On Saturday, the NFL and Roger Goodell dropped the hammer on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his head coach, Andy Reid. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the league has fined Mahomes $50,000 and Reid $100,000 for their actions toward the referees in last Sunday’s epic 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Andy Reid has been fined $100,000 – for violating long-standing league rules prohibiting public criticism of game officials.
Patrick Mahomes has been fined $50,000 – for unsportsmanlike conduct during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against Buffalo and for violating…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2023
Mahomes and Reid were critical of the officiating in last Sunday’s loss, specifically when wideout Kadarius Toney received an offensive offsides penalty in the final drive, negating the go-ahead touchdown. Mahomes had yet to receive a fine this season before Saturday. However, his actions, both on the sideline and in the postgame interview, drew the eyes of the NFL higher-ups due to his violation of the long-standing league regulations prohibiting public criticism of game officials. NFL fans, specifically those who support the Chiefs, were not too pleased to learn of the lofty fines handed to Mahomes and Reid, taking to social media to air their frustrations. NFL officiating has come under fire this season, resulting from numerous missed calls.
NFL Fans React to Mahomes, Reid, Receiving Hefty Monetary Punishments
I wish the @NFL and @NFLOfficiating were harder on themselves… Throwing hefty fines around is a joke… Time to start fining officials!
— THΞ_LΞGΞND (@LegendSoulMiner) December 16, 2023
50K…. There goes Christmas in the Mahomes house.
— General Mitchy Moss (@badpeatmoss) December 16, 2023
They might as well fine players for being alive at this point.
— Poll Man💫 (@yoelitiro34) December 16, 2023
Mahomes after reading how the league took $50k from him https://t.co/WVXDiJiUOs pic.twitter.com/TORcAGwPwC
— Chris (@chiefs_outsider) December 16, 2023
How much do Ref’s get fined for sucking at their jobs?
— Lord Dan Val (@LordDanVal) December 16, 2023
Why can’t they publicly criticize refs?????? That’s weird
— Big B (@BWareLaFlare) December 16, 2023
Patrick Mahomes was fined $50K for criticizing the officials. Andy Reid $100K.
While I think the refs were right about this particular instance, I once again ask – why don't the refs get fined for missing easy calls and yet players get fined for even mentioning them?
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) December 16, 2023
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes Blasts NFL Refs in Week 14
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes ripped the sideline official late during last Sunday’s loss. Still, his frustration didn’t end there, with the signal-caller lashing out at the officials postgame.
Having a flag changes the outcome of the game. I’ve never had offensive offsides called. If it does, they warn you. There wasn’t a warning the entire game. And then you make a call like that in the final minute? In another game, we’re talking about the refs. It’s not what we want for the NFL. It’s not what we want for football,” said Mahomes regarding the late-game offsides penalty called on wide receiver Kadarius Toney. The penalty wiped out the go-ahead touchdown in the eventual Kansas City loss.
Head coach Andy Reid didn’t pull punches when discussing the refs postgame. He called the Toney flag “a bit embarrassing” while saying, “Very disappointed that it ended the way it did.”
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @alec_musa. You can also reach out to me via email at musaalec@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest college and NFL news, click here!