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Officiating a game in the NFL is a pretty difficult job, as the players are so big and fast that it’s hard to truly catch everything that’s happening. But, sometimes, NFL referees do things completely under their control that makes people question their integrity, even if that’s pretty unfair to do.
That’s exactly what happened on Sunday during the Buffalo Bills’ blowout AFC Wild Card Round win over the Denver Broncos when referee Bill Vinovich appeared to apologize to Josh Allen on the bench after he missed a call in the end zone.
Vinovich is one of the league’s most-respected officials, and oftentimes gets top assignments, including multiple Super Bowls. And, he and his crew were in Buffalo on Sunday for a huge playoff matchup. Altogether, they did a solid job, and got some pretty big calls right, like this incredible touchdown from Josh Allen to Ty Johnson.
JOSH ALLEN. TY JOHNSON. WOW
📺: #DENvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mG8n29QALD— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2025
Early in the second half, the Bills had driven into the red zone and had a crucial 3rd down play that ended in a sack. Josh Allen wanted a hold in the end zone, but didn’t get the call. It ended up not mattering much in a game that ended up 31-7. But, at the time, it was 10-7, and it seemed like a crucial play.
After the field goal and during the commercial break, Vinovich appeared to go to talk to Josh Allen to apologize.
Bill Vinovich and Josh Allen having a chat pic.twitter.com/2LFbSXo6ua
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 12, 2025
Maybe this happens more than we all think and just isn’t shown. But, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at any level. People on social media immediately cried foul about it.
Yeah, officiating is fair in the NFL. What a joke.
— Jeffrey Marlowe (@DBFanInExile) January 12, 2025
Nfls baby cries and refs coddles him every game
— Blik🎭 (@ayeeblik) January 12, 2025
Bad look no matter how you cut it.
— Jim Ryan (@CoachJRyan) January 12, 2025
Did anything nefarious happen? Probably not. But, people love conspiracy theories these days, and this incident is only going to add fuel to the fire.