- Kadarius Toney’s TD would have put the Chiefs up 23-20 but it was overturned
- The wide receiver was called for offside, leaving Kansas City furious last week
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Kansas City Chiefs star Kadarius Toney has blasted NFL referees following the offside call on him that cost them a victory against the Buffalo Bills last week.
The Chiefs fell to 8-5 following a frustrating 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, which ended in dramatic scenes when Toney’s potentially game-winning touchdown was overturned due to an offside penalty call on the wide receiver.
The controversial call left the Chiefs furious, in particular an irate Patrick Mahomes, who threw his helmet to the ground and had to be held back by his teammates as he screamed at the officials.
Much of the Chiefs’ anger was thought to be because the officials had not warned them about a possible offensive offside.
Referee Carl Cheffers said he would have offered advice if the team had asked for it, but Toney doubled down on their blame of the officials and claimed they were lying.
Kansas City Chiefs star Kadarius Toney took aim at NFL referees after last week’s game
The wide receiver’s go-ahead touchdown was overturned after he was called for offside
Toney’s touchdown would have moved the hosts 23-20 ahead with just over a minute to play
‘Whether it was, an inch, two inches, whatever in front of the ball, the referee got a job to let me know,’ Toney said.
‘He didn’t make no effort. You watch the video, he didn’t make no effort to say anything about no alignment. So apparently, he wanted to do that regardless. But like I said, we’re just going back to the details and just make sure we fine print everything.’
Cheffers said Toney was so far offside that he was ‘blocking our view of the ball’ and admitted he would have given the Chiefs advice on their positioning if they had asked for it.
But head coach Andy Reid, who previously branded the call ’embarrassing’, later admitted that they hadn’t asked for guidance.
Toney’s touchdown would have moved the hosts 23-20 ahead with just over a minute to play, yet when the score was erased and Buffalo held on for the victory the red mist descended for Mahomes.
As a result of their respective outbursts, NFL network’s Ian Rapoport has revealed that both men have been hit with penalties.
Mahomes was fined $50,000 for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ and ‘abusive, threatening or insulting language to officials’ – while also for violating long-standing league rules prohibiting public criticism of referees.
Reid received a heftier penalty of $100,000 for his comments after the game, which the NFL believes also violated those long-standing rules in place to protect officials.
After initially losing his cool, Mahomes was quick to hold his hands up and admit his actions were out of line at Arrowhead. The quarterback also insisted he still intends to prove himself a role model going forward.
Patrick Mahomes was left irate on the sidelines, throwing his helmet and screaming at officials
Mahomes and Andy Reid have both received fines after their furious reactions to the call
‘I think it’s pressure of being a good person,’ he said this week when asked if his outburst came from the pressure of being the face of Kansas City.
‘I try to act in a way that I’m a good role model because I looked up to guys that were on this stage ever since I was a little kid running through the locker room.’
‘I’m just trying to be a good person,’ Mahomes continued. ‘Obviously I care, so my emotions were shown on the football field, which they’ve been shown in good ways, but obviously that wasn’t a good way.
‘But at the end of the day, I’m just trying to be the best person that I can be. The face of the franchise, NFL stuff, that’s going to come and go. But if I can show the person I am every single day and that sets an example, that’s what I want to do when my career’s over.’