NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson discusses officiating after week of controversies
Former Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson spoke to Fox News Digital about how the referees have been calling games.
The NFL has faced a ton of backlash this season over how games have been called and two games in Week 15 underscored just how frustrated the fans have felt.
A controversial touchdown in the Las Vegas Raiders-New England Patriots game led to a tie before Chandler Jones pulled off the impossible and won the game for his team. A missed pass interference call and strange illegal formation call in the Washington Commanders-New York Giants game also roiled fans. Saturday’s slate of games also saw a couple of missed calls that had fans up in arms.
But Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson told Fox News Digital on Monday night at the Los Angeles Chargers’ "Battle of the G.O.A.T.S" celebrity flag football game he believed the officials were doing as good of a job as they could given the parameters they work in and just how generally fast the game is.
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Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson runs against Seattle Seahawks at the Qualcomm Stadium, Dec. 29, 2002, in San Diego. (Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"That’s above my pay grade," Tomlinson said when asked what the NFL needs to do to make sure games are officiated properly. "It’s tough for the refs out there. It’s a fast game. These are the best athletes in the world. You’re trying to get a split-second call right.
"I think there’s just sometimes there’s gonna need to be more reviews from the booth, maybe. I wish I had the answers but I think as the Competition Committee continues to look at the film and try to improve the game, they will come up with solution that hopefully will improve the game and make it easier to watch sometimes where a lot of fans are complaining about the calls."
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Raiders wide receiver Keelan Cole catches a 30-yard touchdown pass against New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Patriots fans appeared to be upset with Raiders wide receiver Keelan Cole’s touchdown catch on Sunday that tied the game. From the high angle, it appeared Cole was out of bounds when he caught the ball but the league’s senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said "there was nothing that was clear and obvious that his foot was touching the white."
At the end of the Giants-Commanders game, it appeared wide receiver Curtis Samuel was held in the end zone on the final play for Washington. Terry McLaurin was also flagged for illegal formation on a touchdown that would have given Washington the chance to tie the game.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Kade Kohou was penalized for pass interference with 45 seconds left against the Buffalo Bills toward the end of a tie game. Julian Edelman criticized the league for the call, which helped set up Buffalo’s game-winning field goal.
New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes defends Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel to seal a 20-12 victory, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, in Landover, Maryland. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
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The NFL enacted a rule after the 2018-19 playoffs that pass interference calls would be reviewable after a clear pass interference call during the NFC Championship between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints was missed. The rule was removed the following season.