Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo believes the Kansas City Chiefs are benefiting from NFL officials, and there’s nothing Roger Goodell or Scott Green can say to change that.
Earlier this week, Goodell denied the “ridiculous theory” that Kansas City is getting favorable calls during his State of the Union press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIX. NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green doubled down on Goodell’s denial, calling theories about the Chiefs getting preferential treatment from officials “insulting and preposterous.”
Wednesday morning on First Take, Russo went off on Goodell and Green, essentially trying to make his case that the NFL should be admitting Chiefs favoritism.
“How about what Goodell said…And now Scott Green…that anybody who thinks there’s a conspiracy with the Chiefs and penalty calls and everything else, doesn’t know their fanny from their elbow.” – Chris Russo pic.twitter.com/jsi1lysPP2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2025
“How about what Goodell said in his press conference with the media a couple of days ago? And now Scott Green,” Russo began. “Basically saying that anybody who thinks there’s a conspiracy with the Chiefs and penalty calls and everything else doesn’t know their fanny from their elbow.”
If only Goodell had opened his Monday press conference by claiming fans don’t know their fanny from their elbow. But as Goodell and Green attempted to debunk theories about the Chiefs’ favoritism, Russo attempted to pour some gasoline on them Wednesday morning.
“I’ll make a big deal about the calls. Because I’ve been following sports…for a very long time,” Russo reminded the audience. “A lot longer than Scott Green ever did. And older than Goodell. I’ve been doing this for 55 years.”
Obviously, Goodell wasn’t going to come out in his press conference and admit the NFL is favoring the Chiefs. But Goodell and Green are kind of making a big deal about the calls. Maybe not in the way Russo and others with Chiefs fatigue might want, but they’re making a big deal about it just by addressing the theory. Normally, you would expect the league to just ignore it and not even bother with denying the claims.
Russo went on to provide statistical evidence defending his theory of favoritism from the officials, noting the Chiefs have been penalized just 36 times in their last nine playoff games while their opponents racked up 66 penalties. Among other stats, Russo added that the Chiefs received just two unsportsmanlike penalties in those games as compared to 11 for their opponents.
“You’re gonna sit there and tell me that we look at this equally? How can you say that?!” Russo asked. “Jordan got calls. LeBron gets calls. Gretzky got calls. Barry Bonds got strike zone calls. Randy Johnson got the benefit of the doubt. Greg Maddux. All great players and teams get breaks. And for Green and for Goodell to sit there and not acknowledge that is a complete utter disgrace. We’re not stupid! Sports fans are smart! They’re sophisticated!”
Has Adam Silver admitted LeBron gets preferential treatment? Did Bud Selig say MLB umpires are helping Barry Bonds? Russo is asking for something that just isn’t realistic.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com