FRISCO - Former Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Terrell Owens has always been outspoken ... sometimes to the point at which he cannot be taken seriously.
But this time around? As ridiculous as we find it to be - with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell now chiming in to emphasize that point - there are going to be conspiracy theorists who buy in.
And what is T.O. saying as we approach Super Bowl 59?
That the whole thing leading up to and we assume including The Big Game is "rigged" for the benefit of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Owens is ripping the NFL and its referees for "blatant and obvious'' favorable calls that help the Chiefs.
"It's blatant and obvious like it's unreal," Owens said. "I never would've thought I say that I thought games are rigged ... (but) it is unreal at the amount of calls that are not called against the Kansas City Chiefs that are called against everybody else."
Owens is a five-time All-Pro and a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team who starred with the 49ers, the Eagles and the Cowboys and elsewhere with controversy following him at every stop. He has a well-established habit of occasionally popping up in the news for what seems like attention-getting purposes.
But again, he's not alone in stating his thoughts here.
At the same time, the Chiefs - who are trying for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl win (that's a lot of "rigging''!_ are speaking out.
From Travis Kelce: “If I could ask the media one question. Uhm, why are you guys leaning into this whole ref thing? You know what I mean. Why are you guys leaning into it?”
From owner Clark Hunt: “You almost have to laugh at it. There’s definitely no conspiracy, right? It’s the nature of the game. And when you start having a lot of success, people like to start making excuses for why you’re having the success.”
From NFL commissioner Goodell: "It's a ridiculous theory.''
The Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles will air live on FOX with kickoff scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. CT. And hopefully the game - and not the refs - will be the star of the show.
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