Replay: Watch Chiefs Super Bowl parade, players speak at rally
16 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you haven’t heard by now, there have been some grumblings recently about the NFL.
Between the NFC and AFC championship games, and the final moments of the Super Bowl, some fans have been crying fowl about the officiating. There have been accusations that the outcome was rigged.
According to the experts, that simply isn’t true. We’re taking a look at some of the recent myths and why the rumors are false.
Former player says the season is scripted
Former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster can be heard on a recent podcast making the claim that the NFL is rigged and that the outcome is scripted. His comments quickly went viral. However, according to Sports Illustrated, most failed to realize that Foster was clearly joking. As the tweet of his comments went viral, many current and former NFL players chimed in to joke about it and point out reasons why the game is 100% real.
Third down replay in AFC Championship
It was a very confusing play for those watching. On a second down, Patrick Mahomes threw an incomplete pass leading to a third-and-9 attempt. The Chiefs failed to convert, leading to a fourth down. However, according to The Sporting News, when the ball was spotted after the end of that second down, the gameplay clock started up when it should have remained stopped. The official attempted to stop play before the third down began but couldn’t get anyone’s attention. The decision to replay the third down reportedly came from NFL headquarters in New York.
That holding call in the Super Bowl
With 1:54 left to go in regulation on third-and-8, Mahomes attempts a touchdown pass to Juju Smith-Schuster that ends up over his head and out-of-bounds in the end zone. However, a flag back at the 10 for holding against the Eagles led to a five-yard penalty and an automatic first down. The Chiefs were then able to run down the clock and score what ended up being a game-winning field goal. Instant replay of the penalty, though, had many, including the announcers, scratching their heads. It appeared there was hardly any contact, at least not enough to justify a holding call. However, after the game, even the man responsible for the penalty made it clear that he had held Schuster, according to NFL.com. James Bradbury said he hoped that the refs would have “let it slide.” Video from NFL films shows the penalty much more clearly, and a mic’ed up Jason Kelce can be seen and heard calling the penalty, saying the officials were going to call it, and that would be the end of the game.
Mahomes tested for performance-enhancing drugs?
A Twitter account that claims to be a sports journalist tweeted that Patrick Mahomes was selected for a random PEDs test during halftime, and he tested positive. It goes on to claim that if further testing backed up the claim, the team would be stripped of the Super Bowl win. The story is false. The Associated Press reports that the account frequently makes outlandish claims and the reported author does not have any bylines with any news outlet and uses a stock photo for its account headshot. The NFL also confirmed to the AP that the story is false.