The Kansas City Chiefs’ run to a potential Super Bowl three-peat has led to plenty of conversation regarding whether the NFL is rigged in favor of the two-time defending champions.
And those conversations have also resulted in Adam Schefter receiving his share of criticism from Chiefs supporters who believe that the ESPN insider has helped perpetuate that narrative.
Appearing on Establish The Run’s podcast earlier this week, Schefter was asked what he thinks about the perception that the league he covers is slanted in favor of Kansas City. And while he denied the league is rigged, he did say it’s understandable that the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes would wind up with some favorable calls.
“I would just say that I don’t believe [the league is rigged], despite what other people think. I don’t buy into that,” Schefter said. “I think every great player, over time, gets the benefit of the doubt. Michael Jordan got the benefit of the doubt. LeBron James gets the benefit of the doubt. Tom Brady got the benefit of the doubt. They get the benefit of the doubt because they deserve it.”
Schefter went on to relay a secondhand story he heard about an NBA official once telling Michael Jordan, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you foul out.”
“Do I think there’s anything blatant like that in the NFL? No,” he said. “Do I think that when you see a call and you see a great player that you might side in favor of the great player? Perhaps there’s, psychologically, there’s something to that. But I don’t think it’s rigged. I don’t think it’s scripted. I don’t buy into any of that. I buy into the fact that the Chiefs are one of the most clutch teams in history.”
While one could argue that whether the league being rigged and Kansas City getting the benefit of the doubt on questionable calls is a matter of splitting hairs, these are also the type of comments that have landed Schefter in hot water with Chiefs Kingdom in recent weeks. In particular, the University of Michigan alum came under fire for a social media post pointing out the discrepancy of roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness calls Kansas City was involved with during its eight-game postseason winning streak heading into the AFC Championship Game.
Penalties during Chiefs’ eight-game win streak in playoffs, via @PaulHembo:
Roughing the passer:
Chiefs (0)
Opponents (6)Unnecessary roughness:
Chiefs (1)
Opponents (4) https://t.co/PyWZGslCi5— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 26, 2025
Among those to criticize Schefter for the post was Fox Sports’ Nick Wright, a diehard Chiefs fan who has made a recent habit of calling out the ESPN star’s coverage of Kansas City. And while Schefter didn’t reference Wright by name, he did seemingly allude to such criticism, downplaying it as engagement bait.
“There was zero intent behind it,” Schefter said of the post. “I was quite surprised at the reaction to that. It was just a factual statement that an ESPN researcher sent to me that I topped the story with. But whatever. It’s a sensitive subject. People get very touchy about it. People like to use that for engagement elsewhere. But there was zero intent.
“It is what it is. What is there to say about it? They get the benefit of the doubt. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt. It doesn’t diminish their greatness. And that’s the way it is.”
Ultimately, Schefter doesn’t believe the NFL is rigged, but he also understands why the Chiefs’ greatness has helped create that very perception. But despite his insistence that Kansas City’s benefit of the doubt has been earned, his comments aren’t likely to win over many Chiefs fans, who would prefer to deny that any such bias — real or imagined — even exists in the first place.
