The conspiracy about NFL referees helping the Kansas City Chiefs has been one of the main conversation topics leading up to Super Bowl LIX.
FOX Sports rules analyst and former vice president of officiating for the NFL, Mike Pereira, joined “Fox & Friends” on Friday to weigh in on the discussion.
“I mean I think I would say what [NFL Commissioner] Roger Goodell said, which I try not to use harsh words. I understand why they think that, because the numbers point that different and the iffy calls seem to have gone the Chiefs way, but to think that there is intent is really ridiculous and that’s the term that Roger used,” Pereira said.
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Fox Sports College and NFL rules expert Mike Pereira during a Fox Sports media party in advance of Super Bowl LIX. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
“The officials are out just to manage the game, and they have to make decisions in one 26th of a second, and so they don’t have time to factor in who made the foul, what color the team is. And so really, I understand the concern but it really won’t affect the way they officiate this weekend.”
Pereira said the Chiefs were a great team and that they teach penalty prevention to their players. Their number of false starts is less, and penalties of that ilk the team works on eliminating.
Pereira talked about how NFL teams will prepare for crews, but it is a little bit different to prepare for the Super Bowl crew.
“You know this is different too, because teams do prepare for crews, but this is not a crew, this is an all-star crew. So they’ve come from seven different crews, so it’s kind of impossible to judge where they might lean,” Pereira said.
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NFL referee Ron Torbert during the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Ron Torbert will be the head referee for Super Bowl LIX. He also was the lead referee for Super LVI, when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
The umpire is Mike Morton, Max Causey is the down judge, Mark Stewart is the line judge, Mearl Robison is the field judge, Boris Cheek the side judge, Jonah Monroe the back judge and Kevin Brown is the replay official.
Cheek is the only other official with Super Bowl experience other than Torbert, as he has officiated in three other Super Bowls.
With so many referees in the NFL, Pereira said it was hard to expect exact consistency across all calls.
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Referee Carl Cheffers puts his hand on the back of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, in the first quarter of the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 26, 2025 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire)
“Look, the parity in terms of number of fouls called this year is closer than I think I’ve ever seen it before. But you have different, you have 128 people, they don’t have the same judgment. So it’s hard to teach consistency or to expect consistency all the way through.”
There is one thing Pereira wants to see from the officials in the big game.
“All I care is, you know what, is that they call in the fourth quarter the same way they call the way in the first quarter.”
With that being said, Pereira said he does not want to talk during the broadcast at all.
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Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)
“I hope you don’t hear me, I hope you don’t see me! If I don’t mumble a word then that mean’s there is not a controversy,” Pereira said.
The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, where the officiating will be closely monitored.
FOX’s Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Coverage can be streamed live on Tubi for the first time.
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