Andy Reid: NFL referees 'don't favor one side or the other'

The subject of whether the Kansas City Chiefs receive favorable treatment from referees has been a major topic of discussion during Super Bowl week. On Thursday, it became head coach Andy Reid‘s turn to address the controversy.

Reid definitively said he doesn’t believe referees “favor one side or the other,” adding it’s “insulting” to them to think they do.

“I don’t think the officials care about what’s said,” Reid said, via Pro Football Talk. “They’re doing their job and they’re doing it to the best of their ability. They don’t favor one side or the other, that’s not how this thing goes. It’s a good story but that’s not reality of how it works. You’d be insulting them to think that’s what they do. They go out and they call it like they see it. There’s some, as a coach, I sit there and I go, ‘I don’t agree with it.’ There’s some I agree with. That’s how it goes.”

Reid is one of many associated with the Chiefs addressing officiating ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. At one point during tight end Travis Kelce‘s media availability on Monday, a reporter asked Kelce if there was one question he’d like to ask the media. Kelce thought about it for a few moments and then fired away. The 35-year-old wanted to know why there’s so much media discussion about referees.

“If I could ask the media one question — why are you guys leaning into this whole ref thing?” Kelce asked, via FOX Sports. “You know what I mean? Like, why are you guys leaning into it? That’s all I got, though.”

Roger Goodell speaks out on public perception that officiating benefits Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City certainly doesn’t feel it has an advantage, but here are the numbers: The Chiefs have been penalized nine times for 50 yards in their two playoff games, while their opponents have been penalized 14 times for 130 yards.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the public perception that the Chiefs benefit from officiating is a “ridiculous theory” born on social media.

“This sort of thing reminds me of the script, right, that I write a script, and I have the script for the entire season,” said Goodell, speaking with the media in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “Listen, I think from a lot of those theories are things that happen in social media, and they gain a new life. As you said [reporter], it’s not your theory but it’s out there. Nobody wants it to be their theory and so, I understand it. I think it reflects a lot of the fan’s passion and it’s also a reminder for us of how important officiating is.

“I think the men and women that officiate in the NFL are outstanding. They have the highest possible standards. That’s a ridiculous theory for anyone who might take it seriously. But at the end of the day, that’s something we always have to continue to work on how do we make our officiating better at all times.”