference - Source: Imagn

The NFL is looking to enhance its replay assist system. The system, in multiple reports released on Jan. 25, will begin to include QB slides in the 2024 season.

This directly addresses controversial penalties, such as those in the AFC divisional playoff game where Patrick Mahomes received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty against the Houston Texans that appeared questionable to most viewers.

ESPN commentator Troy Aikman expressed outrage at the time over the call. He contended that Mahomes shouldn't have been flagged for what seemed to be negligible contact.

The replay assist system has come a long way since its 2021 launch. Originally used in simple situations such as ball spots and incomplete passes, by 2024, the system will use more advanced plays with quarterback protection.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke about the controversy at the Super Bowl event in New Orleans. Responding to concerns of favoritism towards Mahomes and the Chiefs, Goodell brushed those concerns aside as a "ridiculous theory."

Mahomes said he doesn't think he gets preferential treatment from officials. He pointed out that referees try to make games as fair as possible.

The NFL competition committee intends to continue discussing the further expansion of replay assistance during its March meetings. The league also announced that Hawk-Eye virtual technology will become the new standard for first-down measurements in the 2025 regular season, replacing the traditional chains.