J.J. Watt says he’s yet to hear from NFL about his referee criticism

J.J. Watt will criticize NFL referees when warranted in his role as a game analyst for CBS, for as long as the NFL doesn’t tell him to stop.

In his first season as a game analyst alongside Ian Eagle on CBS, Watt has already shown a willingness to call out the officials. He did it before he was a game analyst, and he’s continued to do it since joining CBS. One issue Watt repeatedly has is the roughing the passer calls. And during an appearance on SI Media with Jimmy Traina this week, Watt was asked if the league has reached out to him to discuss ways of managing penalties better.

The answer was no. But while they haven’t reached out, Watt admitted he has wondered if a call from the league is coming, just not for advice.

“I’m like everybody else, I always wonder, do they tell the analyst what they can and can’t say,” Watt told Traina. “Do they get mad at analysts if they talk about the refs? So, I’ve been waiting for the tap on my shoulder to say, ‘Hey, you’re a little hard on the refs here, pal.’ But no, I have not gotten that in any capacity, which I’m thankful for.”

Watt noted how hard it is for rules analysts to criticize the officials because they’ve been in the position before. Which is why he made it a point to thank Gene Steratore after their last game for what Watt felt was honest criticism of the officials.

“It gives us credibility because as we go on the air and we talk to the fans, they know we’re giving them the honest truth, not necessarily what somebody else wants or what the league would hope we’d say,” Watt contined. “So, I think that’s such a big thing and I’m very grateful for our broadcast that we try very hard to shoot them straight even if it’s not what the league may want.”

Watt isn’t alone. Troy Aikman has no issue calling out referees when warranted. Even Tom Brady, who doubles as a broadcaster and minority NFL owner, has called out the officials without being reprimanded by the league, as far as we know. And while the league probably doesn’t want its broadcasters to rip the product, they have to allow honesty. Most fans are smart, they would notice quickly if a broadcast crew wasn’t allowed to say anything the NFL would deem as negative.