NFL legend Troy Aikman destroyed the refs in the broadcast booth during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans game after a very controversial unnecessary roughness call was made against Houston.
Troy Aikman Puts the Refs on Blast
From the start of the Chiefs matchup with the Texans, there were a lot of controversial calls made by the referees including a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty early in the game.
That said, one play in particular stood out from the rest, as even the announcers couldn’t believe the call on the play — an unnecessary roughness call made late in the third quarter as Mahomes had a very late slide leading to very minimal contact.
Aikman voiced his frustration, saying, “Oh, come on! I mean he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.” Aikman also added that he “could not disagree more” with the call.
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ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk also chimed in as he said that “the two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul.”
"Oh, come on! I mean, he's a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit." – Troy Aikman
"The two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul." – Russell Yurk
"They've gotta address it in the offseason…" – Aikman 🏈🎙️🦓 #NFL https://t.co/vXj2v7VTKg pic.twitter.com/QioQ5IQwhg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
To have this reaction from an announcer let alone an NFL legend such as Aikman is simply unacceptable. That said, NFL analyst Warren Sharp took to X (formerly Twitter) to compliment Aikman and Joe Buck for their criticism of the refs rather than staying quiet as it happened.
“Taking a second to compliment Aikman and Buck for not being afraid to criticize horrible refs making horrible calls on national TV. Normalize this and we might fix it.”
taking a second to compliment Aikman and Buck for not being afraid to criticize horrible refs making horrible calls on national tv
normalize this and we might fix it
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 19, 2025
The referees simply have to do better, and the fans seem to agree as they have also voiced their frustration over the controversial call.
NFL Fans React to the Controversial Call
As previously mentioned, some fans have also been very frustrated by the call, with one saying, “It is freaking ridiculous. The refs have to see when he is flopping like that. It’s clear as day.”
It is freaking ridiculous. The refs have to see when he is flopping like that. It's clear as day.
— Andrew Leonard (@adleonard11) January 18, 2025
Another fan added that “It’s gotten way out of hand.”
It’s gotten way out of hand
— Bobby Mueller (@GreatGoomer) January 18, 2025
A few fans have even said that this call is an example of the refs “rigging” or “fixing” the game. In relation to this, one fan said, “Wow, NFL really wants Chiefs to advance. Disgusting.”
Wow, NFL really wants Chiefs to advance. Disgusting 🤮
— Ruf Houz (@RufHouza) January 18, 2025
The accumulation of bad calls has even led one fan to “dislike” the Chiefs as they added that they “Never really disliked the Chiefs until now. Ref’s bailing them out over and over, Mahomes flopping around like an English Premier League striker.”
Never really disliked the Chiefs until now. Ref’s bailing them out over and over, Mahomes flopping around like an English Premier League striker…😡
— Adrian’s Flow (@Croz1968) January 18, 2025
Hopefully, after some national attention is brought to this issue once again on one of the biggest stages possible, some progress will be made. That said, this isn’t anything new, specifically with the Chiefs, who have been the center of ref-related discussions, so this definitely could continue.
