Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the New York Jets, was harsh in his criticism of the NFL for the officiating disaster that cost the Detroit Lions their Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Rodgers expressed his belief that there is a lack of accountability among officials today, as evidenced by the Lions-Cowboys fight. He went on to say that the only people to blame for the way the league has treated officials throughout the years are the referees themselves.
The Detroit Lions get screwed by the referees in their game against the Dallas Cowboys.
For those who didn’t see it, the debate began with 23 seconds remaining in the game when Amon-Ra St. Brown scored after catching a Jared Goff pass and driving for a touchdown to trim the Cowboys’ lead to 20-19. Detroit had the option of tying the game with a field goal or winning with a two-point convert.
Dan Campbell and company went with the latter, lining up offensive tackle Taylor Decker as an eligible receiver. The tactic appeared to be successful after Goff completed the convert with a ball to Decker.
The Lions were already celebrating the score, believing they had won the game. However, referee Brad Allen raised two flags, one for illegal touching and the other for illegal formation.
Allen stated that the eligible receiver in the play was Dan Skipper (no. 70), not Decker (no. 68). As a result, Decker was penalized for illegal touching because he should not have been the one to catch the ball. In terms of the illegal formation, Skipper should not have been covered up during the coverage because he reported as eligible.
The Lions denied that Skipper reported, saying that only Decker did. It fueled speculation that the referee misread the names, despite camera recordings showing three players, including Skipper and Decker, approaching the referee.
Regardless, the Detroit Lions’ touchdown was nullified as a result of the penalty. Finally, the Dallas Cowboys were able to make a crucial stop to seal the deal and deny their opponents the victory.
Aaron Rodgers, QB of the New York Jets, Blames ‘Cheap’ NFL
Aaron Rodgers, for one, is not pleased with what he has seen so far in the game. The New York Jets quarterback believes Brad Allen was at fault, noting that the referee left before an eligible receiver report was made.
Replays of the incident revealed that there was obviously a miscommunication, as Taylor Decker stated, albeit the presence of two other players near the referee also contributed to the uncertainty.
Despite this, Rodgers stated that officiating has to improve.
“I was a part of the Fail Mary when the NFL got too cheap to pay the refs what they’re due,” Rodgers stated on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.
“There has been a lot of talk about the end of the Lions game, and some accountability is required.” Brad Allen seems to have left before anything could be said.”
Rodgers went on to say that because the game has such huge playoff ramifications, the officiating crew should only be the best of the best.
“We as players know who the best refs are and when you get to the playoffs it should be the top of the top,” he said.
For what it’s worth, rather than attempting to improve officiating and hold referees more accountable, the league just issued a document outlining how to properly report eligible receivers.
Indeed, it appears that the league is blaming players and teams rather than officials.
