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Tag: favoritism

Chiefs owner dismantles conspiracy theory about refs’ favoritism: ‘You almost have to laugh’

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt shut down the conspiracy theory that the referees are helping the team win.

Hunt, 59, said he thinks that people are using the referee favoritism theory as an excuse as to why the Chiefs have been so successful.

“You almost have to laugh at it, because you know how everybody in the NFL wants to compete to win, and that’s true of our guys as well. The referees are doing the best job that they can. If you look at the stats or a lot of stats, that shows that we’ve been on the wrong side of calls as often as we’ve been on the right side.” Hunt said in an interview with NFL Network.

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Kansas City Chiefs executive Clark Hunt during Super Bowl LIX Opening Night at Caesars Superdome. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

“There’s definitely no conspiracy, right? It’s the nature of the game. And when you start having a lot of success, people like to start making excuses for why you’re having the success.”

In the Chiefs’ win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, there were two calls in particular that drove the conversation regarding the referees.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s failed fourth-down conversion on a QB sneak became a hotly debated topic because some observers questioned whether the Chiefs actually stopped him short of a first down.

Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy’s reception while battling with Bills safety Cole Bishop for the ball in the first half also had fans skeptical that the referees made the right call because it looked like Bishop had a good hold on the ball.

Regardless of the penalties that draw the ire of fans, one of the main reasons for the Chiefs’ sustained excellence is quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ play in the playoffs.

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Patrick Mahomes talks to referee Clete Blakeman prior to the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“I think it’s true of all the great ones, and it really doesn’t matter what sport we’re talking about. Basketball, football, hockey, soccer, baseball, the great ones in the most important moments are at their very best and Patrick has shown that every year. Regardless of his stats during the regular season, he always elevates his game when we get to the playoffs, and he’s definitely done that recently. Hopefully, that will continue through this weekend,” Hunt said.

If Mahomes continues his level of excellent play in the postseason, the Chiefs will have a good chance to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Hunt said anytime you have a chance to play in the Super Bowl it is special, but this Super Bowl means a little more because of a chance at making history.

“Any opportunity you have to play in the Super Bowl is always special. Obviously, this year has a little bit more too it because we have a chance to make history. It’s something that we’ve been aware of the whole year. Coach Reid has done a great job of keeping the guys focused because you don’t get here unless you pay attention each week, take that week’s opponent as seriously as you can and play your best football. And here we are, we’ve got the opportunity and I know our guys are excited about it.”

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Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

Super Bowl LIX is now under a week away, and conversations about the officiating won’t go away anytime soon, with special attention being paid to each call, or non-call.

The Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

FOX’s Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage can also be streamed live on Tubi for the first time ever.

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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.

February 4, 2025
Rob Gronkowski takes NFL officials to task over alleged Chiefs favoritism

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Surely, referees in the National Football League don’t actually favor the Kansas City Chiefs, do they?

Well, Rob Gronkowski has the mind of the NFL fan and thinks that something is up.

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The Chiefs are in their third consecutive Super Bowl, and it’s fair to say they got some benefit from the officiating in the AFC title game against the Buffalo Bills.

Rob Gronkowski (Jim Rogash/Getty Images/File)

A pivotal 4th-and-1 rush by Bills quarterback Josh Allen was ruled short (it could be argued the Bills crossed the marker on third down). The Chiefs responded by scoring a touchdown on the next drive. And while the Bills did tie it up, the field was clearly tilted afterward.

This version of the Chiefs is being talked about like Gronk’s New England Patriots used to be talked about: favoritism from the refs but still difficult to beat. Gronk joked in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that even his quarterback Tom Brady got the favor of the whistle.

“It was Tom, but he deserved it at the time. He was an 18-year vet, and he took his punishment as a young buck during his first eight years in the league. Oh my lord, he used to get lit up. It was understandable he got calls,” Gronk said.

And perhaps the Chiefs have gotten that same benefit, Gronkowski added, saying the refs are “definitely … more lenient” toward the Chiefs.

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“It’s been shown throughout the regular season and extending into the playoffs,” Gronk quipped.

He later added, “I just feel like there’s something, like, maybe give them an extra call or two. Don’t make it too obvious, but make it a little obvious.”

Referee Carl Cheffers speaks to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a break in the third quarter against the Houston Texans on Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

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Gronkowski will get to see firsthand how much the refs actually favor the Chiefs, if at all, as he’ll be in New Orleans on behalf of Bounty to clean up the mess that comes with dirty eating during Super Bowl Sunday.

“You can’t have football without wings, there’s no doubt about that. But you can’t have wings without Bounty,” Gronk said ahead of his trip to Bourbon Street, where there will be food aplenty.

His wingman, Saints legend Drew Brees, will try to show him the best wings in town, but he doesn’t think anything will beat his hometown Buffalo wings, similar to the Chiefs.

Gronkowski added that even though the Chiefs may have some help from the zebras, it’s “no excuse” for the Bills or anyone to fall short when they have their chances.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes talks to referee Clete Blakeman prior to the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“You have opportunities to beat them, you got to overcome all situations, and the Buffalo Bills need to make championship plays in championship moments, and they didn’t come through. You got to make plays in order to beat the Chiefs, and you can’t blame it on the refs,” Gronk continued.

“It doesn’t matter, you still got to beat the Chiefs, and you still got to come through with big plays at the end of the game in order to beat them, and no team has done that yet.”

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

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Gronk won four Super Bowls in his career, but with a Kansas City win on Feb. 9, this era of Chiefs will have matched him.

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January 31, 2025
Ex-NFL star Julian Edelman slams Chiefs’ referee favoritism: ‘Bunch of bull-oney’

Ex-NFL star Julian Edelman slams Chiefs’ referee favoritism: ‘Bunch of bull-oney’

Former NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman heard it all when he was playing for the New England Patriots when it came to referees always being on their side.

The Kansas City Chiefs are going through the same thing as they’re on the cusp of history, as they could be the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls. Not even Edelman and the Tom Brady-led Patriots were able to accomplish that during their dynasty.

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Wide receiver Julian Edelman #11 of the New England Patriots gestures toward the crowd as he runs onto the field prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns on October 27, 2019 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. New England won 27-13. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Edelman was asked by the program’s namesake if he’d heard about the referee favoritism conspiracy theories going around during this year’s playoff run, specifically when it came to his own experience dealing with that during his days in Foxborough.

“It’s apparent when you’re on top, everyone wants to bring you down,” Edelman responded. “It’s a bunch of baloney that the league is helping the Kansas City Chiefs. If you have a problem with it, go beat ‘em. The refs aren’t involved when you throw interceptions, when you fumble the ball, when you jump offsides, when you don’t convert third down or fourth down. They can’t control that. If you want to beat ‘em, go beat ‘em. Don’t talk about it – be about it. I’m so sick and tired about people saying that about the Chiefs.”

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Edelman faced similar criticism during his time with the Patriots from 2009-2020, where he was a three-time Super Bowl champion (2014, 2016, 2018). Fans would theorize that the referees were favoring Brady and the Patriots throughout those Super Bowl runs, but Edelman shed some reality on the situation.

“We all have scouting reports on each ref crew and how they like to [call] the game,” he said. “You learn about it during that first part of that game. If they’re calling it tight, you tighten back. If they’re not, you just hope they’re consistent throughout the whole thing, which they usually are.

FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) wait to lead the team onto the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Aug. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

“Yes, they miss calls and they do these things, and there’s some bad calls here and there. But there’s a handful of roughing the passers for guys that don’t even have a resume that you looked at this year that got the call. If it’s close, leave it alone. Yeah, they’ll probably have to address that sideline awareness stuff, but these whole graphics about, ‘Oh, they get the call, and they don’t give the call to them.’ Because they’re coached better.”

Because of the dynasty talk revolving around the Chiefs, the natural comparison to the Patriots, which was the league’s last dynasty, have been made.

Eisen asked Edelman if he sees any similarities between his Patriots teams and the Chiefs in recent years.

It all comes down to getting the job done in clutch situations.

Julian Edelman speaks on stage during Stagwell Panels at Cannes Lions on June 20, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Lionel Hahn/Getty Images for Stagwell)

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“They’re situational tight,” Edelman said. “You watch them on third down, you watch them in the red area. A lot of these games when you get to this time of the year, they’re not won by the team that makes the most plays. Yeah, that’s part of it. It’s always the team that makes the least amount of mistakes. That’s what they do. They play mistake-free, they play situationally tight, they’ll lull you to sleep, and then they’ll beat you when they need to. That’s stuff we used to do.”

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025
Wife of Chiefs owner dismisses ‘referee favoritism’ ahead of Super Bowl LIX

Tavia Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, has entered the conversations regarding “referee favoritism” ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

NFL referees calling games in favor of the Chiefs has been a subject of debate among football fans and experts alike, but Hunt doesn’t want to hear any of it.

She posted on Instagram following her Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills to secure three straight AFC Championships, and discussed her initial emotions about the team’s success.

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Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and wife Tavia Hunt celebrate winning Super Bowl LVIII. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

“Overwhelmed,” she wrote. “That’s the word that comes to mind when we reflect on the lavish grace, favor, and faithfulness of God. I’ve said it before: I don’t think God cares about football, but He cares deeply about people.”

Hunt would go on to reflect on the struggles the team had over a decade ago, bringing up the 2012 season where they went 2-14. But it ultimately led to the decision to hire head coach Andy Reid, and the rest is history as he built a winning program.

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Now, the Chiefs are on the cusp of NFL history, as they could become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls.

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt with his wife Tavia Hunt, left, and daughter Gracie Hunt appear on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

But Hunt added “hard work, belief, and purpose” are the reasons why – not a conspiracy that referees favor them during this playoff run.

“By God’s grace we’ve had success, but it’s not ‘black magic’ or referee favoritism (look at the stats on this) – it’s lots of hard work, belief, and purpose. Patrick Mahomes leads with humility and puts God first.”

Hunt has been very vocal about her faith, and mentioned others like Harrison Butker, Drue Tranquill, Chris Jones, Nick Bolton and more doing so as well.

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

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The Chiefs will be heading to New Orleans to face the Philadelphia Eagles once again in the “Big Game,” as this current streak began with a Super Bowl LVII win over them in Arizona two seasons ago.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025