“It is insulting and preposterous” - NFL Referees Association releases scathing statement against conspiracy theories around favoring Chiefs

Amid heavy criticism over their decisions and speculation about deliberately favoring the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL Referees Association issued a statement rejecting the accusations of rigging games to favor the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions.

Before the season's final game, executive director Scott Green firmly denied that officials were working in favor of one team.

"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," Green said.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been in the middle of this controversy after getting multiple questionable calls during the 2024 NFL regular season and playoffs. The divisional round game against the Houston Texans saw two clear bad calls from the zebras against the Texans that raised plenty of eyebrows among fans.

A week later, fans felt Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills weren't subjected to fair officiating as the Chiefs advanced to the third consecutive Super Bowl.

Green continued by saying the officiating crews are doing their best to officiate the game as fairly as possible.

"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."

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Roger Goodell has strong response to accusations against NFL referees, Kansas City Chiefs

Before Scott Green attacked those who criticize referees' integrity, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made another strong statement, dismissing the idea that the league is putting extra effort into rewarding the Kansas City Chiefs over the other 31 teams.

"I think it reflects a lot on the fans' passion. I think it also is a reminder for us how important officiating is. And I think the men and women that officiate in the NFL are outstanding. They have the highest possible standards. It's a ridiculous theory for anyone who might take it seriously, but at the end of the day, you know, it's something we always have to continue to work on. How do we make our officiating better?"

Super Bowl 2025 is expected to be a terrific game and fans hope there will be nothing questionable to discuss afterward.