Former Chiefs player skewers Adam Schefter’s suggestion of ref bias as ‘incredibly embarrassing’

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has been the subject of widespread criticism Sunday.

The all-knowing NFL reporter came under fire this weekend after publishing a report with framing that insinuated the Kansas City Chiefs receive favorable officiating compared with other teams. Schefter’s report centered around a possible rule change the league may look at next season involving the expansion of replay assist to plays involving quarterback slides.

For all those complaining that Patrick Mahomes gets too many calls, relief soon could be on the way.

NFL replay assist is expected to expand this offseason into plays that could include the quarterback slide, league sources told ESPN.https://t.co/4w3haqOW7i

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2025

Last week, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the beneficiary of a debatable personal foul call after a Houston Texans defender appeared to hit him late after a slide. The NFL later came out in defense of the call, but that didn’t stop Schefter from feeding into the social media narrative that the league’s officiating is biased towards Mahomes and the Chiefs. In fact, ESPN’s top insider doubled down on Sunday morning citing statistics to support his argument.

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

While the stats would seem to backup the prevailing narrative, it’s far from actual proof that the NFL is favoring the Chiefs with its officiating. And for arguably the most famous NFL reporter in the world to lend credence to something that, for now, amounts to a conspiracy theory had one former Chiefs player upset.

Former Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz took to social media to express his displeasure.

This is incredibly embarrassing for someone who commands zero respect. Almost every one of these the announcers say are clear penalties. The one that they don’t the NFL reviewed it and said it was a penalty.https://t.co/mhWFL1iWv6

It’s insane that someone in the league is… https://t.co/DHqHVSLrfA pic.twitter.com/56anBCT7BT

— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) January 26, 2025

“This is incredibly embarrassing for someone who commands zero respect,” Schwartz began. “Almost every one of these [personal fouls] announcers say are clear penalties. The one that they don’t, the NFL reviewed it and said it was a penalty.”

“It’s insane that someone in the league is pushing this, and/or allowing the most visible person to spew this kind of BS,” the former lineman continued.

The league’s voice with the largest reach is insinuating the league both influences games via refereeing AND favors one team specifically. It’s not a cute little joke. That would be the biggest sports scandal ever, especially with everything being tied to gambling these days. https://t.co/cPFY1d7Gjy

— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) January 26, 2025

“The league’s voice with the largest reach is insinuating the league both influences games via refereeing AND favors one team specifically. It’s not a cute little joke. That would be the biggest scandal ever, especially with everything being tied to gambling these days,” Schwartz wrote in another social media post.

Schwartz is right. These are very serious allegations that Schefter is playing to. And given his massive platform, it certainly doesn’t serve the league well for him to be giving this narrative any sort of legitimacy.

Of course, it’s not Adam Schefter’s job to be a mouthpiece for the league. But it is his job to report facts. And the idea that the Chiefs receive favorable officiating is far more conspiracy than fact at this point.