Happy New Year 2025

Tag: NFL

Indiana football player opts to join Barstool Sports over declaring for NFL Draft: ‘This is my thing’

After playing six years at Indiana University, Mike Katic has decided to put his NFL dreams to the side.

After initially declaring for last year’s NFL Draft, then returning for his final year of eligibility, the former center has decided to join Barstool Sports as a media personality and analyst.

“I’m pumped. This is what I think I was born to do,” Katic said on “The Yak” with Dan “Big Cat” Katz. “Football’s great, but I think this is my thing. So, I’m super excited to move in here.”

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Indiana’s Mike Katic (56) hoists the Old Oaken Bucket after a game against Purdue at Memorial Stadium Nov. 30, 2024. (Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Katic doesn’t start officially working until March 1, but he paid a visit to Jon Gruden, who was recently hired by the site, at Barstool’s offices. And they had about as much of a greeting as one would predict from a Super Bowl champion coach and a six-year college star.

“Barstool’s got our new center and I already love him!” Gruden said on X while posting a video of their first interaction.

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Immediately after shaking hands, Gruden asked Katic to get into his lineman stance, and the two shared another handshake and hug.

“When [Gruden] tells you to get in a stance, you get into a damn stance!” Katic posted on X.

Katic seemed to hint his playing days were over after the Hoosiers’ College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame when he posted on X, “Thank you Indiana University. Thank you Football.”

Indiana OL Mike Katic (56) during a game against the Louisville Cardinals Sept. 16, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Katic was likely to be a late-round selection if he had been taken at all. Pro Football Focus graded Katic as the 10th best center in the Power Four conferences.

Katic said he was hired quickly after Dave Portnoy saw him in “three clips doing media” after being connected through a member of the Hoosiers’ men’s basketball team.

Indiana’s Mike Katic (56) celebrates with the Old Oaken Bucket after a game against Purdue at Memorial Stadium Nov. 30, 2024. (Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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The Pittsburgh native will work out of Barstool’s Chicago office after playing in 50 games for the Hoosiers.

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January 31, 2025
NFL star Xavier Worthy recalls meeting Taylor Swift after Chiefs’ AFC title game win: ‘She’s taller than me’

NFL rookie Xavier Worthy is sharing some details about meeting Taylor Swift.

The music star made her way to the field inside Arrowhead Stadium shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game.

Cameras captured Worthy taking note of Swift’s stature moments after he greeted the “Anti-Hero” singer.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“Oh s—,” Worthy said as he smiled. “She’s taller than me.”

The Chiefs’ roster lists Worthy at 5-foot-11. By most accounts, Swift stands around one inch shorter than the Chiefs wide receiver. While Swift and Worthy are similar heights when flat-footed, the heels Swift was wearing at the time of the exchange could have made her appear to be taller than Worthy.

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Worthy later confirmed Sunday’s game marked the first time he met Swift.

“I just met her.” Worthy told ABC 30. “It’s the video going viral right now. I was like, ‘Damn, she’s tall. She’s taller than me.’”

Worthy added that Swift recognized him because Kansas City selected him in the first round of April’s draft.

“We were on the field, and she walked right past me and said, ‘Oh you’re the one who got drafted?” Worthy said. “So, we met like that. It was cool.”

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)

Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, recently said the pop star continues to support him.

“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce said earlier this month.

Kelce, 35, is playing in his 12th season in the NFL. He appeared in 16 of 17 games and finished the year with 823 receiving yards.

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

The 2024 campaign marked the second consecutive year the star tight end did not reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark, which prompted some questions about whether he would step away once the postseason comes to an end.

“I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams,” Kelce added.

Kansas City has advanced to the last seven AFC title games. The Chiefs will take on the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Chiefs are vying for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl championship.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 31, 2025
NFL legend Troy Aikman says league ‘owes’ it to fans to get officiating issues fixed amid drama

Ahead of the Super Bowl, referees are under a lot of scrutiny, with fans and experts debating whether the officials favor the Kansas City Chiefs.

Troy Aikman, an ESPN broadcaster and Pro Football Hall of Famer, said the league “owes” it to its fans to address the officiating issues, especially with how much money people have at stake when they gamble and the NFL continuing to promote betting.

“I know the officials have a tough job. I mean, the scrutiny that they’re under. As we’ve gotten more advanced with instant replay, those guys, it seems, have become more and more scrutinized,” Aikman said during a recent appearance on “SI Media with Jimmy Traina.”

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Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman before a game Nov. 6, 2023, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“And the game has not become less controversial. The game has become more controversial,” Aikman said. “I just think that we’re at a point that this has tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services.

“Here you are promoting gambling — people are gambling more than they ever have before and those types of calls – there’s a lot at stake regardless. But especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well.

“I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think we’re at a point in time where we can. We can get it more right. So, that was really my position in just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address it in the offseason.’”

The conversation about the referees continued after last week’s AFC championship win for the Chiefs.

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TV commentator Troy Aikman before a game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals Dec. 4, 2023, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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.

Tavia Hunt, the wife of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, took to social media to address the “referee favoritism” ahead of the Super Bowl.

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

The Super Bowl is still over a week away, and conversations about the officiating won’t go away anytime soon.

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.

January 30, 2025
Former NFL star Cam Newton says he wouldn’t trade MVP award for Super Bowl win

Former NFL star quarterback Cam Newton knows his take isn’t popular, but said it anyway.

Stephen A. Smith asked Newton if he would trade his 2015 NFL MVP award for a Super Bowl win during ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday.

“No,” Newton promptly responded.

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Former Auburn and NFL star Cam Newton stands on the sidelines during the Cricket Celebration Bowl game between Florida A&M University and Howard University at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 16, 2023. (IMAGN)

“Really? Wow,” Smith said, surprised by Newton’s response.

Newton posed a question to help explain his unexpected answer.

“Because you have to ask it through this lens. That was a very journalistic viewpoint/vantage point, response Stephen A. I’ll ask you this question, and just to pose this thought: what’s more important, impact or championships?” Newton said.

“You look at a guy like Allen Iverson, ‘You stood up on the table and rararara,’ everybody is not going to be Michael Jordan, everybody is not going to be Patrick Mahomes, everybody is not going to be those individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.’”

Newton won the MVP award in 2015 when he led the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 regular season record and went all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to the Denver Broncos 24-10.

To further support his argument, Newton then began to cite quarterbacks who weren’t MVP-caliber players but won the Super Bowl.

“Like, let me remind you, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl, respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys, and you say what’s more important, would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?” Newton said.

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton yells “I’m back!” after scoring a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in a game in 2021. (IMAGN)

“I think that that’s the humble approach, but if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable is to say everybody has a responsibility to do. And you can say as an MVP award winner or an All-American, you’ve held yourself or you’ve held your end of the bargain down.”

For Newton, he said he would prefer the MVP award to the Super Bowl because it told him that he did his job.

“And that’s what it really comes down to for me, I know that’s not the popular pick, I’m not trying to be popularized. But my take is, I’m taking individual success because I did my job. Football is not about one guy trying to do 11 jobs, it’s 11 guys doing one job and if everybody does their job best, famous words of our coach Belichick: ‘Just do your job.’”

If the Panthers had won Super Bowl L against the Broncos, Newton would have joined an exclusive list of quarterbacks to win both the MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season.

For Newton, he would prefer to keep the MVP instead of winning the Super Bowl.

Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are playing in Super Bowl LIX, but neither of them is up for the MVP award this season.

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

In 2022, however, Mahomes won the MVP and the Super Bowl, while Hurts was the runner-up in the MVP race and lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs.

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

FOX’s coverage of Super Bowl LIX will begin 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.

January 30, 2025
NFL legend laments difficulty of beating Chiefs: ‘You gotta beat the refs, you gotta beat Taylor Swift’

Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Reed underscored the difficulty of defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at their home stadium amid frustrations with the loss the Buffalo Bills suffered in the AFC Championship.

Reed, who starred as a Bills wide receiver during the team’s four straight Super Bowl losses, watched again as the team fell short against the Chiefs. He touched on the controversy surrounding the questionable calls from officials that seem to favor Kansas City as well.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame member Andre Reed before the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 29, 2018. (Rich Barnes-USA Today Sports)

Needless to say, the seven-time Pro Bowler was hot.

“The bottom line is you just gotta go out there and not play against the refs, but you kind of to a center point,” Reed said on “The Jim Rome Show.” “A lot of Chiefs are going to tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. That might be the case. But when you go into Kansas City, you gotta beat a lot of people. You gotta beat the team, you gotta beat the fans, you gotta beat the refs, you gotta beat Taylor Swift. You gotta beat everybody.

“If you just go out there and throw that all out the window and beat Kansas City at their own game, and beat them, that all is never gonna be said. Yesterday we didn’t do that.”

Reed said he wasn’t sure if the Bills would have won if the Xavier Worthy catch was overturned to be an incomplete pass and if Josh Allen got the first down on a 4th-and-1 play.

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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates after defeating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

But it was those two plays that had fans wondering what officials were looking at the entire game.

Despite many eyebrows being raised, Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former head of officiating, says he doesn’t see favoritism toward the Chiefs.

“People are talking about officiating a little too much.… It’s always going to be a part of the conversation,” Blandino told TMZ Sports.

“Do teams get breaks at times? They do. And not every call is right. And sometimes that happens. I think it evens out over time. Me watching it, I don’t see these games and say the Chiefs are getting all these calls. These are close, close plays, and they happened to go in the Chiefs’ favor on Sunday.”

Blandino also disputed any notion there is some sort of conspiracy to favor the Chiefs.

“I get it. I’m a fan first. I grew up in New York as a Knicks fan watching Michael Jordan crush my dreams and saying, ‘The league wants Michael Jordan in the championships.’ Ultimately, when you’re a part of the NFL and you realize, for it to really be a conspiracy, do you know the amount of people that would have to be involved?

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

“Someone somewhere would slip up, and it would get out. If there was a room in the NFL office where they were writing the script, they never invited me, and I was the head of officiating. I feel like I’d be a pretty important contributor to that. I get it. People are passionate. I just think, sometimes, officials make mistakes… sometimes, when you have a team that has been this successful, I think it’s par for the course.”

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce says team ‘enjoys’ being the villain of the NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs have become the villains of the NFL with all their success.

The Chiefs are seeking to become the NFL’s first three-time repeat champions when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Jason Kelce asked Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ star tight end, if the Chiefs enjoyed being the villains of the NFL during a recent episode of “New Heights.”

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reacts on stage after the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

“I love it, I love it. At one point in time, it wasn’t that,” Travis said.

“You guys were the darling of the NFL,” Jason responded.

“Yeah, I was the ‘do you feel bad for him guys,’” Travis said.

Despite making the playoffs in four of the first five years of Kelce’s career with the Chiefs, the team never advanced beyond the AFC divisional round.

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Confetti falls as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (left) celebrates with the Lamar Hunt Trophy with quarterback Patrick Mahomes after defeating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

It wasn’t until Patrick Mahomes became the full-time starter at quarterback, replacing Alex Smith in 2018, that the Chiefs broke through and made it to the AFC championship.

Since the 2018-2019 season, the Chiefs have yet to fall short of making the AFC championship in a season.

The Chiefs have now won three of the last five Super Bowls and have been branded the NFL’s villains.

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Travis said the villain label brings the team together.

“I’m enjoying doing this with the guys together, the guys that we have in there, because it’s like it just makes us even more of a family. You just circle the wagons when s—, you know people are saying whatever they want. And you just band it together, and it just makes you appreciate more of what you have because people want what you have,” Kelce said.

The Chiefs are just one win away from making history and becoming one of the great dynasties in the sport’s history.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, hugs defensive tackle Chris Jones after the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Kelce has been a big part of the Chiefs’ playoff success. He is first in NFL playoff history with 174 receptions.

Kelce is second to only Jerry Rice in NFL playoff yards and touchdowns.

Rice had 2,245 playoff receiving yards, while Kelce has 2,039, and Rice has 22 career playoff touchdowns to Kelce’s 20.

Kelce has added to his playoff resume in this Chiefs run to the Super Bowl. The star tight end had his best game of the season against the Houston Texans in the divisional round when he caught seven receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown.

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

In the AFC championship, Kelce caught two passes for 19 yards in the Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Kelce’s Chiefs will take on the Eagles in the Super Bowl at 6:30 p.m. ET Feb. 9 on FOX.

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

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

January 29, 2025
RFK Jr has NFL star Aaron Rodgers’ full support ahead of confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday on Capitol Hill as he looks to take over as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been one of the loudest and proudest supporters of Kennedy, as he has been entangled in the political process, starting with the initial bid for president. Kennedy broached Rodgers to be his running mate during the 2024 presidential election – a moment that was captured on the Netflix docuseries “Enigma.”

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Aaron Rodgers, left, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Getty Images)

“Retire and go into politics or play two or three more years,” he said. “I definitely envisioned a life without football, and it wasn’t scary. I felt comfort in being able to move on at some point. But I love football. I want to keep playing. And I hated the way last year went. There’s still some unfinished business in New Jersey.”

Still, Rodgers was strong in his support of Kennedy.

He said on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier this month that senators who were going to question Kennedy had better be ready.

“Like, please, somebody try and get after him and just watch him absolutely mop the floor with any of these senators,” Rodgers said. “You better come ready senators, come ready and try and see if you can pull one over on my boy, Bobby, because Bobby’s f—— smart, dude. And no notes, off the cuff, can handle his own pretty well, so excited for him to – and honestly so should everybody.”

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President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., sits in a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Capitol Hill on Jan. 9, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Rodgers touched on Kennedy’s initiative to “Make America Healthy Again.” The movement appeared to be kick-started this week when the Food and Drug Administration banned red food dye due to potential cancer risk.

“Like, if you spend a minute researching ingredients in products in the states compared to overseas, it’s disgusting,” the star quarterback said. “It’s disgusting what they allow here, the levels that they allow here, products that are terrible for you, products they know are carcinogenic. So it’s going to [be] as he’s doing a service to everybody if you just let him and get the hell out of the way and stop trying to label him as whatever the f— they want to label him these days.

“He just wants to make sure that everything that’s being given to our kids is safe, everything that we’re ingesting on a day-to-day basis is safe, and he’s going to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ or is going to freaking die trying.”

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

Rodgers has not made any more statements ahead of Kennedy’s hearing on Wednesday, but all signs indicate he will be watching.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Former NFL star J.J. Watt has strong words for Pro Bowl after numerous players drop out

J.J. Watt was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, and the game, during his playing days, marked the beginning of the end of the game we once knew.

In recent years, the Pro Bowl has become practically unwatchable, prompting the NFL to change the format from a typical all-star game to a skills competition.

The “Pro Bowl Games” now consist of a flag football game, dodgeball and other competitions.

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J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans and Team Sanders during the 2014 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium Jan. 26, 2014, in Honolulu (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

This year, numerous players have backed out of the Pro Bowl for multiple reasons. On Tuesday, it was revealed Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will all sit out.

Typically, players who make the Super Bowl won’t make the trip because they have bigger things on their mind. It’s not uncommon for players who came up short in the Super Bowl to participate in the Pro Bowl.

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After numerous reserves were announced Tuesday, Watt voiced his displeasure.

J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans and the AFC warms up before the 2013 Pro Bowl against the NFC at Aloha Stadium Jan. 27, 2013, in Honolulu. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

“When you get 5 alternates deep, just call it the Participation Bowl,” he wrote on X Tuesday.

Twenty-four players are replacing original selections.

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Allen and Jackson both cited injuries, as did Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs. Eleven players replaced members of the Philadelphia Eagles (six) and Kansas City Chiefs (five) since the two teams face off in the Super Bowl in New Orleans Feb. 9.

Eighty-two players were initially selected for the Pro Bowl, 41 on each team. With alternate selections, there are 106 Pro Bowlers this season.

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

The Pro Bowl Games run Thursday through Sunday in Orlando, Florida.

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January 29, 2025
Former head of NFL officials dismisses claims league favors Chiefs: ‘I really don’t’ see it

Fans are starting to get sick of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jealousy of the Chiefs’ success may be at play.

But fans recently seem to be hating even more due to the Chiefs seemingly getting the favor of the whistle.

The AFC title game involved some questionable calls that went the Chiefs’ way, most notably on a 4th-and-1 quarterback sneak in which refs marked Josh Allen short of the first down marker.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) talks with referee John Hussey in the third quarter in a game against the Detroit Lions Sept. 7, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

At the time, the Bills led 22-21, and head coach Sean McDermott seemed to hint that the Bills would have gone for two had they scored a touchdown to try and make it a nine-point game.

Replay seemed to show that Allen might have gotten the first down, but the call on the field stood. The Chiefs got the ball, took advantage and scored a touchdown en route to a 32-29 win.

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Despite many eyebrows being raised recently, Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former head of officiating, says he doesn’t see favoritism toward the Chiefs.

“People are talking about officiating a little too much. … It’s always going to be a part of the conversation,” Blandino told TMZ Sports this week.

Referee Carl Cheffers speaks to Patrick Mahomes during a break in the third quarter of a game between the Chiefs and Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

“Do teams get breaks at times? They do. And not every call is right. And sometimes that happens. I think it evens out over time. Me watching it, I don’t see these games and say the Chiefs are getting all these calls. These are close, close plays, and they happened to go in the Chiefs’ favor on Sunday.”

Blandino also disputed any notion there is some sort of conspiracy to favor the Chiefs.

“I get it. I’m a fan first. I grew up in New York as a Knicks fan watching Michael Jordan crush my dreams and saying, ‘The league wants Michael Jordan in the championships.’ Ultimately, when you’re a part of the NFL and you realize, for it to really be a conspiracy, do you know the amount of people that would have to be involved?

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

“Someone somewhere would slip up, and it would get out. If there was a room in the NFL office where they were writing the script, they never invited me, and I was the head of officiating. I feel like I’d be a pretty important contributor to that. I get it. People are passionate. I just think, sometimes, officials make mistakes. … sometimes, when you have a team that has been this successful, I think it’s par for the course.”

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It will be Kansas City against the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three seasons vying for the Lombardi Trophy.

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January 29, 2025
NFL fan launches petition to boycott league over referee treatment of Chiefs: ‘Important for democracy’

A Virginia man named Mack Donahue has started a petition on Change.org, calling for football fans to boycott the NFL over recent officiating.

Donahue is calling for the league to introduce “rigorous referee training and accountability mechanisms” in response to suspected favoritism by referees toward the Kansas City Chiefs, which has become a hot talking point for fans this season.

“A growing concern over the inconsistent refereeing, particularly evident while observing games involving the Kansas City Chiefs, is tarnishing this beautiful sport’s spirit. The aggravation has reached a point where many of us are contemplating boycotting not just the Super Bowl, but all future games until there is significant change,” Donahue wrote in the petition’s description.

“It’s time we took a stand against unjust refereeing and call on the NFL to introduce rigorous referee training and accountability mechanisms that will guarantee fair game-play for all teams. By signing this petition, you are agreeing to join the boycott and work towards restoring the joy and integrity of NFL games that we so dearly love.”

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

The petition launched over the weekend had less than 200 signatures at the time of publication. Many of those who have signed have expressed their support for the petition’s cause in the comments.

“This [is an] important cause for democracy,” one signer wrote.

“So many plays were clearly not the right call that even the announcer was confused,” another wrote. This comment may have been referring to a moment in the Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills when officials ruled that Bills quarterback Josh Allen was stopped short of a first down in the fourth quarter. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said during the broadcast he believed Allen got the first down.

That call prompted mass backlash from NFL fans on social media, but it was not the only one.

During the second quarter, officials ruled Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy made a catch despite video replay showing the ball touching the ground.

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

Referees came under similar scrutiny during the Chiefs’ divisional round playoff win against the Houston Texans one week earlier when a pair of roughing the passer penalties were called against the Texans for hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was called for roughing the passer on a third down in the first quarter. Anderson appeared to push Mahomes in the chest after he had thrown the ball incomplete to tight end Travis Kelce. Anderson was flagged.

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The second penalty came during a Mahomes scramble in the third quarter. He had two blockers on a run and three defenders bearing down on him. He moved to his right and then back to his left when he decided to slide.

ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman criticized the penalty and said it’s something the league has to address in the offseason.

Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans suggested after the game the referees were against them as well.

Mahomes addressed the issue when asked by reporters last Wednesday if he believed referees were giving him preferential treatment.

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

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes answered. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. … I think that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.

“You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances and you never can really tell because every play’s different. And that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win. And whatever happens kind of happens.’”

Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce refused to address the issue when asked by his brother Jason Kelce about the officiating during an episode of their “New Heights” podcast last week.

“I’d like to plead the Fifth,” the tight end said, jokingly referring to his constitutional right to remain silent, when Jason brought up the issue.

Now the Chiefs get a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles. When the two teams last met in the Super Bowl two years ago, that game was determined by a controversial penalty called late in the game against Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, which set up the Chiefs for a 38-35 win.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 28, 2025