ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter came under fire over the weekend for reporting that the NFL plans to expand replay assists to include quarterback slides this offseason.
Schefter seemed to be hinting The potential rule change is inspired by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — specifically, Mahomes' late sliding and Texans defender 2 in the third quarter of the AFC Divisional Round playoffs. There was some unnecessary roughness directed at Texans linebacker Henry Tootoo when his name clashed with Mahomes. Last Saturday's collision. The Chiefs won that game in Kansas City, 23-14.
Former offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who won a Super Bowl with Mahomes with the Chiefs in 2023, was among those who objected to Schefter citing Mahomes as a reference in his report.
“All those people who are complaining that Patrick Mahomes takes too many calls may soon be released. Schefter wrote Saturday X. “Replay assists in the NFL are expected to expand to plays involving quarterback slides this offseason, league officials told ESPN.”
Officiating during Chiefs games in particular has been a hot topic this season, with many claiming the two-time defending champions have benefited from favorable calls.
“The most influential voices in the league are insinuating that the league is influencing the game through officiating and favoring certain teams. This is not a cute joke.” Schwartz wroteadded Schefter's message to the post. “It would be the biggest sports scandal in history, especially since everything has to do with gambling these days.”
Schwartz, who will retire in 2022, expressed disappointment as an NFL insider that Schefter would “spout criticism like this.”
“It is outrageous that anyone within the league would promote this or allow the most visible person to spout this type of criticism.” Schwartz wrote. “Maybe the Chiefs are better coached and don't hit the QB late or hit him in the head or neck. In my day, teams with fewer penalty calls were better coached. It was considered insane.
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Nick Wright, host of FOX Sports 1's “First Things First” and a well-known Chiefs fan, said Schefter was doing “a disservice to fans” by “feeding” that narrative. said.
“I understand why anonymous accounts would feed this. They get paid for engagement and that's their job. But for @AdamSchefter, who earns *9 million a year*, it's definitely the best football of the year. In this day and age, it's disrespectful to the fans to participate in this just to satisfy the algorithm.” Wright wrote.
In another post, Wright explained that this wasn't personal, but took issue with Schefter's framing of his story around Mahomes.
“Listen, I (and basically everyone) like @AdamSchefter.” Wright wrote. “But writing this article and building it around Mahomes and not including the fact that *the league says both calls were correct and replays did not change* is simply ridiculous and poor journalism. is.”
Actor Eric Stonestreet, a die-hard Chiefs fan, weighed in.
Star of “Modern Family” I answered “!!!!!!” Schefter responded to the tweet with a message saying, “It's cheating!”
Schefter defended his reporting on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday.
“Facts are facts. I presented the facts,” Schefter said. There was no intention behind it. To be clear, there was no intention behind it. I'm a little surprised that people are so uncomfortable with factual information. There was zero agenda. The numbers and statistics related to talk that the NFL is considering expanding replay assists to include plays involving quarterback slides. that's it. That's the number. that's it. There is no agenda. ”
Following the uproar over multiple penalties against the Texans for unnecessary roughness on Mahomes and roughing the passer, the NFL sidelined officiating during the Chiefs vs. Texans divisional round playoff game.
ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, who was on call for the game, was frustrated because he disagreed with an unnecessary roughness call that resulted in a 15-yard penalty against Too Too in the third quarter.
“Oh, come on,” Aikman said on the broadcast after receiving the call, adding that the NFL needs to address this issue in the offseason. “I mean, he’s a runner and I couldn’t agree more with that. He doesn’t get hit very often.
“As a quarterback, you can't run around and play a game with a defender and then get called for a penalty,” Eichman said.
The NFL's competition committee is scheduled to discuss expanding replay assist at the league's annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in March.
Mahomes responded to the situation, explaining that he doesn't think the Chiefs are doing the officiating any favors.
“I don't feel that way,” Mahomes said last week. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to judge the match as fair and appropriate as possible.
“All you can do is go out and play the game you love as hard as you can and accept the consequences. … Just keep playing the game and just trying to win and what happens is what happens. I feel like it's going to happen.”
Kansas City is on the verge of a historic trifecta.
The Chiefs and Eagles will meet again in the Super Bowl on February 9th in New Orleans.
Kansas City defeated Philadelphia 38-35 in the 2023 Super Bowl.
