Tom Brady blasts fans who think NFL, referees favor Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs enter this Sunday's Super Bowl LIX matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles as the "bad guys" in the eyes of fans who have convinced themselves that the Chiefs receive favorable calls from referees during games. 

During a Friday appearance on the "Fox & Friends" program, legendary quarterback and Fox lead in-game analyst Tom Brady rebuked those who think Sunday's showdown will somehow be "rigged" in favor of Kansas City. 

"I think it’s just all BS," Brady directly said, as Ryan Gaydos of Fox News Digital shared. "It’s just a bunch of noise. These refs have very challenging jobs to do. I’m very happy Twitter didn’t exist during the 'Tuck Rule Game' in 2001, let me say that. I would’ve been on the wrong end on a lot of those. But these refs are out there trying to do their very best." 

Of course, Brady was referencing the 2001 AFC divisional playoff game that featured the signal-caller losing control of the football late in the contest's fourth quarter. The play was controversially ruled an incomplete pass after a video review deemed that Brady's arm was going forward when he lost possession, but he admitted in May 2022 that "it might have been a fumble." 

Meanwhile, during Super Bowl week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell insisted that it "is a ridiculous theory" that the league is pushing for the Chiefs to win a third straight Super Bowl game. The NFL Referees Association later said it is "insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team."

Brady allegedly received certain calls in his favor during his playing days. As a broadcaster and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, he must follow strict guidelines regarding what he can say. During Friday's show segment, he strongly defended NFL officials. 

"They got to make decisions in a split second and they’re gonna call what they see and these guys are some of the most professional people on the field," Brady added about league referees. "They just want to do a good job like everyone else. And look, sometimes the calls go your way, sometimes they don’t. In the end, over the course of a 140-play game on both sides of the ball, the players have plenty of opportunities to go out there and make an impact in the game, winning or losing, and that’s what I’m excited to see on Sunday night."

Brady's words likely won't silence those who think the so-called "script" for Super Bowl LIX has already been written and delivered to the referees working the game.