A petition has been started on Change.org by a Virginia man named Mack Donahue, calling for football fans to boycott the NFL over recent officiating. The petition 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.
The petition’s description states that the inconsistent refereeing, particularly in games involving the Kansas City Chiefs, is tarnishing the spirit of the sport and has reached a point where many fans are considering boycotting not just the Super Bowl, but all future games until there is significant change.
The petition has received less than 200 signatures as of publication, but many who have signed have expressed their support for the petition’s cause in the comments. Some have noted that there have been several calls that have raised eyebrows, including 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.
Additionally, referees have come under scrutiny during the Chiefs’ divisional round playoff win against the Houston Texans, where 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, and then again during a Mahomes scramble in the third quarter.
Mahomes addressed the issue when asked by reporters last Wednesday, stating that he didn’t feel the referees were giving him preferential treatment and that he just focuses on playing the game as hard as he can and living with the results.